How to Handle Email Accounts

Email accounts are often the key to discovering and accessing the deceased's digital life — financial accounts, subscriptions, online purchases, and important correspondence. Before closing any email account, download or preserve the contents. If you have the password, log in and export all emails. If you do not have the password, each email provider has a process for requesting access.

For Gmail/Google accounts: Google's Inactive Account Manager may have been set up to grant you access after a period of inactivity. If not, you can submit a request to Google for access to a deceased person's account at support.google.com/accounts/troubleshooter/6357590. Google may provide account contents but typically will not provide the password. You will need to submit a death certificate, your ID, proof of your relationship, and evidence that you are the legal representative of the estate. Processing takes several weeks to months. For Microsoft/Outlook accounts: contact Microsoft's Next of Kin process. For Yahoo accounts: Yahoo does not provide access to deceased users' accounts but will close the account upon request with a death certificate.

Once you have access, search the email for important financial information: bank statements, investment account notifications, insurance documents, tax returns, password reset confirmations, and subscription receipts. This email archive is one of the best resources for identifying all of the deceased's financial accounts and obligations. Do not close the email account until the estate is settled, as ongoing estate correspondence (from creditors, courts, financial institutions) may continue to arrive at this address.