Okay, before you jump into any conclusion, this is not really what I really want to blog about. But the again, while I was struggling to finish my paperwork, somebody from Penang emailed me this question: "What will happen to my adsense earnings if I suddenly die?". Wow, I never thought of that and the person may have a good reason to ask and hey it was a good question though somewhat awkward.
But seriously…
If you earn less than USD$1 per day, cashing out after your demise may not be a big concern since it would be too much of a hassle to think of that (unless you have hold it for a considerable amount). But let’s say you have about USD$500 for your adsense earnings and suddenly you died (touch wood/Knock on wood) in a road accident. How can you cash out those earnings?
To be frank, I don’t know and Google AdSense team didn’t really provide a clear explanation on this. The process may differs according to each country’s governing law. According to Adsense terms and conditions:
The payments made under this Agreement are for use by You only and may not be transferred or in any manner passed on to any third party (i.e., distributed to Properties managed by You that require separate payments) unless expressly authorized in writing by Google (including by electronic mail). From time to time Google may be holding funds, payments and other amounts due to You in connection with the AdSense Program. You acknowledge and agree that Google may, without further notice to You, contribute to a charitable organization selected by Google all funds, payments and other amounts related to the AdSense Program that are held by Google and that are due to you (if any), but which Google is unable to pay or deliver to You because Your account is Inactive (as defined below). “Inactive” means that, based on Google’s records: (a) for a period of two (2) years or more You have not logged into your account or accepted funds, payments or other amounts that Google has attempted to pay or deliver to You, and (b) Google has been unable to reach You, or has not received adequate payment instructions from You, after contacting You at the address shown in Google’s records.
Well, if you are opting for cheque payments, your family members or relatives may still be able to deposit the cheque to your bank account (provide it’s still active, which I think won’t last long as bank closes accounts of the dead). If via Western Union, it may be tricky as the bank need to verify your ID.
As prevention, it would be good to inform some of your family members or really close friends regarding your adsense account info. At least they can login and do some necessary settings changes or to inform Google on your demise. You may even want to legally prepare a will on this matter too. This applies to your other online activities. You really don’t know when you’re gonna "go", so better take precautions as your online earnings may just help your family members.
Well, there are also many possibilities in life, like someone in Google Adsense forum who even asked this question: WHAT HAPPENS IF GOOGLE US IS SHUT DOWN FROM TERRORIST ACTIVITY?
Hmm….what will I do with my Adsense earnings if I suddenly die then?
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