Posthumous messages: what they are and how to leave them

A posthumous message is a message you write during your lifetime so that a specific person receives it once you are gone: a farewell, a memory or the instructions your family will need. Two things make it work: nobody reads it too early, and it actually arrives when it should, neither before nor never. This guide explains how posthumous messages work, what they are worth and how to leave your own.

This guide is for information only. For how your estate is divided and any legal question, talk to a lawyer or notary in your country.

What exactly is a posthumous message?

It is any message meant to be read after your death and addressed to someone in particular. The idea is old, the letter left in a drawer or with a friend, but today it is mostly digital, through services that store the message and deliver it when the time comes.

What sets it apart from an ordinary letter is when it is delivered. A posthumous message is not sent when you write it: it stays stored and only goes out once someone confirms that you have died. So the important question is not where to write it, but who decides that the time has come and how they check.

Posthumous messages tend to fall into three types, often mixed in one:

Type	What it is for	Example
Emotional	Saying goodbye, thanking, apologising, leaving a memory	"I want you to hold on to the good moments"
Practical	Helping your family know what to do and where things are	Where you keep documents, which accounts you have, whom to call
Scheduled	Being present on a date you will not live to see	A message for your child's birthday or for Christmas

Why leave posthumous messages?

So that what matters does not go unsaid, and so your family is spared a blind search at the worst possible time.

• Closing what is still open. A goodbye, a thank-you or an explanation you never found the right moment to give.
• Avoiding doubts and arguments. Without instructions, your family has to guess what you would have wanted. A clear message saves many hard conversations.
• Giving context, not just data. A will says who inherits; a message can explain why, what something means to you or how you would like it looked after.
• Making sure nothing digital gets lost. Accounts, subscriptions, photos, password managers, crypto: if nobody knows they exist, nobody looks for them. We cover this in what happens to your online accounts when you die.

From what people who already use Inheritans tell us, the most common things to leave are access to a password manager, where they keep their Yoseyomo and their crypto wallets, and farewell videos for their children, partner, siblings and parents. Lately, with the rise in investing, they also leave the deeds and instructions for each startup stake, or where the gold or collectible watches are kept.

How does a posthumous message service work?

Almost all follow the same four steps:

1. You write the messages and choose who receives each one.
2. The service stores them until the time comes.
3. Something triggers delivery: you stop showing signs of life, someone reports your death, or both.
4. The message reaches its recipient, usually by email, with a way to read it.

The differences between services lie in steps 2 and 3: how they protect the message while it is stored, and how they decide that you have died. That is what to look at before choosing.

How does the service know you have died?

There are two broad models, and they are not equivalent.

Inactivity timer (dead man's switch). If you do not log in or respond for a while, the service assumes you have died and sends your messages. It is simple, but it carries an obvious risk: a long hospital stay, a trip without connection or an email that ends up in spam can send your messages while you are still alive. And a posthumous message that arrives too early cannot be undone.

Documentary verification. A trusted person reports the death and provides the death certificate, and someone reviews those documents before anything is delivered. It is slower, but it prevents messages from going out by mistake.

The most careful services combine both: inactivity sends nothing on its own, it only starts a check. We explain this in detail in activity verification and the dead man's switch.

Who can read the message while it is stored?

This is the other key question, because a posthumous message can contain very personal or sensitive things. Some services store messages as they are and send them by plain email; others encrypt them.

What is worth checking is where the message is encrypted. If it is encrypted on your own device before being sent, the service only stores an unreadable version. If it is only encrypted on the server, whoever runs that server may be able to read it.

Is a posthumous message legally valid?

As a farewell or as practical guidance, it does its job. As a will, it does not.

• It cannot distribute your estate. In almost every country, who inherits is decided by a will and by the law, and wills have formal requirements: a handwritten will, for instance, usually has to be written and signed by hand and dated. That is why the division of your estate belongs in your will, and the message takes care of everything a will does not cover.
• It can point the way. It can say where your will is, which accounts you have or whom to contact, and give context to decisions that the will records in legal terms.
• Digital assets have their own rules, and they vary by country. Some countries let you leave instructions about access to your online content; in Spain, for example, the data protection law recognises a "right to a digital will". Ask a local lawyer what applies to you.

Inheritans does not replace a will: it complements it. The will decides who inherits; your messages make sure your family knows what they need and receives what you wanted to tell them.

If you are unsure how to fit the two together, a lawyer or notary can advise you when you make or review your will.

What should a posthumous message include?

There is no formula, but a few guidelines help:

• One message per person. What you want to tell your partner is not the same as what you want to tell your children or your business partner. Keeping them separate makes each one clearer, and each person receives only what is theirs.
• Start with what matters most. Whatever you could not forgive yourself for leaving unsaid, in the first few lines.
• Be specific about practical matters. Where things are and whom to turn to, without passwords or keys in the text if it will pass through other people's hands.
• Nothing that starts a conflict. A posthumous message is not the place to settle scores or to make decisions about your estate that contradict your will.
• Review it now and then. Life changes: children grow up, relationships evolve, accounts are closed.

We have a full guide with structure and examples: how to write a posthumous letter.

Can a message be scheduled for a specific date?

Yes. As well as delivery as soon as the death is verified, some services let you schedule delivery:

• After some time: for example, six months later, once the hardest part has passed.
• On a specific date: your child's birthday, your wedding anniversary or Christmas Day.

With Inheritans, scheduled delivery is part of the Lattice plan: for each message you choose whether it goes out as soon as the death is verified, after a number of days, weeks or months, or on a specific day and month.

That way you can be present at moments you will not live to see. It is one of the things recipients value most, and one of the hardest to write, so it is worth taking your time.

How do posthumous messages work at Inheritans?

At Inheritans, messages are kept in a digital capsule, and for each message you choose who receives it and when.

Writing and choosing recipients

You write each message and choose its recipients, the people who will receive it. You can also add assets: the information your family will need about accounts, documents, insurance or crypto, organised by type. They are all listed in asset types.

Protecting the content

Your messages and assets are encrypted on your device before they are sent, using algorithms designed to resist quantum computers. Each message reaches only the people you choose, and only when the time comes. During verification, the team works with the documents your contacts provide, not with the content of your capsule.

When they are delivered

There are two ways to trigger delivery, and neither sends anything on its own:

1. Activity verification. Every time you log in, a period you choose is reset: 1, 3, 6 or 12 months. If that time passes without you logging in, we email you and you have 5 days to confirm you are still there; reminders follow. If you do not respond, the team tries to reach you before notifying your authorised contacts.
2. An authorised contact. This is the trusted person you register with their ID. If you were to die, they let us know with your capsule code, their ID and the death certificate.

In both cases, nothing is delivered until the team has reviewed the documents. Once verified, each message goes out as you chose: right away, after some time or on a specific date. The recipient gets an email notice, signs in with a one-time code we send them and can read their messages and download them.

What each plan includes

Plan	Price	Messages	Contacts	Activity verification	Scheduled delivery
Freedom	Free	1, up to 1024 characters	1	No	No
Basic	€69.99/year	1, up to 2048 characters	Up to 2	Yes	No
Plus	€129.99/year	1, up to 4096 characters	Up to 10	Yes	No
Lattice	€199.99/year	Unlimited	Unlimited	Yes	Yes

Contacts are the people you add to your account, whether or not they are authorised contacts; you then choose which of them receive each message. Paid plans are an annual subscription per capsule. Freedom has no activity verification, and its activation does not go through a document review: we check that the contact's details match. Full details are in the plans.

Want to leave your first message? You can start for free with Freedom and move to another plan whenever you need. See plans.

Which mistakes should you avoid?

These are the most common ones when people leave messages without much thought:

1. Putting it off. By far the most common. Nobody chooses the moment, and a simple message written today is worth more than the perfect one that never gets written.
2. Hiding the message so well that nobody finds it. A letter in a drawer or a document on your computer only helps if someone knows it exists and can get to it.
3. Not telling anyone there are messages. If you use a service, at least one trusted person should know about it and what to do when the time comes. At Inheritans, that is your authorised contact.
4. Putting passwords or keys in the text. If the message passes through other hands or gets printed, those keys are no longer secret. It is better to say where they are and how to reach them.
5. Relying on inactivity alone. If a service only checks whether you stop logging in, a long hospital stay can send your messages too early. Choose one that also verifies the death with documents. At Inheritans, not logging in sends nothing: we email you first and the team tries to reach you.
6. Never reviewing them. A message written ten years ago may no longer reflect what you think or the people in your life today.
7. Using it to divide your estate. If the message contradicts your will, it only creates confusion. Decisions about property belong in the will; the message explains and accompanies.

What to look for when choosing a posthumous message service

If you are comparing options, these questions quickly tell services apart:

1. How do they verify the death? Is inactivity enough, or do they need documents reviewed by a person?
2. Where is the message encrypted? On your device or only on the server? Is it delivered encrypted or by plain email?
3. Where is the company based and which law applies? A company in the European Union is bound by the General Data Protection Regulation.
4. How many messages and recipients are allowed? Some limit each message to one recipient or to very few characters.
5. What happens if you stop paying? Ask whether your messages are kept and for how long.
6. Is there support in your language? When the time comes, the people using it will be your family.

We have compared the best-known services against these criteria in our comparison of digital legacy services.

What should I do if I have received a posthumous message?

If you get a notice that someone has left you a message:

• Check the notice is genuine before clicking links or sharing details: it should come from the service's domain and should not ask for passwords or payments.
• Read it calmly. There is no rush to reply or to do anything straight away.
• Keep a copy. At Inheritans you can download your messages; access lasts 90 days from when it is granted.
• If it includes legal instructions or details about belongings, take them to the lawyer or notary handling the estate: the message guides you, but it does not replace the formalities.

Related questions

What is a posthumous message? A message you write during your lifetime so that a specific person receives it after your death. It can be a farewell, a memory, a piece of advice or practical instructions about paperwork and belongings.

How does the service know I have died? It depends on the service. Some simply wait until you stop logging in; others, like Inheritans, also require a trusted person to provide the death certificate and the team to review the documents before anything is delivered.

Is a posthumous message legally valid as a will? Not on its own. Who inherits your estate is decided by your will: a message is for saying goodbye, giving context and explaining where things are. If you want your will to take your capsule into account, you can mention it in your will; ask your lawyer or notary how to word it.

Can I schedule a message for a birthday after I die? Yes, if the service allows it. On the Inheritans Lattice plan you can choose for a message to arrive some time after the death is verified, or on a specific date such as a birthday.

Who can read my posthumous messages before they are delivered? With Inheritans, messages are encrypted on your device before they are sent, each one reaches only the people you choose and only when the time comes, and during verification the team works with the documents, not with the content.

How much does it cost to leave posthumous messages? Inheritans has a free plan, Freedom, with one message of up to 1024 characters and one contact, and paid plans from €69.99 a year with activity verification and verified activation.