Emergency Information List: What Your Family Needs If You Die

What an Emergency Information List Is — and What It Is Not

An emergency information list (sometimes called a "family emergency binder," "in case of death file," or "letter of instruction") is a practical reference document. It tells your family where things are, who to call, and what to do first.

It is not a legal document. It does not transfer ownership of assets, create beneficiary designations, or serve as a will. Everything that legally determines who gets what — your will, trust, beneficiary forms — must be set up separately. The emergency information list simply makes those documents findable and actionable at a moment when your family is grieving and overwhelmed.

The people most likely to need it are your spouse, your executor, or a trusted family member handling your affairs. They will typically need it within the first 48 to 72 hours of your death — before probate opens, before attorneys are involved, before anyone has a complete picture of the estate.

Section 1: Financial Accounts

This is the most immediately important section. Your family needs to know what accounts exist and how to access them — not to do anything drastic, but to keep the household running and understand the full financial picture.

You do not need to record every password directly on this document — that creates its own security risk. Instead, record the name of your password manager and where the master code or recovery information is stored. Your family can use that to access everything else.

Also note which accounts have bills on autopay and from which account they draw. In the first days after a death, the household still needs utilities, the mortgage, insurance, and other recurring payments to continue. Knowing this prevents a preventable financial disruption.

Section 2: Insurance Policies and Retirement Accounts

These two categories are where significant money often sits — and where families most frequently leave value unclaimed because they did not know the policies existed or could not locate the paperwork.

Life insurance

For each policy, record:

• Insurer name and claims phone number
• Policy number
• Death benefit amount
• Named beneficiaries
• Location of the physical policy document

Life insurance claims typically require a certified death certificate and a completed claim form from the insurer. Benefits are usually paid within 30 to 60 days. There is no time limit to file a claim, but the sooner it is filed, the sooner the funds arrive. For the full process, see How to File a Life Insurance Claim.

Retirement accounts

For each account (IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension), record:

• Account type and institution
• Account number
• Named beneficiary (and contingent beneficiary)
• Approximate current value
• Employer plan administrator contact, if applicable

Retirement accounts with named beneficiaries pass outside of probate entirely. The beneficiary contacts the plan administrator directly with a death certificate. However, a surviving spouse who inherits a retirement account has options that other beneficiaries do not — including rolling it into their own IRA. Get tax advice before taking any distribution. See the IRS guidance on inherited retirement accounts for the technical rules.

Other insurance to include

• Employer group life insurance (contact HR for the claims process)
• Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) policies
• Any mortgage protection insurance
• VA life insurance (SGLI, VGLI) if applicable

Section 3: Legal Documents and Professional Contacts

Your family needs to know where the legal documents are and who helped create them. Searching for a will after a death — when time pressure is real — is a stressful and sometimes costly problem.

Document locations

• Will — physical location and whether it has been filed with the probate court
• Revocable living trust — physical location, name of trustee and successor trustee
• Durable power of attorney — location (will be needed if you become incapacitated before death)
• Healthcare directive / living will — location, name of healthcare proxy
• Pour-over will — location, and which trust it references
• Any pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreements
• Business agreements, buy-sell agreements if applicable

Professional contacts

Record the name, firm, phone number, and email for each of the following:

• Estate planning attorney
• CPA or tax preparer
• Financial adviser or wealth manager
• Insurance broker
• Executor (the person named in the will to handle the estate)
• Successor trustee (the person named to manage the trust)

In the first week after a death, your family will likely need to contact at least two or three of these people. Having the names and numbers in one place saves significant time and stress.

Section 4: First-Steps Instructions

This is the most personal section, and the most underused. A short, direct set of instructions — written in your own words — is one of the most valuable things you can leave your family.

It does not need to be long. A single page covering the following is enough:

• Who to call first — attorney name and number, CPA name and number, financial adviser name and number
• Where the will and trust are — physical location and whether an attorney has a copy
• How to file the life insurance claim — insurer name, policy number, claims number
• Which accounts to leave alone for now — retirement and investment accounts should not be touched until professional advice is obtained
• Where bills are paid from — which account handles autopay, and any bills that are not on autopay
• Anything that is not obvious — a loan you made to a family member, a business interest, a storage unit, a digital account with significant value

Section 5: Digital Accounts

Digital assets are increasingly significant — and increasingly overlooked in estate planning. Email accounts, social media profiles, cloud storage, cryptocurrency wallets, and subscription services all require decisions after a death.

For this section, record:

• Email accounts and the recovery method (or password manager reference)
• Social media accounts and your wishes for each (memorialise, delete, or leave)
• Cloud storage (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox) — particularly if it contains important documents
• Cryptocurrency or digital investment accounts — wallet addresses, exchange accounts, and how to access them
• Domain names or websites that have value or require management
• Subscription services that should be cancelled (streaming, software, recurring donations)

Cryptocurrency and digital wallets deserve special attention: unlike a bank account, there is often no institution to contact if access credentials are lost. If you hold cryptocurrency, ensure your family has the recovery phrase or private key stored somewhere secure and findable. Without it, the assets may be permanently inaccessible.

For a full breakdown of digital estate issues: Digital Assets After Death.

Where to Store Your Emergency Information List

The document is only useful if your family can find it. The storage solution needs to balance two competing requirements: it must be secure enough that a stranger cannot access it, and accessible enough that your spouse can reach it without knowing your passwords or getting court approval.

Physical copy

Keep a printed copy in one of the following:

• A fireproof home safe your spouse knows how to open
• A clearly labelled folder in a known location — a filing cabinet, a desk drawer — that your spouse is explicitly told about
• A safe deposit box, provided your spouse is a co-holder with access (if only your name is on the box, it may be sealed at death until a court order is obtained)

Tell your spouse where it is. This sounds obvious, but many people prepare these documents and never have the conversation.

Digital copy

Keep an encrypted digital backup in at least one of the following:

• A shared cloud folder (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox) with your spouse as a shared user
• An encrypted USB drive stored with the physical copy
• A secure document storage service with a designated emergency contact

Do not store it only on your own devices. If your phone and laptop are locked and your family cannot access them, a digital copy on those devices is no copy at all.

Keeping It Current

An outdated emergency information list can be worse than none at all — it sends your family chasing accounts that were closed, policies that lapsed, and phone numbers that no longer work.

Review and update it:

• At least once a year — set a calendar reminder. Many people do this in January or around tax time
• When you open or close any financial account
• When you change insurance policies or providers
• When you move, marry, divorce, or have children
• When you change your attorney, CPA, or financial adviser
• When you change your executor or trustee

The update does not need to take long. A 20-minute annual review is usually enough to catch anything that has changed.

For the broader picture of what happens when someone dies without this information in place — and what the estate process looks like from the executor's perspective — see How to Settle an Estate and What to Do When a Spouse Dies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be on an emergency information list?

An emergency information list should include: all bank and investment account numbers, life insurance policy details and carrier contacts, retirement account information and beneficiary designations, the location of legal documents (will, trust, power of attorney), key professional contacts (attorney, CPA, financial adviser), digital account logins or password manager access, and first-step instructions for your family. Store both a digital and a physical copy, and make sure your spouse knows where to find it.

Where should I store an emergency information list?

Keep at least two copies: one physical copy in a secure but accessible location your spouse knows about (a fireproof home safe or a labelled folder in a known location), and one encrypted digital copy somewhere your spouse can reach without needing your passwords. Avoid storing it only on your own locked devices. If you use a safe deposit box, ensure your spouse is a co-holder — otherwise the box may be sealed at death.

Is an emergency information list a legal document?

No. An emergency information list is a practical reference tool, not a legal document. It does not replace a will, trust, or power of attorney. It does not transfer ownership of assets or create legal obligations. Its purpose is to give your family the information they need to act quickly and contact the right people.

How often should I update my emergency information list?

Review it at least once a year, and immediately after any major life change: opening or closing a financial account, changing insurance policies, moving, marriage or divorce, or a change of executor or attorney. Outdated information wastes your family's time at the worst possible moment.