Probate Costs in Bexar County, Texas: Court Fees, Attorney Fees, and What to Expect

When a loved one passes away in San Antonio, one of the first questions families ask is how much probate will cost in Bexar County. The $415 court filing fee listed on the Bexar County Clerk’s website is real, but it is only the starting point. Attorney fees, notice publication, certified copies, and other required steps all add to the total. San Antonio Probate Attorney Kyle Robbins explains what Bexar County families need to understand about the full cost of probate before they file a single document.

Key Takeaways

• The $415 court filing fee is not the total cost of probate. It is the Bexar County Clerk’s intake charge for the most common filings. Attorney fees, notice publication, citations, and other costs are all separate.
• Most new Bexar County probate filings cost between $360 and $515 in court fees alone, depending on the procedure type, per the January 1, 2025 Bexar County Clerk fee schedule.
• Total probate costs vary widely by procedure. A muniment of title can start at $4,900 in flat attorney fees; a full independent administration starts at $13,800.
• Flat-fee billing gives you cost certainty. Most Bexar County probate attorneys bill hourly, meaning you have no reliable estimate until the matter closes. At San Antonio Probate Attorney, most standard probate matters are handled on a flat-fee basis.
• The four-year deadline matters. Under Texas Estates Code §256.003, families have four years from the date of death to probate a will. Missing that deadline forces a more complex and more expensive proceeding.

Bexar County Court Filing Fees: What the Clerk Actually Charges

The Bexar County Clerk’s Probate Department fee schedule, effective January 1, 2025 under County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark, sets the following court filing fees for the most common probate matters:

Filing Type	Court Fee
Application for Probate of a Will	$415.00
Probate of Will as Muniment of Title	$415.00
Application for Administration	$415.00
Application for Declaration of Heirship	$460.00
Combined Administration + Declaration of Heirship	$515.00
Small Estate Affidavit	$360.00
Inventory Filing	$25.00
Final Account	$80.00
Contest	$120.00
Certified Copies	$5.00 per document + $1.00 per page
Letters Testamentary or of Administration	$2.00 each

These fees are set by the Bexar County Clerk and are current as of the January 2025 schedule. Because fees can change, confirm the current amounts before you file by calling the Bexar County Probate Department at 210-335-2241 or checking the Bexar County Clerk’s online filing portal.

All three Bexar County Probate Courts sit at the same address: 100 Dolorosa, San Antonio, TX 78205. Cases are assigned among Probate Court No. 1 (Judge Oscar J. Kazen), Probate Court No. 2 (Judge Veronica Vasquez), and Probate Court No. 3 (Judge Barbie Scharf-Zeldes). The filing office is the Bexar County Clerk, Probate Division, located at the same courthouse.

The critical framing here is this: the $415 filing fee is only the court’s intake charge. It does not cover attorney fees, the required publication of notice to creditors in a local newspaper, citations served on heirs, appraisals, bond premiums, or any extraordinary proceedings. For most new filings, the court fee runs about $360 to $515. However, the total cost of probate is almost always higher, and in many cases significantly so.

What Drives the Total Cost of Probate in Bexar County

Four factors determine what your family will actually spend on probate in Bexar County. First is the procedure type: a muniment of title is far less involved than a full independent administration, and an intestate proceeding without a will is more complex than either. Second is whether the estate includes real property. With a median home value of $244,100 and a 59.1% homeownership rate in Bexar County (ACS 5-Year 2023), most local estates include at least one piece of real estate, which adds appraisal, deed transfer, and lender notification steps. Third is whether the will is contested or the estate has significant creditor claims. Fourth is the attorney’s billing structure, which matters more than the headline number.

Beyond the filing fee, several ancillary costs apply to most Bexar County probate matters. These include:

• Notice to creditors: Texas law requires publication in a local newspaper of general circulation. This is a separate cost from the court filing fee.
• Citations served on heirs: Required in many proceedings, with fees that vary by service method.
• Appraisal of real estate or business interests: Needed when the estate includes property that must be valued for distribution or sale.
• Bond premiums: Required if independent administration is not granted and the court orders a bond based on estate value.
• Certified copies of letters testamentary: $2.00 each plus copy charges, and executors typically need multiple copies to deal with banks, financial institutions, and title companies.
• Inventory filing fee: $25.00 at the clerk’s office, though if a CPA prepares the inventory, that cost is separate. Under Tex. Est. Code §309.051, the executor must file an inventory within 90 days of qualification.

Timing also affects cost. Under Tex. Est. Code §256.003, families have four years from the date of death to file for probate of a will. If that deadline passes, the court treats the estate as if there were no will. That forces a more complex and more expensive proceeding. With Bexar County’s population of 2,037,344 and 12.7% of residents aged 65 or older (ACS 5-Year 2023), a large number of families are likely to encounter this deadline without realizing it. For a full overview of the process from start to finish, see the Bexar County probate process guide.

Procedure-by-Procedure Cost Breakdown for Bexar County Estates

The procedure the court uses to administer the estate is the single biggest driver of total cost. Here is a comparison of the most common pathways in Bexar County:

Procedure	Court Filing Fee	Flat Attorney Fee (Starting)	Typical Timeline
Muniment of Title	$415	$4,900+	4-8 weeks
Independent Administration	$415	$13,800+	6-12 months
Intestate / No-Will Administration	$415	$13,800+	8-14 months
Small Estate Affidavit	$360	Call for pricing	30-60 days
Affidavit of Heirship	No standard court fee listed	Call for pricing	Varies

Flat fees shown are starting prices. The exact quote is confirmed in a free consultation before work begins. Court costs are separate. Pricing is current as of 2026 and subject to change. Timelines vary based on court docket, estate complexity, and whether the will is contested.

Muniment of title is the most cost-effective pathway when it applies. Under Tex. Est. Code §256.052, muniment of title is available when the decedent left a valid will, there are no unpaid debts other than those secured by real estate, and the estate does not require ongoing administration. When those conditions are met, it is the fastest and least expensive way to transfer title to heirs. For estates without a will, the court must also determine heirship, which adds the Declaration of Heirship filing ($460) and additional legal work. The combined Application for Administration and Declaration of Heirship carries a $515 filing fee. See intestate succession for a full explanation of how the court determines who inherits when there is no will.

One option worth knowing about: for estates that include real property, the firm can advance legal fees and be repaid from the home’s sale proceeds at closing. That means the family pays nothing upfront. With Bexar County’s median home value at $244,100 and median household income at $70,571 (ACS 5-Year 2023), probate costs of $13,800 or more represent a meaningful share of a family’s annual income. The equity-float option addresses that directly. Pricing for this arrangement varies by case and is not published online. Call for a quote.

Not sure which procedure applies to your situation? Kyle Robbins offers free consultations for Bexar County probate matters. Book a Call

Flat Fee vs. Hourly Billing: Why the Billing Structure Matters More Than the Headline Number

Most Bexar County probate attorneys bill by the hour. Hourly rates for probate attorneys in San Antonio typically range from $250 to $450 per hour. That billing structure means the client has no reliable cost estimate until the matter closes. A contested matter or a complex estate with multiple heirs, business interests, or real property disputes can run well past $20,000 under hourly billing, with no cap on what the final bill might be.

At San Antonio Probate Attorney, Bexar County probate is handled on a flat-fee basis for most standard matters. The price is confirmed before work begins.

“Most families come to us after they’ve received an hourly quote with no ceiling. A flat fee means you know exactly what probate will cost before we file a single document with the Bexar County Probate Court.”, San Antonio Probate Attorney Kyle Robbins

Executor compensation is another cost families sometimes overlook. Under Tex. Est. Code §352.002, an executor is entitled to up to 5% of the gross estate value as compensation, though many family executors choose to waive this fee. For a $244,100 estate (the Bexar County median home value), that could represent up to $12,205 in executor compensation on top of attorney fees and court costs. Families should factor this in when estimating the full cost of administering an estate.

When Probate Costs Rise: Contested Cases, Creditor Claims, and Complex Estates

Contested probate proceedings are the most expensive scenario. A will contest in Bexar County, governed by Tex. Est. Code §256.204, shifts the matter into litigation. Attorney time in contested matters is billed at $595 per hour, with paralegal time at $295 per hour. Timelines for contested matters typically run 12 to 36 months. If you are facing a dispute over a will’s validity or an executor’s conduct, see the will contest and breach of fiduciary duty pages for more detail on what those proceedings involve and what they typically cost.

Estates with $50,000 or more in creditor claims are handled on a custom fee basis. Because creditor negotiation and the claims process require substantial additional legal work, the fee for these matters is typically approximately twice the standard flat fee. Dependent administration, which is court-supervised and requires ongoing court involvement, is billed hourly because the court’s continuous oversight makes a flat fee impractical. If the estate requires dependent administration, call for a current quote.

Real estate in the estate adds procedural steps regardless of whether the matter is contested. An appraisal may be required, the deed must be transferred through the probate proceeding, and if the property carries a mortgage, the lender must be notified. These steps add cost and time, but they do not make probate unmanageable. For Bexar County families where the estate includes a home, the equity-float option remains available: the firm can advance legal fees and be repaid from the home’s sale proceeds at closing. Call for details on how that arrangement works for your specific situation.

Do You Need a Probate Attorney in Bexar County, and Who Pays?

Texas law does not require an attorney for every probate proceeding. However, Bexar County’s three statutory probate courts follow formal procedural rules that are difficult to navigate without legal guidance. Mistakes in the application, the notice process, or the inventory filing can delay a proceeding by months and increase the total cost. For most families, the cost of working with an attorney is offset by avoiding errors that extend the timeline and complicate the administration.

Who pays probate attorney fees? In Texas, attorney fees are typically paid from the estate’s assets before distribution to heirs. The estate bears the cost, not the executor personally or the beneficiaries out of pocket. If the estate has no liquid assets, the family may need to advance fees and be reimbursed at distribution, or explore the equity-float arrangement for estates that include real property.

“Probate fees come out of the estate, not your personal account. That said, understanding the total cost upfront, before you file anything, is the best way to avoid surprises.”, San Antonio Probate Attorney Kyle Robbins

Many Bexar County families navigating probate for the first time do not know which procedure applies to their situation until they speak with an attorney. The free consultation is where that determination is made and where the exact flat fee is confirmed. For qualifying estates, lower-cost alternatives like a Small Estate Affidavit or an Affidavit of Heirship may be available. It is also worth noting that military and veteran families connected to Joint Base San Antonio face additional considerations, including survivor benefits, SGLI, and out-of-state or deployed heirs, which can add steps to the process. Those factors are best addressed in a consultation where the full picture of the estate can be reviewed.

For Bexar County families who want to understand what probate will cost before they commit to anything, a flat-fee structure changes the conversation. At San Antonio Probate Attorney, the focus is on Bexar County probate, and the goal is to give families a clear number before a single document is filed with Probate Court No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 at 100 Dolorosa. Whether the estate qualifies for a cost-effective muniment of title, requires a full independent administration, or involves a more complex intestate proceeding, the consultation is where the right path becomes clear. Probate attorney Kyle Robbins works with families across Bexar County to make sure cost is never the reason a family delays taking the steps they need to take.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every probate case is unique. Consult a licensed Texas attorney for advice specific to your situation.

Pricing Note: Any fees and price ranges shown are estimates based on typical cases. Actual costs vary depending on your unique circumstances, asset complexity, and family situation. Contact Kyle Robbins at the San Antonio Probate Attorney office for an exact quote.