What Happens to Your Google Cloud Platform Account When You Die
Quick Facts
Billing
Charges per second
Resources
Compute, BigQuery, GKE
Transfer
Project ownership transfer
Step-by-Step Guide
Export data from all projects
Export data from Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud SQL, and Firestore. Use the Cloud Console or gsutil for bulk downloads.
Stop running compute resources
Shut down Compute Engine VMs, GKE clusters, Cloud Run services, and App Engine instances. Each bills separately.
Transfer project ownership
Add a trusted person as Owner in IAM & Admin → IAM. They can then manage all resources in the project.
Disable billing or close account
Go to Billing → Account Management to disable billing. Contact Google Cloud support for estate procedures.
Document Now Checklist
- Google Cloud account email
- List all project IDs and names
- Monthly GCP bill amount
- List running services per project
- Note any domains managed in Cloud DNS
Last verified: June 2026. Platform policies may change. Verify current procedures directly with Google Cloud Platform. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Related Guides
GitHub
GitHub has no formal memorialization process. Private repos become permanently inaccessible without account credentials. Add a trusted contact as org owner for any organizations you manage.
Vercel
Add a trusted person to your Vercel team with Admin role. This ensures deployments continue.
Netlify
Add a trusted person to your Netlify team. Team → Members → Invite.
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