How to Close a PayPal Account After Someone Dies (Executor Steps + Required Documents)

The first time it shows up, it can feel oddly ordinary: a PayPal email receipt in your loved one’s inbox, a “payment received” notification on their phone, or a monthly subscription that keeps charging as if nothing changed. Grief has a way of making small administrative alerts feel enormous. You’re trying to plan a service, notify family, and keep yourself upright—while the digital side of a person’s life keeps humming along.

If you’re searching for close PayPal account after death or delete PayPal account of deceased, you’re likely doing it for a practical reason. Maybe there’s money sitting in the account that will help cover final expenses. Maybe you’re preventing identity theft and stopping recurring charges. Or maybe you simply need one less open loop, one less place where your loved one’s name still “lives.”

This guide walks you through the steps PayPal typically requires, what documents to gather, and how remaining funds are usually handled—without rushing you or assuming you have everything figured out. If you’re also juggling the broader digital tasks after a death, Funeral.com’s Digital Accounts After a Death: A Practical Closure Checklist can help you stay organized across email, subscriptions, and financial logins.

Start with your role: executor vs. administrator matters here

With PayPal, who you are legally determines what you can do. PayPal’s guidance is clear that it can only act on instructions from the authorized executor or administrator of the estate. In other words, you may be the closest relative, but PayPal still typically needs proof that you have authority to act for the estate. According to PayPal, requests to close a deceased person’s account must come from the authorized executor or administrator, and PayPal asks for specific documentation before it will lock or close the account and address any remaining balance.

If your loved one left a will, the executor is usually named there and then formally recognized through probate (often with “Letters Testamentary” or a similar court document). If there is no will, the court generally appoints an administrator (often with “Letters of Administration”). If this terminology is new or you’re worried you’re “not doing it right,” Funeral.com’s plain-language guide Administrator vs Executor: What Happens When There’s No Will can help you understand what to expect and what documents you may receive.

One more gentle note before you dive into forms and emails: try not to log into your loved one’s PayPal account by guessing passwords or repeatedly attempting access. Multiple failed attempts can trigger security holds, and logging in as someone else can complicate the trail you’ll want to keep clean for the estate. When in doubt, follow PayPal’s official deceased-account process and keep copies of everything you submit.

What PayPal typically needs to close a deceased person’s account

Most families are relieved to learn this is usually a documentation process, not a negotiation. PayPal’s Help Center explains that to close a deceased person’s account, the executor/administrator should provide a request identifying the PayPal account (typically by the primary email address), a way for PayPal to contact the requestor, and proof of both the death and the requestor’s authority/identity. PayPal lists a cover/request sheet, a copy of the death certificate, and a government-issued photo ID for the requestor among the required items. PayPal also describes options for handling any remaining balance after review.

In practice, families tend to move faster when they gather the information in one sitting, even if you submit it later. Here is the short set of items most people end up using:

• A written request to close the account that identifies the PayPal account (often the primary email address on the account) and includes your contact details.
• A certified copy (or clear copy, depending on PayPal’s instructions for your region) of the death certificate.
• Proof you are the executor or administrator (commonly court-issued Letters Testamentary/Letters of Administration, or another legal document showing authority).
• A copy of your government-issued photo ID.

If you’re still waiting on death certificates, you’re not alone. Many institutions require certified copies, and families often underestimate how many they’ll need. Funeral.com’s guide Death Certificates: Why You Need Them, How Many Copies to Order, and How to Get Replacements can help you plan without over-ordering. (And if you’re in the first days after the loss, What to Do When Someone Dies: A Step-by-Step Checklist for the First 48 Hours can help you prioritize what truly matters first.)

How to submit the request without making things harder

PayPal’s instructions may vary slightly by country and account type, so the safest approach is to use PayPal’s official help article for deceased accounts and follow its submission method for your region. Start with the official PayPal guidance here: How do I close the PayPal account of a deceased relative?

When you prepare your written request, keep it simple and factual. You’re aiming to help PayPal’s deceased-account team match documents to the correct account and confirm you’re authorized. Include the deceased’s full name, the primary email address used for PayPal if you know it, your relationship, and the legal role you hold (executor/administrator). If you have a case number from probate or a court filing number, include it. Then attach or include copies of the documents PayPal lists.

After you submit, expect a review period. During that time, PayPal may place restrictions on the account (or keep them in place) to prevent unauthorized activity. If you’re reading this because the PayPal account locked after death or limited shortly after you notified them, that’s typically part of the protective process, not a judgment about you. Keep your communication in one thread if possible, save your sent message and attachments, and document dates in a simple notes file so you can follow up without re-explaining everything.

What happens to the PayPal balance when someone dies

This is usually the biggest practical question: “If there’s money in the PayPal account, how do we get it into the estate?” PayPal’s guidance describes two common pathways, depending on what’s available and what PayPal allows for that account. According to PayPal, the requestor may be able to transfer the balance to the bank account already linked to the PayPal account (which typically means the executor/administrator has access to that bank account), or request a check issued in the name of the deceased account holder. PayPal notes it does not change ownership of funds and, in its described process, the check must be issued in the deceased person’s name.

That detail can be frustrating when you’re trying to move quickly, but it’s also a clue about how to think of PayPal in the estate: PayPal is a financial account, and it generally gets treated like one. If there is an estate account opened by the executor/administrator, funds may ultimately need to flow through it. If you haven’t reached the “estate account” step yet, Funeral.com’s overview Estate Planning Basics After a Death: Wills, Probate, and What Executors Actually Do can help you understand how money typically moves, and what to track for later reporting.

If you’re concerned about covering immediate expenses while probate is pending, you’re not imagining the pressure. Funeral costs and travel expenses can hit quickly. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, cremation is a majority choice in the U.S. and continues to rise; many families are balancing service planning with the practical reality of budgets and cash flow. That’s one reason it’s worth addressing payment platforms like PayPal early, even if it feels emotionally strange to do “money tasks” while you’re grieving.

Watch for recurring charges and subscriptions tied to PayPal

PayPal is often more than a wallet—it’s a hub for recurring payments. Streaming services, app subscriptions, online memberships, donation pledges, and small business tools may be connected to PayPal rather than a credit card you can easily cancel. This is where families can get blindsided: even if the bank account is frozen or a credit card is closed, PayPal-authorized payments can sometimes continue until the PayPal account is limited and the billing agreements are stopped.

If you have access to the deceased’s email (legally and appropriately), search for phrases like “PayPal billing agreement,” “automatic payment,” and “receipt.” Save copies for your records. Then move carefully: don’t try to “clean up” by changing passwords or deleting emails. Your goal is to build a clean list of what exists and then close things in an orderly way. Funeral.com’s guide Closing Accounts and Subscriptions After a Death: Step-by-Step Help for Everyday Bills walks through a calm approach that prevents missed cancellations and reduces the risk of fraud.

If identity theft is a concern—and for many families it is—take a broader view, not just PayPal. Payment platforms can be a target because they may connect to bank accounts, cards, and shipping addresses. Funeral.com’s article Freeze a Deceased Person’s Credit: Preventing Post-Mortem Identity Theft outlines practical protective steps that often pair well with closing financial logins.

If there’s no will, or you’re not appointed yet

One of the hardest moments for families is when you know what needs to be done, but you can’t do it yet because the paperwork isn’t finished. If there’s no will, the court appointment process can take time. During that gap, you can still make progress by gathering documents, locating the primary email address used for PayPal, and keeping devices secure. You can also create a simple “digital estate checklist” so nothing slips through the cracks once the appointment arrives.

If the estate is small, some states allow simplified procedures that can speed up access to certain assets. Because rules vary widely, use this as a starting point rather than a promise: Funeral.com’s Small Estate Affidavit by State guide explains what those shortcuts often do (and don’t) accomplish.

A calm, realistic timeline for PayPal closure

Families often ask for a date: “How long will this take?” The honest answer is that it depends on document completeness, the account’s country/region, whether the account has a balance, and whether there are unresolved disputes or limitations. What you can control is the clarity of your submission. When PayPal gets a clean request with the right proof, the process is usually more straightforward than families fear.

As you move through it, remember what you’re really doing. You’re not erasing a person. You’re reducing risk, stopping unwanted charges, and transferring remaining funds in a way that respects the legal boundaries of an estate. If you need a broader framework that connects PayPal to the rest of the tasks ahead, Funeral.com’s End-of-Life Planning Checklist is a helpful reference—especially for families who want to prevent this kind of scramble in the future.

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