Product Prototype / Preview · Texas only · no filing
Texas Small Estate Affidavit Readiness Checker
Wondering whether a Texas Small Estate Affidavit (SEA) might fit a relative's estate? This product prototype walks through 15 anonymous readiness questions to flag obvious stop conditions before you pay a filing fee, helps you organize assets, debts, and signature roles without entering any identifying information, and shows source-backed status for four counties — all before you contact the court or a probate attorney.
Product prototype for educational and preparation purposes. Not legal advice, not a court form, and not a guarantee that a Texas court will accept or approve a filing. Rules and county requirements can change; verify current official sources or consult a Texas-licensed attorney.
No registrationOnly category and yes/no/unsure answers — no names, addresses, or documents.
Memory onlyAnswers stay in this page and disappear on refresh.
Readiness, not approvalA court must still review and approve any affidavit filed.
Direct answer
What determines Texas SEA readiness?
Texas Estates Code Chapter 205 sets the core SEA thresholds: at least 30 days must have passed since death, no personal representative petition can be pending or granted, and the estate's assets — after setting aside homestead and exempt property for confirmation — generally must not exceed $75,000. A court must still approve the affidavit. Bexar County's official checklist warns that Chapter 205 is easy to get wrong, and some incurable problems cause outright rejection and loss of the filing fee — which is why this checker surfaces stop conditions before you file.
Before the interactive checker
Use this manual overview even without JavaScript
Questions to answer before you file
- Have at least 30 days passed since the death, with no personal representative petition pending or granted?
- After setting aside possible homestead and exempt property for confirmation, is the remaining working asset total under $75,000?
- Did the person leave a will, and is there any dispute over debts, ownership, or who should inherit?
- Can you identify all possible distributee roles and two disinterested witnesses without using real names here?
- Which of Harris, Bexar, Tarrant, or Travis County applies, and have you checked that county's current official source?
These prompts do not decide legal eligibility. Verify current rules with the county and a Texas-licensed attorney before filing.
Interactive preparation flow
Answer 15 questions, then organize your readiness summary
The checker asks 15 fixed questions with an "I'm not sure" option on each, then classifies your result as No obvious stop found, Professional review recommended, or Stop before filing. From there you can add anonymous asset/debt categories, confirm signature roles, and check county source status.
- Answer 15 questions
Cover the 30-day, petition, $75,000, homestead, and dispute conditions. - Organize your worksheet
Add generic asset/debt categories and confirm signature roles. - Check your county
Review source status for Harris, Bexar, Tarrant, or Travis County.
Coverage
County source status currently covered
The checker lets you select Harris, Bexar, Tarrant, or Travis County. Only Bexar and Travis currently show research-verified source notes; Harris and Tarrant show an unverified status instead of an invented requirement.
Bexar County
Official checklist warns that Chapter 205 is often confusing and some incurable problems cause rejection and loss of the filing fee.
Travis County
A local SEA form is required; research observed a 2024-10 version update. Verify the current version before use.
Harris County
County-specific requirements not yet verified — the checker gives a general verification checklist instead of a guessed fee, form version, or filing method.
Tarrant County
County-specific requirements not yet verified — the checker gives a general verification checklist instead of a guessed fee, form version, or filing method.
Capabilities
What this checker does and doesn't do
- Checks 15 fixed readiness conditions with a deterministic rule table
- Classifies results as no obvious stop, review recommended, or stop before filing
- Organizes an anonymous asset/debt worksheet with a working total and needs-review amount
- Checks signature/witness roles without collecting real names
- Shows verified or not-yet-verified status for four Texas counties
- Generate a signable, filable, or e-file-ready SEA form
- Determine final legal heirs, shares, or property classification
- Guess a county fee, form version, or filing method that hasn't been verified
- Accept names, addresses, account numbers, or uploaded documents
- Guarantee that any court will accept or approve a filing
Limits and when to get legal help
Risks, privacy, and professional review
Seek professional review
A disputed debt or inheritance, an unclear will, real estate beyond a possible homestead, or any "I'm not sure" answer on a key question moves your result to review or stop. Bring the printed summary to a Texas probate attorney or the county clerk. The tool does not form an attorney-client relationship.
Filing fee risk is real
Bexar County's own checklist warns that some Chapter 205 mistakes are incurable and cause rejection with loss of the filing fee — which is why this checker surfaces stop conditions and unverified county status before you pay anything.
Common questions
Cost, form, bank accounts, and heirship
How much does a Texas Small Estate Affidavit cost?
This prototype does not display a filing fee because county fees are not yet verified for every covered county. A single public professional-service quote observed in research was $2,000 for a full-service SEA package; that is one anecdotal data point, not a market average or this tool's price.
Do I get a fillable Texas SEA form from this checker?
No. This tool produces a non-filing readiness summary — not a court form, county form, or e-file package. It links to the Texas courts SEA instruction packet and county sources so you can find the current official form.
Can a bank account be handled with a Small Estate Affidavit?
A bank account can be one of the assets counted toward the Chapter 205 threshold, but this checker does not classify any specific account for you — it only helps you organize categories and amounts for professional confirmation.
What is the difference between a Small Estate Affidavit and an affidavit of heirship?
A Small Estate Affidavit under Chapter 205 requires court approval and is generally used for smaller estates without a probated will, while an affidavit of heirship is a recorded real-property document under Chapter 203. This site's Texas Affidavit of Heirship Builder covers the second workflow.
Sources and methodology
Trace each rule and keep review dates visible
The 30-day, petition, and $75,000 conditions trace to Texas Estates Code §205.001. The filing-fee-risk warning traces to Bexar County's official checklist, and the county form/version note traces to Travis County probate forms. The checker uses a deterministic rule table, not an LLM, to select and display these summaries.
- Texas Estates Code §205.001
- Bexar County official SEA checklist
- Texas courts SEA instruction packet
- Travis County probate forms
Sources and last reviewed: 2026-08-14. Legal review pending All stop conditions, worksheet classifications, and county notes require review by a Texas-licensed probate attorney before that label may be removed.
Search evidence recorded in the frozen research: United States keyword "small estate affidavit texas," SiteData volume band MoreThanOneThousand, exact KD 0, measured 2026-08-13 (see research.md).
Next safe action
Leave with a readiness summary, not a filed document
Use the checker to spot obvious stop conditions, organize the anonymous worksheet and signature roles, then verify your county's current source and talk to a Texas probate attorney before you file or pay any fee.