Manage Contingent Beneficiaries
Fallback beneficiary layers that activate only if the primary beneficiaries don't claim within a configurable window. Premium only.
Contingent beneficiaries are the answer to "what if my primary beneficiaries can't claim?". Keys get lost. People become unreachable. People pass. The contingent layers are the safety net.
Premium users can configure up to two additional layers on top of their primary beneficiaries:
Second-line — one designated address, activates after a configurable window following the primary activation.
Third-line — one designated address, activates after a further configurable window following the second-line.
Only one contingent beneficiary per layer, and only EOA addresses. Contingent beneficiaries are intentionally simple: a single address per fallback layer. If you need multi-party fallback logic, that's a case for a Multisig legacy at the primary level.
When does each layer become eligible
Each layer has its own activation window — measured from the moment the previous layer became eligible, not from the original trigger:
Primary activation — the legacy's main trigger elapses; primary beneficiaries can claim.
After primaries' window, second-line can claim (if configured).
After second-line's window, third-line can claim (if configured).
At any given time, multiple lines can be simultaneously eligible. The first address to actually claim "wins" the whole remainder — see below.
Who actually gets the funds
Before second-line is eligible: only primaries can claim, splitting according to the primary allocations.
Between second-line eligible and someone claiming: primaries can still claim with the primary allocations. If a primary moves first, second-line is irrelevant.
If the second-line claims: they become the sole beneficiary and receive everything remaining. No primary can claim afterwards.
Same logic applies between second-line and third-line.
The model is first-to-act-wins among currently eligible parties. This keeps the contract simple and avoids coordinated-distribution failure modes.
Why one person and not a split for contingents? Because the fallbacks are typically a different kind of person — an estate lawyer, a specialized recovery service, a single trusted proxy — and splitting their allocation doesn't match how those roles work in practice. If you want a split fallback, your primary layer is the right place to configure it.
How contingent beneficiaries see the legacy
Until their line activates, contingent beneficiaries are treated as watchers with limited visibility — they see the legacy under My Watchlist, not My Inherited Legacy. The UI explicitly shows whether they're viewing as a watcher or as an imminent contingent beneficiary.
Once their line is eligible, the legacy moves to My Inherited Legacy and they get full-visibility beneficiary access.
You can change a contingent beneficiary's visibility. The defaults are conservative (limited), but the owner can switch a contingent to full visibility from the watcher settings. Useful when the contingent is an estate lawyer who needs to see addresses to coordinate off-chain planning.
Configuring
Contingent layers can be configured:
At creation — during the configure step of a Transfer legacy.
Via edit — at any time before the primary trigger has activated.
For each layer you set:
The contingent's Ethereum address (EOA only).
The window (in days) that must pass after the previous layer became eligible.
Removing
Second-line and third-line beneficiaries can't be removed from the watcher list directly; they're removed by editing the legacy itself.
Removing a line of contingent activation also removes that beneficiary's watcher entry.
Real-world example
Alice sets up a Transfer legacy:
Primaries: her kids Bob and Charlie, 50% each, 180-day activation trigger.
Second-line: her estate lawyer Daria, 90-day window after primary.
Third-line: a professional recovery service, 180-day window after second-line.
Alice goes silent. 180 days pass — Bob and Charlie can claim. 90 more days pass with no claim — Daria becomes eligible. If Bob finally checks his email and claims at that moment, the original 50/50 split to Bob and Charlie still happens. If Daria claims first, she gets everything (she's supposed to professionally recover and distribute off-chain).
See also
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