What happens to your Coinbase accounts when you die
Covers 6 crypto accounts — all transfer through probate
Coinbase Institutional (Trust & Entity Onboarding) -- trust entity onboarding handled through Coinbase Prime / Coinbase Custody
Coinbase Executor Services -- claims initiated through the Executor Services form in the Coinbase Help Center
Coinbase does not currently support beneficiary designations, transfer-on-death registrations, or trust account titling on any account type. All Coinbase accounts pass through the estate at death and may require probate.
When an account holder dies, the executor or administrator will need to contact Coinbase with a death certificate and legal authority documents to claim account balances. The process and required documents are covered on the death claim page.
Coinbase does not currently support beneficiary designations (POD or TOD) on any account type. All accounts transfer through the estate at death and may require probate.
Why trust accounts are not available
Retitling Coinbase accounts into a revocable living trust is one of the most effective ways to avoid probate. Once an account is owned by the trust, it passes to beneficiaries through the trust terms rather than through a court process. Coinbase handles trust funding .
Coinbase Trading Account
Primary cryptocurrency trading account supporting hundreds of digital assets including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies. Coinbase does not support beneficiary designations (POD or TOD) on individual consumer accounts. Estate planning documents or state intestate laws dictate ownership transfer at death. Institutional and trust entities can onboard through Coinbase Prime.
Coinbase Staking
Staking allows users to earn rewards on proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies including Ethereum, Solana, Stacks, Cardano, and others. Coinbase charges a standard commission on staking rewards (historically 35% on ADA, ATOM, AVAX, DOT, ETH, MATIC, SOL, and XTZ; current rates and eligible assets are published on coinbase.com fees and disclosures pages). Coinbase One members receive reduced commissions, with tiered boosts on net staking rewards by membership tier (Basic, Preferred, Premium). Reward rates are estimates based on protocol rewards over the past 90 days and are subject to change. Staked assets remain in the user's Coinbase account and are subject to the same estate transfer rules as the trading account. Funds stored in a Vault cannot be staked -- assets must be moved to the primary balance first.
Coinbase Earn
Earn rewards on eligible crypto assets held in a Coinbase account. As of December 15, 2025, USDC rewards on the Coinbase platform are limited to Coinbase One members (approximately 3.5% APY in many regions; rates vary by region and tier and are subject to change). Non-paying Coinbase customers no longer earn USDC rewards on the platform. Coinbase Wallet users continue to earn onchain USDC rewards on Base, paid monthly. No separate beneficiary designation applies -- earn balances are part of the main account and follow the same estate transfer process.
Coinbase Vault
Enhanced security feature with time-delayed withdrawals (48-hour default) and email/phone notifications before funds leave. Users can set up a Group Vault with multiple approvers for additional security. Funds in a Vault cannot be staked. No separate beneficiary designation -- Vault assets are part of the user's Coinbase account and follow the same estate transfer process.
Coinbase One
Premium subscription service with three tiers: Basic ($4.99/month), Preferred ($29.99/month), and Premium ($299.99/month). Benefits include zero trading fees on Coinbase within monthly trading-volume limits that scale by tier (Basic up to $500/month, Preferred up to $10,000/month, Premium unlimited; Coinbase Advanced, DEX fees, and derivatives excluded), boosted staking rewards (reduced commission with tiered boosts on net rewards by tier), USDC rewards (approximately 3.5% APY in many regions; rates vary by region and tier), 24/7 dedicated support, and CPA-endorsed tax reports. Account protection for lost crypto from unauthorized transfers is tiered: Basic up to $1,000, Preferred up to $10,000, Premium up to $250,000. The Coinbase One Card offers Bitcoin back on purchases (tiered by Assets on Coinbase). Membership is tied to the account holder and does not transfer to heirs. Reached 600,000+ members (as reported in 2024-2025).
Coinbase Wallet
Self-custody web3 wallet where the user controls their own private keys. Coinbase does not have access to Wallet recovery phrases or private keys. Available as a mobile app and Chrome extension. Supports encrypted cloud backup of recovery phrases via Google Drive or iCloud. USDC held in Coinbase Wallet earns onchain rewards on Base, paid monthly (rate is set by Coinbase and subject to change). Coinbase also offers Smart Wallets that allow onboarding without recovery phrases using Face ID, fingerprint, or Yubikey -- these support multiple networks (Base, Ethereum, Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon, Avalanche, BNB, Zora). Because Coinbase Wallet is self-custodial, Coinbase cannot assist with transferring wallet assets after death -- heirs must have the recovery phrase or private keys. Estate planning for self-custody crypto requires securely storing and passing recovery phrases to trusted parties.
Sources
Data sourced from Coinbase primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Coinbase instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Coinbase primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Coinbase Institutional (Trust & Entity Onboarding) -- trust entity onboarding handled through Coinbase Prime / Coinbase Custody
Coinbase Executor Services -- claims initiated through the Executor Services form in the Coinbase Help Center
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