What goes on a Texas probate inventory filing?

In Texas, the probate inventory is a sworn filing the personal representative (the executor or administrator) submits to the court. It lists every probate asset the decedent owned at death at its fair market value as of the date of death, classifies each one as separate or community property, and is accompanied by a list of claims owed to the estate.

Under Texas Estates Code §309.051, the personal representative files a verified inventory, appraisement, and list of claims, generally within 90 days of qualifying unless the court grants an extension. What sets the Texas filing apart from a plain list of belongings is how it is organized:

• Separate vs. community property designation: each asset is marked as the decedent's separate property or as community property, because that classification affects how the estate is distributed.
• Texas real property, plus personal property everywhere: all real estate located in Texas is listed with its legal description, along with personal property regardless of where it is located.
• Appraisement of value: every item carries a fair market value as of the date of death; the court may appoint appraisers, and representatives routinely rely on a professional appraisal for personal property.
• List of claims owed to the estate: debts and receivables due to the decedent are itemized separately from the assets.

Only probate assets belong on the filing. Property that passes outside probate, such as joint accounts with right of survivorship, payable-on-death accounts, and life insurance or retirement accounts with a named beneficiary, is left off. For more on that distinction, see our answer on what assets are exempt from probate in Texas.

Texas also permits an affidavit in lieu of inventory for an independent executor when the estate has no unpaid debts other than secured debts, taxes, and administration expenses, though the representative still has to prepare the same underlying valuation and provide it to the beneficiaries.

Because household contents, jewelry, firearms, vehicles, artwork, and antiques each need a documented, date-of-death fair market value, Probate Appraisal Group prepares USPAP-compliant valuations of estate personal property that give the executor a defensible basis for the appraisement portion of the Texas filing. For the methodology behind everyday contents, see how to value household goods for probate.