Family Plan — Complete Guide
Understand roles, permissions, and how family sharing works across Items, Travel, Insurance, and Legacy.
Basic Plan or Higher Required
The Family Plan is available on the Basic plan and above. You can upgrade anytime from Settings → Subscription.
Table of Contents
How Family Sharing Works — At a Glance
Setup (one-time)
Day-to-Day Sharing (ongoing)
Visibility at a Glance
"My Family"
All family members can see this item
"Only Me"
Private — only you and your Legacy co-owner
Family Plan Overview
The Family Plan lets you share selected items with your family members — perfect for family trips, shared insurance inventories, and everyday document coordination. You decide what to share by setting each item's visibility to "My Family" or "Only Me".
Invite Members
Spouse, children, or parents (varies by plan)
You Stay in Control
Change visibility anytime
Zero-Knowledge
End-to-end encrypted
Roles: Admin, Co-Admin & Member
Every family member has a role that determines what they can manage. All roles can view family-shared items — the difference is in management permissions.
Admin
Plan creator
- Create/delete family plan
- Invite & remove members
- Change member roles
- Share/unshare items
- Access family settings
Co-Admin
Trusted helper
- Cannot delete family plan
- Invite & remove members
- Cannot change roles
- Share/unshare items
- No settings access
Member
View access
- Cannot manage plan
- Cannot invite others
- Cannot change roles
- Cannot share/unshare
- View family-shared items
Managing Members
The Members page lets you view your family, invite new members, and remove existing ones. Admins and Co-Admins can invite and remove members. Only Admins can change member roles.
Changing a Member's Role
Go to Family → Members from the sidebar
Find the member whose role you want to change
Click their current role badge (e.g., "Member")
A dropdown appears — select the new role
The role updates immediately, no save button needed
What Each Member Card Shows
Name & email
Role badge
Relationship
Joined date
Removing a member: Click the remove button on their card. They immediately lose access to all family-shared items. Their own items are not affected.
Admin constraints: The admin cannot change their own role or remove themselves. To leave, the admin must delete the entire family plan from Settings.
Invitations & Onboarding
Sending an Invitation
From the Invite page, fill in:
Email address *
Must match their MyDocuva account email
Role *
Member or Co-Admin
Personal message
Optional note included in invitation email
Managing Pending Invitations
After sending, a "Pending Invitations" section appears below the form. Each pending invite shows:
Invitee email: Who was invited
Expiry countdown: Invitations expire after 48 hours
Resend button: Re-send the invitation email if they missed it
Cancel button: Cancel the invitation before it's accepted
How Invitees Join
Invitee receives an email with a secure link
They click the link → taken to the invitation page
If not logged in, they're prompted to log in or register first
They see the family name, inviter name, and offered role
Click "Accept" to join, or "Decline" to pass
Invitations expire after 48 hours. If they expire, use the Resend button to send a fresh invitation. The invitee's email must match a MyDocuva account (case-insensitive).
Who Sees What — Permissions Matrix
This is the complete visibility picture across all of MyDocuva. Each system is independent — a person can hold different roles in Family and Legacy.
| Person | Family Items | Private Items | Travel | Insurance | Legacy Vault |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
You (Owner) | All | All | All | All | All |
Spouse(Legacy Co-Owner) | All | All | Own trips | Own inventory | All |
Spouse(Family Co-Admin) | Own trips | Own inventory | — | ||
Child / Parent(Family Member) | Own trips | Own inventory | — | ||
Nominee(Legacy only) | After disclosure only | ||||
Share Link(Anyone with link) | 1 item | 1 item |
Key takeaway: Your spouse can hold roles in both systems — Legacy Co-Owner (sees all items for estate planning) and Family Co-Admin (helps manage family sharing). These are independent — different purposes, different access levels.
Item Visibility & Family Sharing
Every item has a visibility toggle you control. This is the single switch that determines whether your family can see it.
Where to find it: When creating or editing an item in My Items, look for the Visibility section. Toggle between "My Family" and "Only Me". Changes take effect immediately.
"My Family"
- Visible to all family members
- Can be linked to family trips
- Shows teal 👥 icon on Items page
- You can change to "Only Me" anytime
"Only Me"
- Only you can see it
- Legacy Vault co-owner can also see it
- Hidden from family members
- Shows lock 🔒 icon on Items page
Note: Your Legacy Vault co-owner (spouse) sees ALL items regardless of visibility setting. This is by design — they're your trusted partner for estate planning. Family members only see "My Family" items.
Family in Travel & Insurance
Family sharing connects naturally to Travel and Insurance. Here's how each section works with your family plan.
Travel
- Each member creates their own trips
- Link your own items + family-shared items to a trip
- Generate travel reports with customs documentation
- Owner sees all 12 items; family member sees 10 family items
Insurance
- Each member manages their own insurance inventory
- Link items to insurance policies for claims readiness
- Family-shared items can be included in reports
- Private items stay private — even in insurance
Family Plan vs Legacy Vault — Key Differences
These are two completely separate systems with different purposes. The same person can hold roles in both.
| Family Plan | Legacy Vault | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Day-to-day sharing | Estate planning & inheritance |
| When active | While everyone is alive | Continues after you're gone |
| Roles | Admin, Co-Admin, Member | Owner, Co-Owner, Nominee |
| Item access | Only "My Family" items | Co-Owner sees ALL items |
| Primary use | Travel, Insurance, sharing | Passing items to nominees |
| Can be changed | Anytime by admin | Anytime until disclosure |
| Max people | 2–10 members (varies by plan) | Unlimited nominees |
Example: Your spouse can be a Family Co-Admin (helps manage family trips) AND a Legacy Co-Owner (manages your vault if something happens). If both spouses pass, nominees receive allocated items via the secure portal — completely independent of the family plan.
Family Settings & Limits
Family Settings
The Settings page (admin only) shows your family plan details including the plan name and creation date. From here you can also delete the family plan.
Member Capacity
The number of family members depends on your subscription tier:
Free
N/A
Basic
2 members
Basic Plus
4 members
Advanced
10 members
When you reach your member limit, the Invite button shows a warning with your current count (e.g., "3 of 4") and an upgrade link.
Storage Pooling
All family members share the admin's storage quota. Everyone's items, media, and documents count toward the same pool. Members inherit the admin's plan tier — so a member on the Free plan gets the admin's storage and item limits.
Deleting the Family Plan
Only the admin can delete the family plan. When deleted: all members lose access to shared items, all items revert to "Only Me" visibility, and all member associations are cleared. Your Legacy Vault is not affected.
Getting Started
Create your Family Plan
Go to Family → Create. Give it a name.
Invite family members
Enter their email and choose a role (Member or Co-Admin).
Mark items as "My Family"
When creating or editing items, toggle visibility to "My Family".
Your family sees shared items
Members will see family-visible items when they log in to their MyDocuva account.
Manage roles as needed
Change member roles anytime from the Members page. Promote to Co-Admin or adjust permissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a family co-admin see my private items?
No. Family co-admin only sees items marked as "My Family". Private items are invisible to all family members. Only your Legacy Vault co-owner can see private items.
Can my spouse be both a family co-admin and a legacy co-owner?
Yes! These are independent systems. As a family co-admin, they help manage family sharing. As a legacy co-owner, they see all your items for estate planning. Different roles, different purposes.
What happens when I change an item from "My Family" to "Only Me"?
It immediately becomes invisible to family members. The change syncs instantly. You can always switch it back.
Can family members edit my items?
No. Family members can only view items you've shared. They cannot edit, delete, or modify your items in any way.
Is the Family Plan related to the Legacy Vault?
No. They are completely separate systems with zero overlap. Family is for everyday sharing (travel, insurance). Legacy is for inheritance planning (nominees, disclosure).
What happens if I delete the Family Plan?
All members lose access to your family-shared items. Items remain yours — their visibility changes to "Only Me". This does not affect your Legacy Vault in any way.
Can a family member link my items to their trip?
Family members manage their own trips and can link family-visible items when creating travel plans.
How do I change a member's role?
Go to Family → Members. Click the role badge next to the member's name. A dropdown appears — select the new role. The change saves immediately.
Can I resend an invitation?
Yes. Go to Family → Invite. Below the invite form, you'll see a "Pending Invitations" section. Click "Resend" next to any pending invite. Invitations expire after 48 hours.
What happens to members when I delete the family plan?
All members immediately lose access to shared items. Shared items revert to "Only Me" visibility. Members' own items are not affected. Your Legacy Vault is completely independent and not impacted.
What if I reach the member limit?
The invite page shows a warning with your current count (e.g., "3 of 4"). To add more members, upgrade your plan from Settings → Subscription. Higher tiers allow more family members.
Ready to share with your family?
Create your free MyDocuva account and set up your family plan. Share items securely with your family members.
Create Free Account