What happens to a HBO Max account when someone dies
Warner Bros. Discovery publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes by email to support@HBOMax.com.
Warner Bros. Discovery decides what happens to a HBO Max account after a death case by case; its terms promise no transfer.
Warner Bros. Discovery publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes by email to support@HBOMax.com. The request takes 6 documents. HBO Max Customer Support answers at 1-855-442-6629.
How to request a transfer
- •Billed directly by HBO Max (WarnerMedia Direct): cancel with HBO Max.
- •Billed through Apple, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Roku, Samsung, Xumo or a TV/ISP provider: cancel with that provider, since cancelling with HBO Max alone does not stop the charges.
- •An active subscription on the member's account.
- •Both accounts in the same country or region.
- •Fewer than five profiles on the destination account. Kids profiles cannot be transferred.
- •The death certificate.
- •Proof of identity and of authority to act, such as letters testamentary.
- •The account email address and, if known, the member ID.
Required Documents
- Death certificate: Support works with family members or legal representatives who provide a death certificate and proof of authority to close the account.
- Proof of identity of the person making the request
- Proof of authority to act on behalf of the deceased: Executor papers, letters testamentary, a will, or family relationship documentation.
- Account email address or member ID of the HBO Max account
- Billing source information: HBO Max direct bill through WarnerMedia Direct, or Apple, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Roku, Samsung, Xumo or a TV/ISP provider.
- The destination HBO Max account email address: if a survivor wants an Adult profile transferred before the subscription is cancelled
What Warner Bros. Discovery's terms say at death
- Section 3.2
“Access to Content on the Platform, including any One-Time Purchases, is licensed, not sold, to you. Your Subscription grants you a limited, revocable, non-transferrable license to access the Platform and the Platform's Content solely for your personal, non-commercial use, and only on the Platform in accordance with these Terms.”1
What Warner Bros. Discovery says happens7
- Who owns the asset
The closing assignment clause of the Terms of Use states that rights and obligations under the agreement are non-transferrable.1
- Transfer at death
There is no formal estate transfer or inheritance process for an HBO Max account, and the Terms of Use do not contemplate transfer of the account itself.1
- Closing the account
Support representatives can work with family members or legal representatives who provide a death certificate and proof of authority to close the account.2
Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and the account remains accessible until then.3
Section 3.6 of the Terms of Use lets a Subscription Provider suspend or terminate an account at its discretion.1
- Subscriptions and billing
Where the subscription is billed through Apple, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Roku, Samsung, Xumo or a TV/ISP provider, cancellation must be done through that provider; cancelling only with HBO Max does not stop those charges.3
Any Extra Member Add-On is cancelled when the base plan expires, which ends the extra member's access.3
A pay-per-view charge and an Extra Member Add-On are billed separately from the base plan, and the help center lists them among the reasons a charge looks larger than the plan price.4
- Balances, payouts and refunds
Section 2.4 makes subscription fees non-refundable unless required by law, with no refunds, credit or prorated billing for cancelled subscriptions, but a Subscription Provider "may choose to offer refunds, discounts or other consideration as a discretionary accommodation."1
If there is remaining time on an Extra Member Add-On when the base plan expires, the account owner receives a prorated refund for the remaining days.3
Where the subscription is billed through a third party, refunds follow that provider's policy.4
- Purchased content and licenses
One-Time Purchases, such as pay-per-view events and other content outside the subscription, are non-refundable and licensed, not sold, and access to them ends if the subscription is cancelled, paused or terminated.1
- What carries over to a new account
An Adult profile can be copied to a survivor's HBO Max account only while the account holding it still has an active subscription, so the transfer is time-limited by the cancellation.5
The transfer copies the avatar, watch history, My List, PIN, settings and recommendations. Both accounts must be in the same country or region, the destination must have fewer than five profiles, and Kids profiles cannot be transferred.5
Not in HBO Max's published guidance5
- A process for a deceased account holder
- How long a request takes
- A mailing address for a written request
- A dedicated estate email or bereavement team
- A deceased-user or authorized-agent route in the Privacy Policy
A written request to Warner Bros. Discovery can ask it to transfer the accounts to a named family member, provide purchase and transaction records for the estate inventory, refund an unspent balance, close the account and preserve the account while the estate is opened.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for HBO Max drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Warner Bros. Discovery primary sources (7 pages reviewed). How we research.
HBO Max estate claims
HBO Max Customer Support
Estate requests go through general customer service.
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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A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
