General information, not financial advice. Test any setup with a small amount first. Status 23 October 2026.
Not legal advice: inheritance law differs by country; ask a lawyer about wills and estate rules.
The problem
With self-custody there is no bank to ask. If heirs do not know the coins exist, where the backup is, or how to use it, the coins are effectively lost forever.
Three things heirs need
- Knowledge: that bitcoin exists and roughly where.
- Access: the seed phrase(s), any passphrase and, for multisig, the descriptor.
- Instructions: plain-language steps, and who they can trust for help.
The tension
Giving heirs access today means they, or anyone who finds the papers, can spend today. The solution is to split what is needed so no single place holds everything.
Bitcoin's answers
- multisig: for example 2-of-3 where you hold two keys, and a trusted person or lawyer holds the third plus instructions. No one alone can spend.
- Split secrets: seed in one place, passphrase in another, described in a letter kept with your will.
- Timelocks: Bitcoin scripts can allow a recovery key to spend only after a set time (timelock). Some wallets build inheritance plans on this.
Do not
- Write the seed phrase into the will itself; wills can be read by many.
- Make it so complicated that heirs cannot follow it.
Review the plan when your setup changes.