Can you pass on your WordPress.com account when you die?
A WordPress.com account can pass to the estate after a death. While alive, the account holder can use transferring the account and transferring the domain to another registrant.
Protecting WordPress.com accounts while the account is active
No beneficiary designation, lifetime transfer options for accounts, and 5-step plan.
How to protect your WordPress.com account while you are alive →Someone died. Handling WordPress.com accounts after a death
Accounts can be transferred to the estate, 5-step process, and 4 required documents.
What happens to a WordPress.com account when someone dies →WordPress.com is a managed hosting platform operated by Automattic. An account can own websites, the plans and paid upgrades on them, registered domain names and the email tied to those domains, newsletter subscriber lists and media libraries.
Automattic's terms allow a WordPress.com account to pass to the estate after the holder dies. While the account holder is alive, Automattic allows transferring the account and transferring the domain to another registrant.
What happens to WordPress.com at death
- Transferable to estate
When a site owner dies, WordPress.com can make the site private or transfer it to another owner at the family's or estate's request. A transfer request carries the death certificate and a legal document of authority or a signed, notarized statement.1
Naming who acts after a death
Sources3
- 1.Deceased site owner, Last reviewed on February 12, 2026
- 2.User roles, Last reviewed on September 29, 2026
- 3.Transfer a site to a new owner, Last reviewed on September 28, 2026
Automattic publishes its own process for a deceased person's account: Deceased site owner request; a written request goes by email to passwordhelp@wordpress.com. There is no way to name a beneficiary or successor on a WordPress.com account.
Sources
Data sourced from Automattic primary sources (8 pages reviewed). How we research.
WordPress.com customer support
WordPress.com Support
Website
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