In an emergency — a sudden illness, an accident, a death — your family will need to find the right documents quickly. Knowing what those documents are, having them properly prepared, and keeping them somewhere accessible can make an enormous difference in one of life's hardest moments.
Here are the 10 documents every Australian family should have in place — and where to keep them.
1. A Current, Valid Will
Your will is the foundation of your estate plan. It records who gets what, who's responsible for carrying out your wishes (your executor), and — if you have young children — who you want to care for them (your guardian nomination).
A will that hasn't been updated since before your last marriage, child, or property purchase may not reflect your wishes. Review it every 2–3 years and after any major life event.
Read: What happens if you die without a will in Australia?
2. An Enduring Power of Attorney
An enduring power of attorney appoints someone to manage your financial and legal affairs if you lose capacity. Without one, your family may not be able to access your bank accounts, manage your mortgage, or deal with government agencies on your behalf — without a court order.
Read: What is an enduring power of attorney?
3. A Healthcare Directive
A healthcare directive (or advance care plan) records your medical wishes if you can't communicate them yourself, and appoints someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf. It removes an impossible burden from your family at the worst moment.
Read: What is a healthcare directive and do you need one?
4. Superannuation Binding Death Benefit Nominations
Your will doesn't control your super. A binding death benefit nomination tells your super fund exactly who receives your superannuation when you die. Without one, the trustee has discretion — and may not distribute it the way you intended.
Check when yours expires (most lapse every three years) and renew it before it does.
Read: What happens to your superannuation when you die?
5. Life Insurance Policies
Know what life insurance you have, who the beneficiaries are, and where the policy documents are. This includes:
- Standalone life insurance policies
- Insurance held inside your super fund
- Income protection insurance
- Total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance
Review beneficiary nominations on your insurance policies just as you would for super.
6. Property and Title Documents
Keep copies of certificates of title, mortgage documents, and any property-related contracts or agreements. Your executor will need these to deal with real estate in your estate.
Note whether property is held as joint tenants (passes automatically to the survivor on death, outside the will) or tenants in common (your share passes through your estate).
7. Bank and Investment Account Details
A list of your bank accounts, investment accounts, and brokerage accounts — including the institution, account number, and approximate balance. Your executor needs to know what exists in order to deal with it.
This doesn't need to include passwords — just enough information for your executor to know where to contact and what to ask for.
8. A Digital Asset Inventory
A record of your digital accounts, cryptocurrency holdings, and online assets — and instructions for how to access, transfer, or close them. For cryptocurrency in particular, access information (private keys, seed phrases) must be stored securely and separately from your will (which becomes public after probate).
Read: What happens to your digital assets when you die?
9. Key Contacts List
A list of the professionals involved in your financial and legal life:
- Your solicitor or estate planning attorney
- Your accountant
- Your financial advisor
- Your doctor and specialist(s)
- Your insurance broker
- Your real estate agent or property manager
Your executor and family need these contacts immediately after your death — not in six weeks when they've finished going through paperwork.
10. Funeral and End-of-Life Wishes
Your preferences for your funeral — burial or cremation, location, any specific wishes — are not legally binding, but they give your family clear guidance at an incredibly difficult time. A will is often not read until after the funeral, so your wishes should be recorded somewhere accessible and separate.
Include any wishes about organ donation, the type of service you'd want, and any personal messages you want to leave for loved ones.
Where to Keep These Documents
Having the right documents is only half the job. They need to be:
- Accessible — not locked in a safe whose combination only you know
- Secure — protected from theft, fire, or damage
- Known to your executor and family — they can't use what they can't find
- Up to date — an outdated document can cause as many problems as no document
Custodium Vault is built specifically for this. Store all 10 categories of documents in one encrypted, organised vault — with controlled access for your executor and designated family members. They can access everything they need from anywhere, at any hour, on any device.
It's the single most practical thing you can do alongside preparing your legal documents. See our plans and get everything in one place today.
Need Help Preparing Your Documents?
If any of these documents are missing or out of date, our estate planning team can help you prepare them. We provide wills, enduring powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and business succession plans to clients across all of Australia — at bespoke, transparent pricing. Request a confidential consultation today.