What happens to WordPress.com accounts when the owner dies
Automattic has a formal process for transferring accounts after an account holder dies
WordPress.com Support (Happiness Engineers)
Deceased Account Requests
No published timeline; requests are processed by the dedicated passwordhelp team
Automattic has a documented process for transferring WordPress.com accounts to the estate after the account holder's death.
How to request a transfer
Follow these steps to initiate a transfer of WordPress.com accounts after the account holder's death:
- •Copy of the death certificate
- •Legal document establishing authority (letters testamentary, letters of administration, or court order), OR a signed notarized statement with your full name, contact information, relationship to the deceased, and the action requested
- •Transfer ownership to your WordPress.com account (makes you the Site Owner, with billing access, domain administration, and the ability to further transfer ownership)
- •Set the site to private (removes public access while preserving content)
- •Publish an update post for the site's audience
- •Update or cancel billing subscriptions
- •Set up donation forms
- •Delete the site entirely
- •Export site content as XML (Settings > Export) and separately download the media library
- •Export subscriber lists as CSV from the Subscribers panel if the site has newsletter subscribers
- •Transfer domains to another registrar if needed (unlock domain, request EPP code, provide to new registrar)
- •Review connected services: email accounts, WooCommerce payment processors (Stripe, PayPal), and Jetpack features
Required Documents
- Copy of the death certificate
- Legal document establishing authority (letters testamentary, letters of administration, court order) OR a signed notarized statement with full name, contact info, relationship, and requested action
Timeline
No published timeline; requests are processed by the dedicated passwordhelp team
Frequently asked questions
Everything in the account (websites, online stores, domains, email services, newsletter subscribers, media libraries, Jetpack features) remains active indefinitely. There is no automatic expiration or closure. WordPress.com has a formal deceased-user process that can transfer ownership, make sites private, update or cancel billing, or delete sites.
WordPress.com's deceased-user process can transfer site ownership, make the site private, publish an update post, update or cancel billing subscriptions, set up donation forms, or delete the site. WordPress.com does not have a separate "Owner" role; the Site Owner is the Administrator who created or was transferred the site. Site Owner powers include full site management, billing access, domain administration, and the ability to further transfer ownership. Non-owner Administrators do not have billing access or the ability to transfer ownership.
The store continues operating as long as subscriptions renew. Through the deceased-user process, a new owner can gain control of the site and store content. However, third-party payment processors connected to WooCommerce (such as Stripe or PayPal) are separate accounts that require their own transfer processes outside of WordPress.com.
WordPress.com stores subscriber data and supports CSV export from the Subscribers panel (exports email addresses; subscribers can be filtered by status before export). If ownership is transferred through the deceased-user process, the new owner can access and export subscriber lists. Paid subscriber payment information is not included in exports for security reasons; paid subscribers must re-enter payment details if the billing account changes.
If ownership is transferred through the deceased-user process, the new owner gains domain management capabilities. Domains can then be transferred to another registrar by unlocking the domain and requesting an EPP code. Standard transfers take 5-7 days. WordPress.com enables WHOIS privacy by default, which the receiving registrar may require disabling.
The most direct option is to transfer full site ownership to a trusted person while you are alive: open the site Settings, scroll to the Danger zone, and click Transfer. All paid plans and registered domains move to the new owner, and you can remain on as an Administrator. As a backup, export your site content as XML, download the media library separately, and export newsletter subscriber lists as CSV. Document your account login email and password for your executor so they can avoid the documentation and processing steps of the formal deceased-user process. WordPress.com does not offer a beneficiary designation, so a lifetime transfer or recorded credentials are the reliable paths.
No. WordPress.com does not support beneficiary or successor designations. The closest alternatives are adding a trusted person as a site Administrator for immediate content access, or transferring full site ownership to them while you are alive. After death, an authorized representative can use the formal deceased-user process by emailing passwordhelp@wordpress.com with a death certificate and proof of authority to have ownership transferred to the estate.
After the transfer is complete, the recipient can use the accounts according to the program's standard terms. Document the deceased account holder's details to make this process easier for your executor or family.
Sources
Data sourced from Automattic primary sources (9 pages reviewed). How we research.
WordPress.com Support (Happiness Engineers)
Deceased Account Requests
No published timeline; requests are processed by the dedicated passwordhelp team
