Estate Planning

As a music creator it’s important that you include your copyrights in your estate planning. This will ensure your loved ones will be able to seamlessly continue to monetarily benefit from your work.

Copyrights are assets, just like investments or property, and SOCAN is able to support your wishes by transferring royalty payments from your music in accordance with the wishes you outline in your Will.

While authorship of your copyright will never change, the beneficiary of your royalties can, and your loved ones will benefit from those royalty streams well into the future with good planning.

SOCAN cannot offer legal advice, and we strongly encourage you to get the expert legal and tax assistance required to complete your estate planning.

If you are the beneficiary of a SOCAN member copyright, please contact us with the below information to set up an Estate account with SOCAN:

If there is a Will:

• Notarized copy of the Death Certificate. A funeral home copy will suffice.
• A copy of Grant Letters of Probate including a copy of the Will (also known as a Certificate of Estate Trustee with a Will).

If Grant Letters of Probate were not applied for, provide a notarized copy of the Will naming an executor or beneficiary (or beneficiaries).

If a notarized copy of the Will is not available or does not name an executor, SOCAN will provide a Letter of Declaration, Direction and Indemnity for the beneficiaries to sign and have commissioned.

If there is no Will:

• Notarized copy of the Death Certificate. A funeral home copy will suffice.
• A Letter of Administration (also known as a Certificate of Estate Trustee without a Will) which gives the executor the authority to administer the estate.

If a Letter of Administration was not applied for, SOCAN will provide a Letter of Declaration, Direction and Indemnity for the beneficiaries to sign and have commissioned.

To complete an Estate Account:

Provide the Social Insurance Number and full mailing address of all beneficiaries. Revenue Canada considers any earnings from SOCAN to be taxable earnings. This is information is required to facilitate the issuance of the necessary tax forms.