How to Close Digital Accounts After Death in Australia

Have a question about this? Ask the Guide → the chat widget at the bottom-right of this page can answer it. Reading time: 6 minutes | The Executor’s Guide — Plain English. Step by step. Written for the person who just found out.

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Digital accounts are the most commonly overlooked part of estate administration, and the one most likely to create ongoing problems if ignored. Subscriptions keep charging. Social media accounts stay active. Email inboxes accumulate correspondence relevant to the estate. Here is what to do and how.

Why Digital Accounts Matter for an Executor

There are three reasons digital accounts matter beyond sentiment. First, ongoing subscriptions cost the estate money every month they are not cancelled. Second, the deceased’s email is likely connected to financial accounts, subscriptions, and services that need to be notified or cancelled. Third, some digital accounts have monetary value — PayPal balances, cryptocurrency wallets, rewards points, and digital storefronts.

Start with the Email Account

Before cancelling the email account, review it thoroughly. Search for: bank statements and account notifications, subscription confirmations (these reveal every active paid service), super fund correspondence, share registry notifications, government correspondence, and any accounts set up with that email address.

Once reviewed, you can request account closure or memorialisation. For Gmail/Google accounts, use the Inactive Account Manager process or submit a death certificate to Google’s Next of Kin request form at myaccount.google.com. For Microsoft/Outlook, contact Microsoft Support with a death certificate.

Social Media Accounts

Facebook/Meta: You can request memorialisation (the account is preserved as a memorial) or removal. Go to facebook.com/help/1506822589577997. You’ll need a death certificate. A Legacy Contact nominated by the deceased can manage the memorialised account.

Instagram: Submit a request to memorialise or remove at help.instagram.com. Requires death certificate and proof of relationship.

LinkedIn: Report a deceased member at linkedin.com/help. LinkedIn will remove the profile after verification.

X (Twitter): Submit a request to deactivate via help.twitter.com/forms/privacy. Requires death certificate.

TikTok: Request removal via TikTok’s Privacy and Safety Help Centre with death certificate documentation.

Streaming and Subscription Services

These continue billing until cancelled. Each requires direct contact with the provider. Common ones to check: Netflix, Stan, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Premium, Audible, Kindle Unlimited, Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, iCloud storage, Google One.

For most: log in and cancel via account settings, or contact customer support with a death certificate if you cannot access the account. Credit card statements will reveal all active recurring charges.

Accounts with Monetary Value

PayPal: Contact PayPal’s deceased accounts team. Balances in PayPal accounts form part of the estate and must be transferred to the estate account before distribution.

eBay seller accounts: If the deceased had active listings or outstanding payments, contact eBay’s customer support immediately to prevent transactions from completing without authority.

Cryptocurrency: This is the most complex digital asset. Without access to private keys or seed phrases, cryptocurrency cannot be recovered. Check for hardware wallets (USB devices), written seed phrases (usually 12–24 words) in secure locations, and exchange accounts (Coinspot, Binance, Swyftx) that may hold balances accessible with login credentials and identity verification.

Reward points and frequent flyer accounts: Qantas, Velocity, and most hotel programs allow transfer of points to beneficiaries on death with a death certificate. Contact each program directly — points are not automatically cancelled.

Apple and Google Accounts

Apple’s Digital Legacy program allows nominated Legacy Contacts to access a deceased person’s iCloud data including photos, notes, and files. Without a Legacy Contact set up, family members can apply to Apple with a death certificate and a court order.

For Google accounts, the Inactive Account Manager allows pre-nominated people to access or download data. Without this set up, submit a next-of-kin request to Google directly.

A Practical Approach

Work through digital accounts methodically: start with email, identify all subscriptions from statements and inbox, cancel paid services, then address social media and accounts with value. Keep a record of every account notified, when, and the outcome. This is part of your record-keeping obligation as executor.

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The Executor’s Guide provides general information about estate administration in Australia. It is not legal advice.

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Related guides

• What to Do When Someone Dies in Australia
• What Is an Executor?
• Executor Duties in Australia: The Complete Legal Guide
• Do I Need Probate? A Plain-English Guide