What happens to a GoDaddy account when someone dies
GoDaddy Operating publishes its own process for a deceased person's account; a request goes in through GoDaddy Operating's online form.
GoDaddy Operating's terms allow a GoDaddy account to pass to the estate after the holder dies.
GoDaddy Operating publishes its own process for a deceased person's account: Regain Access To My Account (Estate Access); a request goes in through GoDaddy Operating's online form. The request takes 4 documents.
How to request a transfer
- •The completed form, with the Estate Administrator listed as requestor.
- •Letters testamentary or letters of administration naming the Estate Administrator.
- •A copy of the death certificate.
- •A color photo ID of the requestor showing picture, name, signature and expiration date.
- •Day 5: the domain is parked and its website and email stop working.
- •Day 18: recovery needs an additional redemption fee.
- •Day 26: the domain is listed at auction, and an active bid after day 30 blocks renewal.
- •Day 72: the domain is removed from the account and cannot be renewed.
Required Documents
- Completed "Regain Access To My Account" form: With the Estate Administrator listed as requestor.
- Legal documentation naming the Estate Administrator: Letters testamentary or letters of administration.
- Copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued color photo ID of the requestor: Showing picture, name, signature and expiration date; a color copy, scan or digital picture is acceptable.
Timeline
Up to 72 hours for initial correspondence after the request is submitted.
What GoDaddy Operating Company, LLC's terms say at death
- Section 27 (Successors and Assigns)
“This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties hereto and their respective heirs, successors and assigns.”1
What GoDaddy Operating Company, LLC says happens7
- Verifying the requester
An estate access request must include all four items: the completed access form with the Estate Administrator as requestor, legal documentation naming the Estate Administrator, a copy of the death certificate and a government-issued color photo ID of the requestor.2
- How requests are reviewed
Once the documentation is received, GoDaddy tells the requester that the request has been completed or that additional information is needed.2
- Domain renewal and expiry
On the expiration date GoDaddy tries to auto-renew the domain, and through day 12, when it makes a final auto-renewal attempt, the domain can be renewed manually at the standard price. On day 5 the domain is parked and any connected website or email stops working.3
From day 18 the domain is no longer active in the account. On day 26 it is listed on Expired Domains Auction and may still be renewable if it shows in the domain list, even with a bid; after day 30 an active bid blocks renewal, and on day 72 it is removed from the account and cannot be renewed.3
- Fees
From day 18 after expiration, recovery needs an additional redemption fee, still possible through Final Closeout Auction (day 36 to day 41) if no purchase is pending. A domain carrying Ultimate Domain Protection can be renewed in the account up to 90 days after expiration without additional fees.3
- Deletion and data retention
After day 72 a domain may become registrable again once the registry releases it, and GoDaddy cannot say when that happens.3
If auto-renew fails after the cardholder's death, the website and all associated data are deleted when the hosting expires.1
- Subscriptions and billing
Individual products expire on their own renewal dates whether or not access has been granted to the estate.1
- Closing the account
GoDaddy states that "Account closures can not be reversed. Once we delete your data and information, there's no way to retrieve it," and refund requests are not honored after closure.4
Every product in the account must be deleted first, GoDaddy Payments must be removed through its own process, and at least 24 hours must pass after the last product is deleted before the account can be closed from the Contact Preferences page.4
Not in GoDaddy's published guidance5
- Inactive accounts and expiry
- Handling of a GoDaddy Payments balance at death
- SSL certificate handling when the account is transferred or closed
- Website Builder data retention after hosting expiration
- A waiver or reduction of domain redemption fees for estates
A written request to GoDaddy Operating can ask it to transfer the registration to a new registrant, provide purchase and transaction records for the estate inventory, preserve the account while the estate is opened and close the account.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for GoDaddy drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from GoDaddy Operating Company, LLC primary sources (7 pages reviewed). How we research.
GoDaddy estate claims
GoDaddy Account Recovery (Estate Access)
Website
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Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
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.
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