What happens to my PayPal account when I die?

Nothing happens automatically — PayPal will only act on a deceased account at the request of the authorized executor or administrator of the estate, and only after reviewing specific documents. Per PayPal's own help article: "we're only able to take instructions from the authorized executor or administrator of the deceased estate to close a PayPal account previously held by a deceased person. If you wish to close the account of a loved one, please contact the relevant executor or administrator." Source

The executor must submit, by email: a cover sheet identifying the account and requesting closure, a death certificate, a government-issued photo ID, "legal documentation or a copy of the will that identifies the executor of the estate" (or state-issued documentation if there's no will), and an IRS Form W-9 for the estate. Documents go to deceasedaccounts@paypal.com or a PayPal P.O. box in Omaha, Nebraska; mailed originals are destroyed after review and cannot be returned.

Any remaining balance is disbursed one of two ways: PayPal issues a check "in the name of the deceased account holder" (ownership of the money doesn't change hands — it's still legally the deceased's funds going into the estate), or, if the requestor already has access to the bank account linked to the PayPal account, PayPal transfers the balance there directly. PayPal does not hand over login access or a password under any circumstance — only account closure and fund disbursement.

What we could not verify: how long PayPal's review typically takes once documents are received; the help page states documents will be reviewed but does not give a service-level timeframe.

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