Lead the way, with
Digital Estate Planning

The Digital Estate Planning Institute equips estate planners with the knowledge, frameworks, and credentials required for today’s digital world. Prepare for the realities of digital assets, online accounts, and post-mortem access through standards-based education and professional certification.

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Why Digital Estate Planning matters

Digital assets are now a permanent part of modern estates. Without proper planning, clients and fiduciaries face access failures, security risks, and administrative delays – which can cause real financial loss. The Institute focuses on practical, defensible approaches to identifying, documenting, and administering digital assets.

Standards

Clear, evolving standards for digital estate planning that reflect real-world technology, security practices, and fiduciary realities.

Education

Structured learning designed for estate professionals, covering digital assets, cryptocurrency, access controls, and administration workflow.

Credentialing

The Digital Estate Planner (DEP™) certification signals demonstrated competency in digital estate planning and ongoing commitment to professional standards.

About the Institute

The Digital Estate Planning Institute is a professional standards, education and credentialiing organization dedicated to advancing secure, modern estate planning.

The Institute brings together experts across legal, technical, and digital asset spaces to establish practical guidance and credentialing programs for estate professionals navigating increasingly complex digital environments.

Our work emphasizes real-world knowledge, clarity, and defensible processes that support attorneys, fiduciaries, and the clients they serve.

Get certified in Digital Estate Planning

Develop the skills and credentials needed to address digital assets

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INVEST IN YOUR Professional
membership and CREDENTIALING

A structured pathway for estate professionals at every stage.

Digital Estate Planner (DEP™) Certification

The Digital Estate Planner (DEP™) is a professional certification awarded by the Digital Estate Planning Institute to qualified individuals who meet the standards for digital estate planning.

$199 initial application and
annual re-certification fee

  • Competency-based certification based on digital assets and online accounts
  • Standards-driven review process, and comprehensive online examinations
  • Full access our Digital Asset content
  • Designed for estate professionals navigating modern digital estates. Authorized individuals may use the DEP™ designation as per our guidelines.
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TESTIMONIALS

  • “Digital assets have outpaced traditional estate planning education. Programs like DEP™ are welcomed, and long overdue.”
    Estate Planning Attorney
    Boston, MA
  • “Clients increasingly expect guidance on digital assets. Formal standards and training are essential — DEP™ leads the market.“
    Estate Planning Lawyer
    Los Angeles, CA

Prepare for the future of estate planning

Digital assets are no longer optional considerations. Equip yourself with the knowledge, standards, and practical tools needed to serve modern clients confidently.

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Common Questions

The following addresses common questions regarding certification and Institute Standards.

The Digital Estate Planner (DEP™) is a professional designation awarded by the Digital Estate Planning Institute to practitioners who demonstrate competency in the planning, documentation, and administration of digital assets.

The certification reflects a functional understanding of the legal, technical, security, and fiduciary considerations required to develop digital estate plans that operate during incapacity and after death.

DEP™ is intended for estate planning attorneys and other qualified professionals whose work intersects with estate design, fiduciary administration, and client advisory services.

The designation is appropriate for practitioners seeking to develop recognized competency in digital assets while aligning their work with emerging professional standards.

No. DEP™ is designed to complement established legal and estate planning designations by addressing the distinct challenges introduced by digitally held property, online accounts and privacy, and technology-dependent access.

It recognizes an area of practice that increasingly requires both legal rigor and technical literacy.

DEP™ is granted through a standards-based evaluation that may consider education, professional experience, and demonstrated competency.

Designees are expected to uphold Institute Standards and maintain the credential through ongoing professional development and compliance requirements as the discipline evolves.

No. DEP™ is a professional certification and does not grant legal authority or replace jurisdictional licensure requirements. Practitioners are expected to operate within the scope of their professional credentials.

The Institute Standards define the professional competencies expected of practitioners engaged in digital estate planning. They provide a framework for responsible practice while supporting fiduciaries in administering digital assets with clarity and legal authority.

The growth of digitally controlled assets has introduced planning, access, security, and administration challenges that traditional estate frameworks were not designed to address.

As a result, practitioners are increasingly expected to demonstrate familiarity with both fiduciary structures and digital asset architectures.

The Institute Standards are developed through ongoing research and informed by legal, technical, security, and fiduciary considerations affecting modern estate practice.

Prepare for modern digital estates

Build the knowledge and credentials needed to address digital assets with clarity, security, and professionalism.

Explore the Digital Estate Planner (DEP™) Certification