Overview
You can name a Primary and Backup delegate — someone who can access your Garder account and receive your wallet balance if something happens to you. This exists to protect your money and the people relying on you, without being triggered by a false alarm like a quiet week or a vacation.
Delegates & Verification
A delegate isn't trusted with anything until they've verified themselves — this happens while you're still alive and active, not at the moment they'd actually need to act.
Add a delegate
Name a Primary and, optionally, a Backup delegate from the Security Center — their name, relationship to you, phone, and email.
Independent verification
Each delegate confirms their own identity and bank account details, cross-checked against Flutterwave, before they're trusted with anything.
Bank details captured later
A delegate can be added before their bank details are on file — those are captured once they complete their own verification step.
Dormancy Detection & Welfare Checks
If your account goes quiet, an escalating welfare-check sequence begins — this watches for dormancy, not death. Any account activity at any point cancels the sequence, so a real vacation or a busy week never triggers anything.
Filing a Claim
Only a verified delegate can submit a claim, and only with an actual death certificate — this isn't something a delegate can trigger just by asserting it.
Verified delegate submits a claim
A death certificate is uploaded along with the claim; the delegate must already be independently verified.
Admin review
A human admin reviews the submitted documents before anything proceeds.
Cooling-off hold
Even after admin approval, a cooling-off period runs before execution — auto-cancelled if the account shows activity again.
Execution
If the cooling-off period completes without activity, the claim moves to execution.
Execution
Once a claim executes, here's what actually happens to the account's money and obligations:
Small debts
Written off — not chased against the estate.
Larger debts
Open an estate claim instead of being written off outright.
Wallet balance
Released to the verified delegate.
Ongoing repayments
Support-plan repayments owed to the account continue sweeping to the delegate every month.
Fast Continuity Paths
Two situations don't wait on the full memorialization timeline above — they have their own faster, narrower paths, because a group of other people is depending on continuity right now.
Susu Deputy Runner succession
If a Susu cycle's runner goes unresponsive, the Circle's existing accepted co-sponsor steps in first. If there's none, a nominated deputy takes over — contributions and payouts continue without waiting on the original runner. See the Susu guide.
Admin-approved extension for unresponsive lenders
If a lender goes unresponsive on an extension request, an admin can approve it on their behalf using the exact same fee and schedule rules that would normally apply — so the borrower isn't left waiting indefinitely.
FAQ
Will my delegate be notified for a normal, temporary absence?
No. Any account activity cancels the welfare-check sequence — a real vacation or a quiet week does not trigger anything.
Can a delegate access my account just by claiming I've passed away?
No. They must be independently verified in advance, submit an actual death certificate, pass admin review, and wait out a cooling-off period that cancels automatically if your account shows activity.
What happens to my Susu or lending commitments if I become unreachable?
A Susu cycle you run can fall back to a deputy runner without waiting on the full memorialization process; a support plan you're owed a repayment on can have its extension approved by an admin on your behalf if you go unresponsive.
Can I remove or change a delegate later?
Yes, from the Security Center — a newly added delegate goes through the same independent verification process before they're trusted.
Does naming a delegate affect my trust score?
No. It has no effect on trust score, community score, or badges — it's purely an account-safety setting.
What if I have no outstanding debts or repayments owed to me?
Execution is simpler in that case — there's nothing to write off or claim, and your wallet balance still releases to your delegate.