What happens to Hipcamp earnings when someone dies
Hipcamp publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes in through Hipcamp's support ticket system.
Hipcamp decides what happens to Hipcamp earnings after a death case by case; its terms promise no transfer.
Hipcamp publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes in through Hipcamp's support ticket system. The request takes 6 documents.
How to request a transfer
Host accounts
- •The death certificate and letters testamentary or letters of administration.
- •Photo identification for the person making the request.
- •The email on the account and the property address and listing details.
Guest accounts
Required Documents
- Death certificate
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration: Documentation showing the requester is authorized to act for the estate.
- The email address on the Hipcamp account
- Government-issued photo identification for the person making the request
- Property address and listing details: for host accounts
- Trip or booking reference numbers: for guest accounts with upcoming reservations
What Hipcamp, Inc.'s terms say at death
- Section 15.4
“This Agreement, and your rights and obligations hereunder, may not be assigned, subcontracted, delegated or otherwise transferred by you without Hipcamp's prior written consent, and any attempted assignment, subcontract, delegation, or transfer in violation of the foregoing will be null and void.”1
What Hipcamp, Inc. says happens7
- Who owns the asset
Section 4.6 of the Terms of Use states the user has "no ownership or other property interest" in the account itself.1
- How requests are reviewed
Hipcamp decides individually, on request, whether pending payouts are released to an estate and whether a reservation is cancelled outside its policy, and sets the documentation and timeline for each request.1
Hipcamp states that "Cancellation policies may be superseded by extenuating circumstances or cancellations by Hipcamp for any other reason permitted under the Terms of Service."5
- Continuing a shop, channel or listing
Upcoming reservations on a host account carry guest obligations after a death: campers may be arriving and checking in, and payouts continue to settle.1
Pausing a site keeps it live on Hipcamp with the calendar closed to bookings; deactivating removes it from Hipcamp and leaves it recoverable later. Both are set under Site status on the Property page, and support can help reopen a deactivated site.2
The account-transfer flow is described as the owner logging in and updating the account details, so it presupposes account access and a living owner.3
- What carries over to a new account
Reviews, pricing and listing history stay with the account, so a listing recreated under a new account starts with no reviews.3
- Balances, payouts and refunds
Pending payouts on a host account are money Hipcamp owes for completed or in-progress stays. US hosts are paid the Tuesday following the camper's checkout, around 3 PM PST; Canadian hosts the Wednesday following, and Australian hosts the Wednesday following, around 9 AM AEDT.4
Direct deposit through Stripe generally takes 24 to 48 hours to land in the US and Australia and 4 to 5 days in Canada; PayPal, for US hosts only, generally takes 2 to 4 hours. Funds already paid out are recovered from the receiving accounts, not from Hipcamp.4
A guest refund follows the host's chosen cancellation policy. Hipcamp has nine, ranging from Super Flexible (full refund minus Hipcamp fees any time before check-in) to Super Strict (No refund).5
A refund on a cancellation within policy processes immediately, and Hipcamp asks that up to 10 business days be allowed for the bank to post it.7
Under the Hipcash Terms, Hipcash is non-transferable and non-refundable, "is not cash, currency, a gift card, or a stored value product," and may not be bought or sold.1
Hipcash is a promotional credit balance on the account, earned through referrals ($10 each way), natural-disaster cancellation credits and the Ambassador Program, and shown on the Invite page.8
- Fees
Hipcamp states its service fee "is non-refundable barring extenuating circumstances." A host-initiated cancellation refunds the camper in full, including the service fee.6
- Deletion and data retention
An account can be deleted from the Settings menu in the Hipcamp app, which requires the account password. There is no way to delete an account from the Hipcamp website in a browser, so Hipcamp support handles it otherwise.9
Not in Hipcamp's published guidance7
- A process for a deceased account holder
- How long a request takes
- A phone number for this
- A complete list of the documents to send
- Whether a certified death certificate is required
- Whether the account-transfer flow can be applied to an estate
- A definition of extenuating circumstances
Sources9
- 1.Terms of Use, Last Updated March 26, 2026
- 2.How do I pause, deactivate, and reopen my site?
- 3.How do I transfer my Hipcamp account to a new owner?
- 4.When do I get paid and what are my payout method options?
- 5.What is the cancellation policy?
- 6.What is the Hipcamp service fee?
- 7.How do I cancel a booking (Hipcamper)
- 8.How do I use Hipcash?
- 9.How do I delete my account?
A written request to Hipcamp can ask it to provide purchase and transaction records for the estate inventory, refund an unspent balance, preserve the account while the estate is opened and close the account.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for Hipcamp drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Hipcamp, Inc. primary sources (11 pages reviewed). How we research.
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.
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.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
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See what your state records when a joint tenant with right of survivorship dies: an affidavit, the death certificate or a new deed.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
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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.
