Your Independent Administration Roadmap

What's Inside

Step-by-step preparation guide for an executor pursuing independent administration in Texas. Built for the path identified by the WG Law Probate Guide.

1. Step 1. Locate the original will (not a photocopy) and at least 5 certified copies of the death certificate

2. Step 2. Identify and notify every beneficiary named in the will — by name, address, and relationship

3. Step 3. File the Application for Probate within 4 years of the date of death (the absolute statutory deadline)

4. Step 4. Confirm the executor named in the will is alive, willing to serve, and not disqualified under the Texas Estates Code

5. Step 5. Build a preliminary inventory: real estate, bank accounts, vehicles, retirement accounts, life insurance, business interests

6. Step 6. Identify every known creditor and outstanding debt — credit cards, medical bills, mortgages, taxes, personal loans

7. Step 7. Plan the publication of Notice to Creditors in a local newspaper after Letters Testamentary issue

8. Step 8. Lock down access to safe deposit boxes and brokerage accounts until the executor is officially qualified

9. Step 9. Schedule the 90-day Inventory, Appraisement, and List of Claims with your probate attorney

10. Step 10. Confirm whether the decedent had a revocable living trust — funded trust assets bypass probate entirely

11. Step 11. Identify out-of-state real property — it may require ancillary probate in that state

12. Step 12. Schedule a flat-fee consultation with WG Law before filing — executor mistakes can create personal liability