Short answer: What should go in an emergency binder?
An emergency binder holds the papers and notes someone would need if you were suddenly unavailable: contacts, identity and housing documents, a simple money and insurance map, health forms, named decision-makers, and brief funeral wishes. Keep passwords separate and secure. Tell one trusted person where the binder is, and review it once a year.
An emergency binder is a single, clearly labeled place for the papers and notes someone would need if you were suddenly unavailable. It isn't a full estate plan. It's a map: where things live, who to call, and which accounts matter first.
You can build it in short sessions. Start with a three-ring binder, an accordion file, or a clearly named digital folder, and tell one trusted person where it is. This guide is general information, not legal, medical, or financial advice.
1. Put the "find this first" sheet on top
The first page should answer the scramble questions:
Your full legal name, date of birth, and preferred hospital or clinic
Emergency contacts (spouse/partner, adult children, neighbor with a key)
Doctors, pharmacy, and insurance phone numbers
Where the house keys, car keys, and spare key are
Pet care notes (food, vet, who can take the animal)
Location of this binder and of any password list (stored separately and securely)
A one-page "where everything is" map pairs well with this sheet. See also our longer end-of-life planning checklist if you're building a fuller plan.
2. Identity and household papers
Keep copies (or note the exact location of originals) of:
Birth certificate, Social Security card, passport, driver's license
Marriage, divorce, or adoption papers
Military discharge papers, if any
Deed, mortgage statement, or lease
Vehicle titles and registration
Home and auto insurance declarations pages
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends keeping important documents in a safe, easy-to-find place and telling a trusted person how to find them.
3. Money map (not every password)
One or two pages is enough:
Banks and credit unions (institution name and account type, not every login)
Retirement and investment accounts
Credit cards and loans with the lender name
Regular bills and autopays
Life, health, homeowners, and auto policies, plus the agent or company phone number
Who currently has access, and who should if you can't act
Keep usernames and passwords in a separate secure list or password manager. Note in the binder how to reach that list, not the secrets themselves.
4. Health and decision-makers
Include:
Current medication list and allergies
Advance directive / living will location
Health care proxy (durable power of attorney for health care) and financial power of attorney — names and where the signed copies are
DNR or POLST forms, if you have them, and where the originals live
For plain-language context on medical orders, see What Is a DNR Order?. Use your state's official forms, or work with a professional, rather than inventing wording.
5. Final wishes and funeral notes (even brief)
A short page beats none:
Burial, cremation, donation, or "family decides"
Preferred funeral home or type of service
Prepaid plan paperwork location, if any
Music, readings, or people you'd like involved
Under the FTC's Funeral Rule, families can get itemized prices and buy only what they choose. Writing wishes now makes that shopping less rushed later. See also our funeral planning checklist.
6. Digital and "open first" extras
List of important email accounts and cloud storage (again: how to access, not the passwords on the fridge)
Location of photos, external drives, and phone backups
Safe-deposit box bank and where the key is
A small envelope of cash for immediate needs is optional; note it if you keep one
Copies of recent tax returns (last few years)
How to keep the binder useful
Review once a year and after big life changes (move, marriage, divorce, new diagnosis, a death in the family).
Date each update.
Give a spare trusted person the location, not necessarily a full copy of every sensitive page.
If you use a digital folder, back it up and say where the backup lives.
Quick checklist
[ ] Cover sheet with contacts, doctors, keys, pets
[ ] Identity and housing papers (or exact locations)
[ ] Money and insurance map
[ ] Health docs and named decision-makers
[ ] Funeral / memorial wishes
[ ] Separate secure password method noted
[ ] One person told where the binder is
[ ] Date on the front
Want fillable pages? The Just-in-Case Planner is our 53-page organizer for people, papers, accounts, medical choices, and final wishes. Where Everything Is is a short household map ($1 sample); you can also browse the Etsy shop for related printables.
General information for households. Not legal, medical, financial, or tax advice. Forms and rules differ by state. For wills, powers of attorney, and medical orders, use official state forms or talk with a qualified professional.