Your Independent Administration Roadmap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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