What happens to a brokerage account on death in Poland?

When a brokerage-account owner dies, the family should notify the provider and establish how entitlement to the estate must be demonstrated. They should not take over the account using the deceased person’s password. This guide concerns an ordinary account in the Polish legal context, using XTB S.A. as a procedural example. Cash, owned instruments and CFDs are considered separately. Overseas accounts, disputed estates and Polish IKE or IKZE retirement products require additional assessment.

What passes to heirs, and what needs proof?

Poland’s Civil Code, Articles 922 and 924–925, addresses the passage of property rights and obligations and the opening of an estate. Acquisition of rights does not mean any relative can immediately instruct a broker. Articles 1025 and 1027 address court confirmation and registered notarial certification as proof of inheritance. A death certificate establishes a different event from a document identifying the heirs.

Separate three questions: where an account exists, who is entitled, and what it actually contains. Finding an application on a phone does not answer all three. Use lawfully accessible agreements, correspondence or statements to identify the firm and its contact channel. Do not enter protected accounts using another person’s credentials. Start by obtaining the provider’s instructions for this type of case rather than assuming the account operates as before.

A displayed balance is not the complete account value or an immediately payable inheritance. Account equity may incorporate open positions and does not replace a settlement statement. The balance, equity and margin comparison helps distinguish the figures. Where liabilities, disputed rights or unidentified heirs are involved, discuss the procedure with a notary or lawyer before signing an instruction. This guide does not determine how an individual estate should be accepted or divided.

How do you notify the provider without taking over?

Use contact details obtained from the institution’s official website or the agreement. Ask how to submit evidence of death, which documents are required and how to obtain a case reference. An initial call may establish the procedure; do not assume oral notification triggers every contractual consequence. XTB’s Polish help page identifies evidence of death and separate evidence of an heir’s entitlement.

It may feel necessary to “protect the positions immediately”. Do not try to do that by logging in as the deceased, changing their contact details or sending money to a relative’s account. Notification lets the provider apply its procedure without creating an unclear record of instructions under someone else’s identity. Ask in writing how it handles open contracts and pending orders, and when it will acknowledge the relevant document.

Also separate an existing power of attorney from acting for the heirs. Civil Code Article 101 § 2 provides for authority ending on death, with a specified exception. Do not assume a former representative can continue trading. The broker and the professional handling the estate should assess the actual document. Possessing a password, including a read-only credential, is not evidence of inheritance rights or authority to dispose of assets.

Why must cash, owned securities and CFDs be separated?

A CFD, or contract for difference, concerns a change in price rather than ownership of the underlying instrument. An owned ETF unit and an ETF-linked CFD may appear similar in a position list while representing different rights. Before requesting “an ETF transfer”, identify the precise product, its designation and the nature of the holding. The ETF and CFD comparison helps distinguish them without relying solely on the fund’s name.

Provider example: XTB S.A.’s terms applicable on 13 October 2026, Section 19, provide for termination, blocked deposits and withdrawals, and closing CFDs within two working days following reliable evidence of death. For organised-market financial instruments, classified as OMI, they describe documented transfer or sale instructions; fractional rights have a separate provision. This is neither an heir-payment deadline nor a rule for every broker.

The help page groups CFDs and ETFs differently from those product-specific terms. Do not infer that every owned ETF unit is automatically sold. Request the basis applicable to the particular instrument, agreement and account type. Keep an assessment of the broker’s service separate from the estate procedure: the Polish XTB account guide cannot replace the documents governing an individual case.

Before giving an instruction, ask whether the particular instrument can be transferred, what the receiving account must support and what each available option costs. Retain the answer with its contractual version rather than an isolated sentence from a chat. Availability of a similarly named instrument on another platform does not establish transferability. This is general information about a Polish context, not individual legal or investment advice and not a worldwide succession procedure.

How can you organise documents and protect family details?

Sort documents by purpose: evidence of death, proof of inheritance, identification of an entitled person and their instruction. A will, death certificate and registered deed certifying inheritance are not interchangeable. With several heirs, ask the professional handling the estate about division of the estate and documents needed for a joint instruction. Do not sign for everyone merely because the family has verbally agreed a proposed allocation.

Distinguish identity checks from entitlement to assets. KYC, or customer identification and verification, does not itself decide who inherits. Establish who may obtain account information and which evidence is required. Asking whether an account exists does not automatically establish a right to its full trading history. Send document copies only through the agreed channel and retain acknowledgement of receipt together with a clear record of outstanding requirements.

Do not put account numbers, identity scans or family details into an exercise on this website. If another person helps check the list, show statuses and questions rather than the entire financial file. The aim is to identify a missing step without creating another disclosure of sensitive information. If documents are requested through an unexpected message, verify that channel directly with the institution before sending anything.

If a reply is unclear, identify the specific asset or document concerned. Ask for clarification and the appropriate complaints route. Avoid resending the entire family file when a case reference and description of the outstanding question suffice.

How do you separate a valuation from a payment?

Compare three points in time: the state recorded for estate documentation, actual settlement of contracts and subsequent payment or transfer. Note which date each amount describes. Do not insert an unconfirmed sale price into an old statement. Request a record of executed operations, charges and assets remaining. A difference can reflect another valuation date or type of operation; inspect it item by item instead of assuming that a single display contains the final answer.

Client-asset segregation concerns protection at the provider and does not determine the heirs. Assess taxes separately. The Polish Ministry of Finance’s inheritance information addresses tax and exemption conditions. A brokerage payment does not complete those duties automatically, and an investment-income form does not settle acquisition of an inheritance. Applicable documents and deadlines depend on the situation. Do not infer tax treatment from the language of the trading application or this article.

Separate notification of death, proof of entitlement and asset settlement. Completing one step does not complete the other two.

Editorial conclusion

What to do now to organise the case?

1. Identify the institution and its official contact channel using lawfully accessible documents. Request notification instructions and a case reference, retain the reply and avoid logging in as the deceased to take over account management yourself.
2. Discuss evidence of entitlement and representation of heirs with a notary or lawyer. Organise the required documents by purpose, giving particular attention to multiple heirs, a dispute, an overseas account or a retirement product with separate rules.
3. Obtain the provider’s process for each asset type and a final settlement record. Note valuation dates, costs and remaining assets, then check tax duties separately instead of treating a bank transfer as completion of every legal and reporting requirement.