How to Write a Letter of Instruction for Your Digital Assets
A letter of instruction is the practical companion to your will — it gives your family the roadmap for navigating your digital accounts. Here's how to write one that actually helps.
A will tells your family what they inherit. A letter of instruction tells them how to actually get it, manage it, and understand what you wanted.
The letter of instruction is one of the most underused estate planning tools — and for digital assets, it may be the single most practical document you can leave behind. Unlike a will, which goes through probate and becomes a public record, a letter of instruction is private, informal, and completely in your own words. It's the document where you can be specific, personal, and as detailed as you need to be.
This guide will show you exactly how to write one that covers your digital life comprehensively — and how to store and share it in a way that makes it actually useful when your family needs it.
What Is a Letter of Instruction?
A letter of instruction (sometimes called a letter of direction or memorandum of wishes) is a personal document that supplements your formal estate planning documents. It provides practical guidance that your will can't contain — specific account information, passwords, locations of important items, contact information, and personal context your family will need.
It has no specific legal format requirements. You write it in plain language. It can be as long as necessary. And critically, unlike a will, it can be updated easily without going through formal legal amendment processes.
For digital assets specifically, a letter of instruction bridges the gap between your will's legal authority and your family's practical ability to act on that authority.
Why Your Will Isn't Enough
Consider this scenario: your will says "I leave all my digital assets to my daughter Maya." That's legally clear. But Maya now needs to:
- Know what digital assets you actually have
- Know which accounts they're held in
- Have the credentials to access those accounts
- Know which exchange your crypto is on and how to access it
- Know your wishes for your social media, email, and subscription services
- Know who to contact at each platform
- Understand any time-sensitive actions she needs to take
Your will tells her none of this. Your letter of instruction tells her all of it.
What to Include: A Complete Template
Section 1: Overview and Introduction
Start with a brief personal statement. Who this document is for, when it was written, and when it was last updated. A simple statement of intent: "This document is meant to help you manage my digital accounts and assets. Please work through it systematically and reach out to [your attorney name] if you have questions."
Section 2: Immediate Priorities
The first thing your family needs when something happens to you is the ability to access the most urgent accounts. List these separately and prominently:
- Phone PIN and/or fingerprint backup code
- Computer login password
- Primary email address and password
- Primary bank account and login
- Health insurance information
Label this section clearly: "Access These First." Under stress, people scan for the obvious instruction, so make it obvious.
Section 3: Complete Account Inventory
List every online account, organized by category. For each account, include:
- Service name and URL
- Username or email address
- Password (or a reference to where passwords are stored securely)
- Two-factor authentication method
- What you want done with this account
- Any specific notes
Organize by category: financial, email, social media, subscriptions, cloud storage, professional, entertainment. A table format works well for this section — it's scannable and easy to work through systematically.
Section 4: Digital Assets with Financial Value
Separate from general accounts, give specific attention to assets that have monetary value:
- Cryptocurrency: What you hold, where it's held (exchange or self-custody), how to access it, and where the seed phrase or private key is located
- Domain names: What domains you own, which registrar, login information, and what to do with them
- Online businesses: Any websites, Etsy shops, Amazon stores, or other online income sources, with relevant account information and instructions
- Digital content: YouTube channels, courses, ebooks, digital art, or other intellectual property, with information about any revenue streams and instructions
- Gaming accounts: Any accounts with real financial value (in-game items, currency, or accounts that can be transferred)
Section 5: Recurring Payments and Subscriptions
A complete list of every recurring charge associated with your accounts — service name, what it is, approximate monthly cost, which payment method it's charged to, and cancellation instructions. This section alone can save your family hundreds of dollars in unnecessary charges during the estate settlement process.
Section 6: Important Digital Documents
Where to find key documents that exist digitally:
- Your will and any codicils
- Insurance policies (life, health, home, auto)
- Tax returns (location, what software was used)
- Real estate documents
- Financial account statements
- Business documents if applicable
Section 7: Devices
List all your devices and how to access them. Computers, phones, tablets, external hard drives — with unlock codes and any relevant notes about what's stored where.
Section 8: People to Notify
Beyond your immediate family, who should be told? Your employer (and their HR contact). Your accountant. Your attorney. Professional organizations or associations. Online communities where you've been an active member. Friends who aren't connected to the family and might not hear through normal channels.
Section 9: Personal Messages and Wishes
This is optional but deeply meaningful. If you want to leave a message to your family — thoughts, love, context for decisions, final wishes that aren't covered by formal documents — this is the place. Many people leave short notes to each of their children here. Some leave an explanation of a difficult decision. Some simply say what they might not have said enough while alive.
How to Store Your Letter of Instruction
Because your letter of instruction contains sensitive information — account credentials, financial details — it must be stored securely. Options:
- In a digital vault like In Case Shit Happens, where it's encrypted and can be accessed by your designated trusted contacts when the time comes
- In a fireproof, waterproof safe at home, with the location known to your trusted contact
- With your attorney, kept with your will and other estate documents
Do not store it in a regular cloud storage account unless it's encrypted. Do not email it to anyone. Do not store it in a location accessible to people you haven't vetted.
Keeping It Current
A letter of instruction is only useful if it's accurate. Every time you open a new account, change a password, acquire a new digital asset, or close an account — update your letter. Review it fully once a year. Note the last-updated date at the top of the document so your family can assess how current it is.
Starting Today
You don't need to write a perfect, comprehensive letter of instruction today. You need to write a good-enough one — covering your most critical accounts, your most important assets, and your clearest wishes. You can make it more complete over time.
Open a document right now. Write "In Case Something Happens to Me" at the top. Write down your phone PIN, your email login, your bank login. Save it securely. You've started. The rest follows.
In Case Shit Happens provides the secure, organized framework for your letter of instruction — with guided prompts that help you cover every important area, encrypted storage, and trusted contact designation so it reaches the right person at the right time. Start your letter of instruction today — your family will thank you.