What happens to a GitHub account when someone dies
GitHub publishes its own process for a deceased person's account; a request goes in through GitHub's online form.
GitHub decides what happens to a GitHub account after a death case by case; its terms promise no transfer.
GitHub publishes its own process for a deceased person's account: GitHub Deceased User Policy; a request goes in through GitHub's online form. The request takes 5 documents.
How to request a transfer
- •The requester's name, contact details and relationship to the deceased, including successor status.
- •The deceased user's name and GitHub username, and the successor's own username where there is one.
- •The action requested, such as transferring public repositories, cancelling billing or closing the account.
Required Documents
- Copy of the death certificate: GitHub may request a copy.
- Obituary: in place of the death certificate, for a designated successor's activation. A successor's access starts 21 days after an obituary, against 7 days after a death certificate.
- Government-issued photo identification of the requestor
- Documentation confirming authority to act in relation to the account: For example, letters testamentary, letters of administration or proof of next-of-kin status.
- The deceased user's GitHub username and a description of the action requested
Timeline
A designated successor's access is activated 7 days after a death certificate is submitted, or 21 days after an obituary.
What GitHub, Inc. (Microsoft)'s terms say at death
- The terms
“In the event that a GitHub user passes away, we can work with an authorized individual to determine what happens to the account's content.”1
What GitHub, Inc. (Microsoft) says happens8
- How requests are reviewed
GitHub reviews each request individually, and privacy obligations and legal requirements may limit what actions it takes.1
- Transfer at death
An appointed successor can archive public repositories and transfer them to their own account or to an organization where they can create repositories; successor access does not extend to private repositories.2
- Passwords and login
A successor cannot log in to the deceased user's account.2
- Disclosure of account content
GitHub handles a deceased user's private repositories case by case, under its privacy obligations and legal requirements, rather than granting access automatically.1
- Deletion and data retention
A personal account persists unless deletion is requested through the Deceased User Policy or the account holder deletes it.1
Deleting an account deletes its repositories, forks of private repositories, wikis, issues, pull requests and GitHub Pages sites, and ends billing immediately.3
After deletion the username is available to anyone after 90 days, except that GitHub permanently retires the owner and repository name of a public repository with a Marketplace action, or more than 100 clones or Actions uses in the week before deletion.3
Deleting a public repository does not delete its forks, and an active public fork becomes the new upstream repository for the network.4
Inactive codespaces are deleted after 30 days by default, and work that was never committed and pushed goes with the codespace when it is deleted.5
- Restoring a deleted account
Once a user loses access to a codespace it is retained for 7 days and then permanently deleted; during that period GitHub directs the user to the Support portal to recover unpublished work.6
- Subscriptions and billing
Where an organization's sole owner has died, billing continues against the stored payment method until the method fails.1
- Balances, payouts and refunds
All payment processing, money transmission and fund transfers for GitHub Sponsors are performed by Stripe, Inc. and its affiliates, and a sponsored developer's funds sit in a Stripe Connected Account.7
Accrued but unpaid GitHub Sponsors earnings have no automated succession and are handled case by case, with GitHub Support for the payout and Stripe for the funds.7
Other companies and product lines involved1
Not in GitHub's published guidance5
- A phone number for this
- An email address for estate requests
- A turnaround time for general Deceased User Policy requests
- Inactive accounts and expiry
- Step-by-step handling of an organization whose sole owner has died
A written request to GitHub can ask it to disclose a record of the account’s communications, disclose the account’s content, transfer the accounts to a named family member, close the account and preserve the account while the estate is opened.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for GitHub drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from GitHub, Inc. (Microsoft) primary sources (10 pages reviewed). How we research.
GitHub estate claims
GitHub Deceased User Policy
Website
More from Microsoft
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Small Estate Affidavit
Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need and see ordering info for your state.
Do I Need Probate?
Find out if an estate needs probate or qualifies for simplified procedures.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Find out which tax returns need to be filed after someone dies and whether tax clearance is required.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?
Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax, and inheritance tax for an estate.
