What is included in probate inventory in Texas?

A Texas probate inventory must list every probate asset the decedent owned at death at its fair market value as of the date of death, separated by whether it is separate or community property, along with any claims (debts) owed to the estate.

Under Texas Estates Code §309.051, the personal representative files a verified, detailed inventory covering all Texas real property and all personal property regardless of location. In practice, this typically includes:

Real estate: homestead, rental, vacant land, or commercial property, with legal descriptions and a separate/community property designation.
Financial accounts: checking, savings, CDs, brokerage and investment accounts held solely in the decedent's name.
Retirement accounts and life insurance: only when payable directly to the estate rather than to a named beneficiary.
Vehicles and titled property: cars, boats, trailers, and aircraft, identified by make, model, year, and VIN.
Business interests: shares in closely held corporations, LLC or partnership interests, and other equity holdings.
Personal property of value: jewelry, firearms, artwork, antiques, collectibles, and similar items, individually appraised, with ordinary household goods often grouped by category.
Claims owed to the estate: debts and receivables due to the decedent at death.

Notably absent from this list are non-probate assets: property held in joint tenancy with right of survivorship, payable-on-death accounts, and life insurance or retirement accounts with a named individual beneficiary. Those pass outside probate and don't belong on the inventory.

Because household contents, jewelry, vehicles, and other personal property need a documented fair market value as of the date of death, a professional probate appraisal gives the executor a defensible basis for that portion of the filing. For more on valuing specific categories, see our guides on how to value household goods for probate and what possessions need to be valued for probate.