Crypto in your will: how to make sure your heirs can access it later
Date: 6 October 2026 | Week 41 | Reading time: 6 minutesAuthor: Tyler Dijst, blockchain investigation specialist
Paucitas is an independent expert firm in the Netherlands that investigates investment fraud and crypto fraud, establishes the origin and legitimacy of crypto assets and prepares expert reports for legal proceedings and compliance.
In short
Yes, you can include crypto in your will, just like any other asset. A crypto will sets out who receives it. Whether your heirs can actually reach it later is another matter: sometimes that works out fine, sometimes crypto becomes unreachable because nobody knows what there is or where the access lies.
Paucitas is an independent firm of experts that maps out crypto assets and where they came from in hundreds of cases a year, including for people who want to get this right during their lifetime.
Not sure whether your crypto is properly arranged? Get in touch with Paucitas and you will hear straight away what you need.
In a nutshell
A will decides who gets your crypto, not how your heirs get to it. Paucitas maps out what there is, where it is held and how it was built up, in a report anyone can follow. Get in touch and you will know where you stand.
Thinking about your own estate is not pleasant, and with crypto it also feels technical. You are not the only one putting it off. With a bank account, your family knows where to start: the bank. With crypto, that point of contact often does not exist.
Can you include crypto in a will?
Yes. HMRC treats cryptoassets as assets of a person’s estate in much the same way as other assets (HMRC, Cryptoassets Manual). So crypto belongs in your estate, just like money in an account or shares. In your will you set out who receives what, and who will deal with your estate as executor (GOV.UK, writing your will).
The catch: a will deals with who gets what, not with access. It does not say which wallets you hold, which exchanges you have an account with or how your heirs can get in. That is where things often go wrong in practice, and exactly where Paucitas helps.
Why is crypto harder to leave behind than a bank account?
A bank knows the account holder and has a set procedure for bereaved families. With crypto, access sits in a key, not in your name. There is no central desk keeping track of which wallets are yours. And the value moves, so what your crypto was worth on the day of death has to be worked out later.
Does that mean your heirs will be left empty handed? Not necessarily. Sometimes everything is neatly in place and it takes just a few steps. Sometimes there turns out to be more than anyone knew, or less. Which way it goes for you, you only know once someone properly looks into it.
What should you put in your crypto will, and what not?
A will is not a safe. After death, several people read it, such as your heirs and your executor. So your recovery phrase, private keys or passwords do not belong in the will itself.
What does help is an overview alongside the will: what you hold, where it is and how it was built up. That is the part your heirs will really get something out of later. Paucitas puts that overview together for you, without you ever having to share your recovery phrase.
Why does the origin matter too?
Heirs are often asked two questions later on. What was the crypto worth on the date of death? HMRC expects the date of death value on an Inheritance Tax return (HMRC, Cryptoassets Manual). And where did it come from? If an heir converts crypto into pounds, the bank may ask about its origin. If that was recorded during your lifetime, your heirs do not have to dig back years through exchanges that may no longer exist.
Finding it hard to make a start? That is completely understandable, many people put it off. Let Paucitas look at it with you: in a free, no obligation introduction you will hear what you need.
What if the crypto is already part of an estate?
Are you reading this because someone has died and you do not know what there is? Even then, more is often possible than you think. Paucitas maps out the crypto in an estate: which wallets and accounts there were, what they hold and how it was built up.
As an heir, do you still have technical access, for example through a phone with a wallet app, or a hardware wallet whose PIN is known? Then Paucitas looks at it with you so you can get in carefully, without anything going wrong along the way. If access has been lost, the holdings and their value can often still be established. Paucitas makes no promises, but you will get clarity. Read more in crypto in an estate.
What Paucitas does for you
Paucitas looks into everything that belongs to your crypto: the wallets and accounts, the transactions, the route of the money from the first deposit, the platforms and the documents. Paucitas also reads through emails, messages and other communication, for example from exchanges. That gives a complete picture, with a timeline and an overview of where all the money came from and where it went, step by step. It all goes into a report that anyone can follow and understand step by step, including an heir with no knowledge of crypto.
What you can provide. The names of exchanges, public wallet addresses, statements and the bank statements for your purchases. To map things out, Paucitas never needs your recovery phrase or private keys.
Cost and turnaround. Every investigation is tailored. You receive a tailored quote in advance that we go through together, with no surprises. An investigation takes anywhere from the same day to around two weeks.
The will itself is drawn up or updated with your solicitor. In England and Wales you can store it with the Probate Service; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules (GOV.UK, making a will). If Paucitas has already mapped out your crypto, your solicitor knows straight away what it is about.
Get in touch
The first step is simple: you get in touch and Paucitas gets back to you. You can call any time, 24/7, on +31 20 244 5774. Through the contact form you will hear from us within 1 to 3 hours, and we answer emails within 24 hours, usually the same day. The introduction is free and without obligation.
Sources: HMRC, Cryptoassets Manual: Inheritance Tax (CRYPTO25000); GOV.UK, making a will: writing your will; GOV.UK, making a will.
Questions about your own situation?
Call us directly, 24/7, or fill in the form below. You will hear from us within 1 to 3 hours. A free intake comes with no obligation.
Paucitas B.V.
Weesperstraat 107
1018 VN Amsterda
E: paucitas@paucitas.com
T: 020 244 5774
Available 24/7
CoC: 83489649
VAT: NL862894062B01
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Frequently asked questions about crypto and your will
Short answers to the questions we are asked most often.
Can I include crypto in my will?
Paucitas says: yes, and it is good that you are thinking about it now. Crypto is part of your estate, but the will does not arrange how your heirs get to it. Paucitas records what you hold, where it is and how it was built up.
Should I put my recovery phrase in my will?
Paucitas advises against it. Many people wonder about this, but several people read a will after death. Paucitas does not need your recovery phrase to map out your crypto either; how you arrange access safely is something to discuss with your solicitor afterwards.
Can heirs access crypto without a password?
Paucitas sees both in practice: sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on where the crypto is held and what is still known. Paucitas works out what there is and which options are still open.
Can Paucitas help if the crypto is already part of an estate?
Paucitas gets this question regularly: someone has died and nobody knows exactly what there is. Paucitas maps out which wallets and accounts there were, what they hold and how it was built up. If heirs still have access, Paucitas looks at how they can get in carefully.
What does it cost to have crypto mapped out?
Paucitas: that depends on your situation, because every investigation is tailored. Paucitas prepares a tailored quote in advance that we go through with you, with no surprises.
Short answers
Is your question not covered here? See short answers to common questions about crypto investigation or the explanations of blockchain and cryptocurrency terms.
Your own situation
If you are reading this, you probably have a question about your own situation. That is exactly what Paucitas does.
The first step is contact by phone. You can book that call by phone or through the contact form, so you do not have to wait. In the call we look together at what can factually be established in your case and what Paucitas can examine for you.