By: Jeremy Balkin
Access to a FamilyTreeDNA kit is kept under hard and fast standards that maintain the privacy and security of the test taker. If you find yourself unable to access your kit or a kit you have been given permission to access from the tester, we have some solutions for you.
For the past 10 years or so, my uncle has periodically contacted me (usually at family gatherings) asking to look at his DNA results with FamilyTreeDNA. Every time he does, I help him with his sign-in details. However, not once in the past decade have I even thought about simply changing the email on his account to his.
Why haven’t I?
Well, usually I’m stuffing my face with whatever food is supplementing the family event and am trying to watch the 10-15 children I’m, for some reason, always asked to corral. When I’m not on the clock at FamilyTreeDNA, I have a job to do, and it’s mostly eating and babysitting.
When I am on the clock here, I help customers. One constant topic, not just from the past month, generally has to do with managing a family member’s kit/account. Here are some big ones:
- My relative has passed away, and their email is the only one on the account. How can I gain access?
- My relative and I both have access to this account, and the other person keeps changing the password. How can this be resolved?
- I want to access my account, but it has an old email on it, and I don’t remember the password. What do I do?
- I don’t remember my kit number, and even if I did, I can’t access my results. The person who purchased my test used their personal email on the account, and I can’t reach them.
- My grandson never calls me.
Though I really can’t help with that last one, I know that getting and maintaining access to your kit can sometimes be tricky. To start, the general rule of thumb is that whichever email address is on a kit and is primary should have access. That is, they should be able to request a password reset if they’re ever locked out or have forgotten the password to their FamilyTreeDNA account.
My relative has passed away, and their email is the only one on the account. How can I gain access?
When managing someone else’s account, especially in the field of genetics, strict standards must be kept when it comes to access. If you do manage the account of a tester who has passed away, if you haven’t already, we highly suggest marking the kit as deceased. This helps our team to never send another kit out for this tester.
To mark the tester on a kit as deceased:
- Sign into the kit
- Click the name in the top right corner
- Click Account Settings
- Scroll down to the Account Information tab
- Scroll all the way to the bottom to indicate that they have passed, as well as their date and place of birth (if known).
- Be sure to then click Save.
If you have a relative who has passed and you don’t already have access to their kit and would like it, we need proof of death. This could be either a death certificate or an unambiguous obituary.
Once we have proof of death, we can grant access to the listed beneficiary. The beneficiary may grant access to whomever they wish.
If there is no beneficiary or if the beneficiary is also deceased (and we have proof of death), then we need the document that shows who was appointed executor of the estate or personal representative if there was no probate and we can grant access to that person(s).
If the person requesting access is not the executor/personal representative, then we need written authorization from the executor/personal representative that they wish to turn over the account to this person and then we can grant access to them, provided they have also provided the documentation as well.
Finally, if you manage someone else’s results and you’d like to avoid potential future confusion, you can list yourself as the beneficiary on the kit.
To update beneficiary information in your settings:
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- Sign in to the kit
- Click on the name in the upper-right
- Click Account Settings
- Click on the Beneficiary Information tab below the main tabs near the top.
When you are listed as the beneficiary, if something were to happen, you’d only need to contact us, and as a beneficiary, we’ll go ahead and give you access.
My relative and I both have access to this account, and the other person keeps changing the password. How can this be resolved?
It’s also possible to have multiple primary emails (belonging to two different people) in one kit. When this happens, all emails have access to a password reset to be sent to their email.
Sometimes, one person may request a password reset while the other kit manager(s) is unaware. This may cause the other manager(s) to be locked out of the kit, not knowing the new password the other set up. In most cases, this can be resolved by the two kit managers communicating with each other.
However, there have been instances where communication between the two is not possible or comfortable. If this ever happens, please contact us. We will work with you to find the best solution. This issue isn’t one size fits all, so there isn’t too much more I can say here, except that ultimately, the tester (the person who provided the samples) will always have priority access. That is, if two people manage the account and the tester is unable to access it (even if the other person bought their testing), we must give ultimate access to the tester.
To help avoid any future confusion here, you can designate yourself or someone else as kit manager if this person differs from the actual tester. In this way, if the kit manager ever gets locked out, they can contact us, and we can give it to them.
To update the kit manager:
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- Sign into the kit
- Click the name in the top-right corner
- Go down to the Account Information tab
- Select Kit Manager
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I want to access my account, but it has an old email on it, and I don’t remember the password. What do I do?
What if you haven’t managed your kit in a long time? In fact, what if it’s been so long that the last time you did, you were using what’s now a non-existent email address? You can’t make a password reset request since the email no longer exists and you don’t remember the password.
Have no fear! Simply contact us. Typically, we’ll ask a couple of security questions first (e.g. What is the billing address on the kit? What is your former email?). Then, we are happy to update the email on your kit and send you on your way.
If you’re unable to answer the security question, we will work with you on a one-on-one basis to try to further help.
I don’t remember my kit number, and even if I did, I can’t access my results. The person who purchased my test used their personal email on the account, and I can’t reach them.
Another issue that may arise is that you can’t remember your kit number. This is a problem when signing in, as the kit number is the first thing required. In most cases, you can request an email with the kit number(s) associated with your email address.
If you can’t remember the kit number you manage and your current email address isn’t on the account, this can cause problems. We now can’t send you an email with your kit number in it. Hopefully, you do know the primary email address or person who manages that email. If so, and it’s possible to, see if you can reach out to them so they can do a kit number request for you. This is so they can contact us giving you permission to access the kit.
If the owner of the primary email isn’t available/contactable, please contact us so we can work with you further.
The last family gathering I went to was just a couple of months ago, which was a huge relief. Having finally assigned my uncle’s kit to his own email, we no longer had to go through the rigamarole of me helping him sign in. It was a glorious day, and we all enjoyed brisket before I returned to my inevitable involuntary duties as child-wrangler.
About the Author
Jeremy Balkin
Customer Service Manager at FamilyTreeDNA
Jeremy Balkin has been active in genetic genealogy for 11+ years and has been writing his whole adult life. Through helping customers daily, helping his team, and continuing to write, he hopes to continue to connect with more people on the subject using his own blend of knowledge and humor.
Working for FamilyTreeDNA itself has shaped the past quarter of his life, and mostly for the better. It has become a part of him, and he hopes to never lose it. In his free time, Jeremy likes to spend time with his nine-year-old son and girlfriend, Gillian.