The first week after a death rarely feels like the movies. It’s paperwork and phone calls. It’s a quiet house with a loud inbox. It’s a family trying to choose what to do next—how to honor someone, how to handle what they owned, and how to protect what they built. For many families today, that includes two kinds of “assets” that don’t always feel like assets in the moment: cremated remains that need a plan, and digital property that can disappear if you don’t know where to look.
If your person collected NFTs—digital art, music, membership tokens, in-game items—inheritance can go sideways fast for one simple reason: NFTs are controlled by wallet access, not a customer-service password reset. A marketplace profile can be memorialized or closed, but the NFT itself lives on-chain and moves only when a valid wallet signs the transfer. That’s why NFT inheritance often fails at the exact moment a family needs clarity most.
This guide is written for executors and heirs who are trying to be careful, legal, and respectful—whether you’re in the middle of probate or planning ahead. Along the way, we’ll also connect the dots to the other decisions families commonly face at the same time: funeral planning, choosing cremation urns, deciding between a full-size urn and keepsake urns, and whether keeping ashes at home is right for your household. The goal is not to turn grief into a project. It’s to make the practical steps steadier, so you can focus on what matters.
Why NFTs don’t “transfer” the way other accounts do
When someone dies, many families assume digital assets work like a bank login: show a death certificate, prove authority, get access. NFTs don’t work that way unless the NFT is held by a custodian that can legally release it. In most cases, the NFT is controlled by a private key—often secured through a seed phrase, hardware wallet PIN, or a non-custodial wallet app.
That’s why “we know they used OpenSea” isn’t the same as “we can access the NFT.” A marketplace like OpenSea can display what a wallet owns and help facilitate transfers, but the transfer still requires the wallet to sign. OpenSea’s own help guidance focuses on transferring NFTs from a connected wallet, because the wallet signature is the real gatekeeper. See OpenSea Help Center for an overview of how transfers work once you have wallet access.
Legally, many states address digital assets through the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which outlines how fiduciaries may request access to certain digital assets and electronic communications. You can review the act’s materials through the Uniform Law Commission. Even with legal authority, though, a non-custodial wallet still can’t be “reset” by a third party. Authority helps you lawfully collect records, communicate with platforms, and document estate actions—but the technical reality still matters.
The two-track approach that actually works: secure first, then transfer
In real life, families do best with a two-track plan. Track one is security: prevent loss, theft, or scams while you figure out what exists. Track two is process: gather proof, coordinate with probate timelines, and transfer when you’re allowed to.
Security matters because grief creates openings. Scammers know that executors are stressed and that crypto feels confusing. If anyone rushes you, pressures you to “verify your wallet,” or asks for a seed phrase so they can “help,” stop. A seed phrase is the master key. Sharing it is not “verification.” It is handing over the assets.
If you have confirmed authority and you have the wallet device or recovery information, slow down and document everything before you move anything. A careful executor can protect heirs and also protect themselves from allegations later.
How heirs can locate wallets and marketplaces without guessing
Start with what you can observe. NFTs leave trails—even when the person was private. In many cases, you can find a wallet address from a marketplace profile, a public social media bio, an email receipt, or a screenshot. Once you have a wallet address, you can see on-chain holdings and transaction history through blockchain explorers or marketplace views. That observation step is often the difference between “we think there were NFTs” and “here is the wallet and here are the tokens.”
In the home, look for signs of a crypto wallet inheritance setup: a hardware wallet box, a metal seed backup, a notebook labeled “recovery,” or a safe deposit inventory. In email, search for “MetaMask,” “Ledger,” “Trezor,” “OpenSea,” “wallet connect,” “seed phrase,” “recovery phrase,” and “gas.” You’re not looking for a password reset link. You’re looking for evidence and access pathways.
If you are planning ahead (and you don’t want your family to feel like detectives), Funeral.com’s guide on digital legacy planning is a good companion. The simplest version of a plan is an inventory: what exists, where it lives, and who can reach the instructions when needed.
Documenting ownership for probate: what to keep and why it matters
Probate courts and tax professionals don’t need you to be a blockchain expert, but they do need clarity. Think of documentation as the bridge between the chain and the court file. The more volatile the asset, the more important it is to document the date, valuation source, and custody status.
Here are the records that tend to matter most for probate digital assets work, especially for digital art inheritance:
- Wallet address(es) and which chain each uses (Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, etc.).
- Token identifiers and collection names, plus links to public listings or explorer pages.
- Proof of purchase or mint (marketplace receipts, email confirmations, transaction hashes).
- Current custody status (hardware wallet, mobile wallet, exchange custody, multisig, vault service).
- A dated snapshot of approximate value and a note about how you determined it.
This is also where NFT taxes estate questions show up. In the U.S., the IRS treats digital assets as property and requires taxpayers to answer a “digital assets” question on federal returns. The IRS overview is here: Internal Revenue Service. For broader principles, the IRS has long explained how general tax rules apply to virtual currency transactions in Notice 2014-21, and its newer guidance addresses digital asset transactions more generally. The practical takeaway for executors is simple: keep clean records, and involve a qualified tax professional when the values are meaningful or the history is complex.
The hardest problem: seed phrases and hardware wallets
Most inheritance failures come down to missing keys. A seed phrase is not just a password; it is the recovery mechanism that can recreate the wallet on another device. If the seed phrase is lost, the assets may be unrecoverable. If it is found but mishandled, the assets can be stolen in minutes.
If you inherit a hardware wallet, treat it like jewelry and a deed at the same time: valuable, and easy to lose. Don’t “test” the seed phrase by typing it into random websites. Don’t respond to DMs offering help. Learn the official process from a reputable source and go slowly. Hardware wallet providers regularly emphasize that inheritance planning is about sharing secrets safely and minimizing points of failure. See Ledger’s overview here: Ledger Academy.
If you do not have the seed phrase or device PIN, your best path may be legal and administrative: preserve records, secure accounts you can access, and wait for guidance from the estate attorney on what is possible in your jurisdiction. That can feel frustrating, but it’s often safer than improvising under pressure.
Transferring NFTs when you’re ready: wallet-to-wallet, not account-to-account
Once you have legitimate access and you’re authorized to act, the cleanest transfer is usually wallet-to-wallet. That might mean moving NFTs from the decedent’s wallet to an estate wallet, and later distributing them to heirs according to the will or court order. The right structure depends on the estate plan, local law, and the number of beneficiaries.
Operationally, most transfers follow the same steps: connect the wallet to a marketplace interface, initiate a transfer to a recipient address, and pay network fees. OpenSea’s walkthrough is a simple reference point for how transfers are initiated when the wallet is already connected: OpenSea Help Center. The executor’s role is to ensure the recipient address is correct, to document the transfer, and to avoid making moves that conflict with probate restrictions.
One common executor question is whether you can “transfer the OpenSea account after death.” In practice, the marketplace account is less important than the wallet. You may be able to update a display name or email, or close an account, but the NFT ownership is on-chain. Focus first on custody and documentation, then on marketplace cleanup.
Scams that target grieving families (and how to avoid them)
Scammers show up where uncertainty is highest. They pose as “support,” “recovery experts,” or even distant friends of the deceased. Their scripts are designed to create urgency: an account is “at risk,” assets will be “frozen,” you must “verify,” you must “sync.” The key defense is simple: no legitimate helper needs the seed phrase. Not a marketplace. Not a wallet company. Not a lawyer. Not a “recovery service.”
If you need help, choose professionals the way you would choose a funeral home: credentials, transparency, written scope, and clear fees. Avoid anyone who contacts you first, promises guaranteed recovery, or insists on private chats. When you’re handling transfer NFT after death steps, patience is a form of security.
How this fits into funeral planning and the decisions families face at the same time
It can feel strange to put NFTs and memorial choices in the same conversation, but many families are living both at once: closing accounts, meeting with attorneys, and also deciding what to do with ashes. And cremation is not a niche choice anymore. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the projected U.S. cremation rate for 2025 is 63.4%, compared with a projected burial rate of 31.6%. The Cremation Association of North America also reports that cremation continues to rise, with projections extending into the late 2020s. In other words, more families are doing the “after” decisions—urn, sharing, scattering, keeping—than ever before.
If your family is in that place now, it can help to start with a simple anchor: where will the ashes be while you decide? Many families choose cremation urns for ashes that feel calm and home-appropriate, then make longer-term decisions later. Funeral.com’s cremation urns for ashes collection is designed for that initial step: safe, dignified containment while grief is still raw.
If multiple people want a personal memorial, you don’t have to force one decision. A “main urn plus keepsakes” plan is common. That’s where small cremation urns and keepsake urns help families share without conflict. You can explore small cremation urns for ashes for partial placement, and keepsake cremation urns for ashes for truly symbolic portions.
For many people, wearing a small portion close is less about display and more about continuity—especially during travel, work, or the first months when routines feel unfamiliar. Funeral.com’s cremation jewelry and cremation necklaces collections are paired with practical guidance on how these pieces are filled and sealed, so families can choose without guessing.
Pet loss often runs alongside human loss, or arrives in a season when grief is already heavy. If you’re looking for pet urns or pet urns for ashes, Funeral.com’s pet cremation urns for ashes collection includes traditional boxes, personalized designs, and styles that reflect a pet’s personality. Some families prefer sculptural memorials; others want something minimal. For that, there are pet figurine cremation urns for ashes and pet keepsake cremation urns for ashes when the plan is sharing a small portion or keeping a compact memorial close.
And if you’re wondering whether keeping ashes at home is “allowed” or “normal,” Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Ashes at Home: How to Do It Safely, Respectfully, and Legally can help you think through placement, safety, visitors, children, and pets without judgment. For cost planning, the question families search most often is still the simplest: how much does cremation cost? Funeral.com’s 2025 cremation cost guide walks through common fees and real-world pricing patterns in plain language.
For some families, water feels like the right place to say goodbye. If you’re considering a water burial, start with the practical rules and the right container. Funeral.com’s Water Burial Planning guide and its resources on biodegradable water urns can help you plan the moment with fewer surprises.
In the same way an urn gives ashes a safe place to rest while the family decides, a careful NFT plan gives digital art a safe place to rest while the estate settles. Both are, in their own way, acts of care.
Planning ahead: an executor-friendly NFT checklist that doesn’t weaken security
If you’re reading this before a crisis, you have an advantage: you can design the handoff intentionally. The best plans don’t put seed phrases in a will or email them to heirs. They create a secure method for access and a clear method for authority. That might include naming a digital executor, keeping an inventory up to date, and leaving instructions on where recovery materials are stored.
If you want a broader framework for these decisions, Funeral.com’s Digital Accounts After a Death checklist can help you think through the full digital landscape—email, subscriptions, social accounts, cloud photos—so NFTs aren’t handled in isolation.
