Home  ›  Ilm Hub  ›  Answers  ›  What happens to my cryptocurrency when I die
Ilm Hub

What happens to my cryptocurrency when I die?

Part of the estate for tax and distribution, but unrecoverable without the private key.

Draft — pending review. This page has been prepared but has not yet been reviewed by a Canadian estates lawyer or a qualified scholar. Treat it as a starting point for questions, not as advice you should act on.

Part of the estate for tax and distribution, but unrecoverable without the private key.

The Canadian position

Part of the estate for tax and distribution, but unrecoverable without the private key.

Whether an asset passes through the estate determines both the probate cost and who ultimately receives it.

The Islamic position

An asset that cannot be accessed cannot be distributed, so recording access is part of discharging the trust.

The fixed shares apply only to the net estate. Anything passing outside it is never divided by faraid.

Across the madhahib

The four Sunni schools are not recorded as differing materially on this point in the sources reviewed. Where your own case turns on it, put it to a scholar of your school.

What to do about it

  1. Confirm how your cryptocurrency is currently held or designated.
  2. Decide deliberately whether it should follow the shares.
  3. Take tax advice before changing a designation.
  4. Re-check whenever the will changes.
Before you act on this

General information, not legal or religious advice. Inheritance depends entirely on the exact family circumstances. Confirm the Canadian position with a lawyer in your province and any religious ruling with a qualified scholar.

Citations & sources

Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the references below. Legislation and dollar thresholds change — verify against the primary source before relying on any figure.

Islamic primary sources
  1. Surah an-Nisa 4:11 — shares of children and parents — Quran.com
  2. Surah an-Nisa 4:12 — shares of spouses and uterine siblings — Quran.com
  3. Surah an-Nisa 4:176 — the kalalah verse — Quran.com
Scholarly & institutional references
  1. Research Papers — Cambridge Muslim College
  2. Research — Cambridge Muslim College
  3. Academics — Islamic law and theology curriculum — Zaytuna College
  4. Encyclopaedia of Islam — Brill
Canadian legislation & government
  1. Canadian Legal Information Institute — CanLII
  2. What to do when someone has died — Canada Revenue Agency
  3. Income Tax Act, RSC 1985, c 1 (5th Supp) — Justice Laws Canada
Canadian legal commentary
  1. Deceased social media accounts what to do ontario — Treadstone Law
  2. Religious burial requirements conflict with family ontario — Treadstone Law
  3. Accessing deceased bank accounts before probate ontario — Treadstone Law
  4. Cloud storage accessing photos after death ontario — Treadstone Law
  5. Hst estate sale deceased persons property ontario — Treadstone Law
  6. Disability tax credit deceased persons final return canada — Treadstone Law
  7. Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law