{"id":12799,"date":"2023-10-01T06:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-10-01T11:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legaltalktexas.hammerle.com\/?p=12799"},"modified":"2025-06-18T12:51:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T17:51:34","slug":"5-legal-moves-avoid-when-spouse-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/probate\/5-legal-moves-avoid-when-spouse-dies\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Legal Moves To Avoid When a Spouse Dies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Someone has to say it: it is amazingly easy to fall into a legal quagmire when your spouse dies. It\u2019s not your fault. Your mind will be fogged over in the days and months after the death. It would be so easy to sink into the morass and just let things just play out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Huge mistake. Delay will make problems bigger, issues more difficult to resolve and decisions \u2013 well, let\u2019s just say that a default decision can be a very bad decision indeed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common Legal Errors to Avoid:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Not Probating Your Spouse\u2019s Will<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, the two of you were inseparable and everything was titled in both your names. But Texas is a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/community-property-state-rules-explained-who-gets-what\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">community property state<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Your spouse owned an undivided \u00bd of all community property, and that likely includes your home. Just because property is titled in both names, that doesn\u2019t mean that ownership automatically passes to you. You must take affirmative action \u2013 such as probating your spouse\u2019s will, to pass the title. Remember, a will is just a piece of paper until it is admitted to probate by a judge.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The clock is ticking on this one. You have only 4 years to probate the will. Get it over with now, because you won\u2019t be able to refinance the house or sell it until the title is cleared.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is especially critical if you have stepchildren. Your stepchildren will take a huge chunk of your spouse\u2019s community property, and most of your spouse\u2019s separate property, if the will is not probated and the estate goes by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/wills-trusts\/affidavit-of-heirship-what-is-it\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heirship<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Not Filing an Heirship Proceeding<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amazingly,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">financial institutions and title companies will not just take your word that you are your spouse\u2019s only heir. And if you are not the only heir, then it is equally important to clarify who does inherit, for everyone\u2019s sake.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those same financial institutions and title companies will want an estate opened and an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/probate\/the-probate-talk-administrators-creditors-and-beneficiaries-need-to-know\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">administrator<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> appointed so that someone is authorized to act on behalf of your spouse\u2019s estate. It is usually easier and less expensive to open a probate estate than to fight them about it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Not Addressing Your Spouse\u2019s Retirement Accounts<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your spouse named you as a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/probate\/beneficiary-in-waiting-rights-during-the-probate-process-can-be-complex\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">beneficiary<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, then you have paperwork to fill out and decisions to make. The timing could be crucial, because you may have to pay penalties and interest if you don\u2019t take required withdrawals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your spouse did not name you as a beneficiary, then you could still have a claim against a portion of the account balance for your community property interest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Immediately Paying Your Spouse\u2019s Bills<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are bills that you need to pay to keep the lights on, and then there are the other bills. Slow down and take a deep breath. If you are on the hook because it is your credit card, then fine, pay it. But otherwise, take advantage of a huge benefit that goes along with probate. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/wills-trusts\/probate-and-its-process-explained\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Probate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> forces creditors \u2013 even those with existing judgments \u2013 to jump through hoops to get paid. Some won\u2019t bother. Others may not get paid because there won\u2019t be enough money left after deducting exempt property, spousal allowances, set-asides, taxes, and administrative expenses. Let the law work for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Not Consulting a Lawyer Immediately<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wills, trusts, theft, disposing of remains, community property, separate property, blended families, spousal set-asides, exempt property, creditor claims, taxes \u2013 death always creates legal issues. Scheduling an appointment with a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/practice-areas\/estate-planning-probate\/probate\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">probate lawyer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> should be done as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hammerle Morris Can Help With Your Probate Needs<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you need probate assistance, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/lewisville-attorney\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">schedule a consultation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with one of our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/our-team\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">experienced attorneys<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to discuss the proper next steps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attorney <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/lawyers\/virginia-hammerle\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virginia Hammerle<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is in her fifth decade of law practice. She is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and an Accredited Estate Planner. Reach her at legaltalktexas@hammerle.com. This column does not constitute legal advice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Someone has to say it: it is amazingly easy to fall into a legal quagmire when your spouse dies. It\u2019s not your fault. Your mind will be fogged over in the days and months after the death. It would be so easy to sink into the morass and just let things just play out.\u00a0\u00a0 Huge [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":12800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1225],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12799","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-probate"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>5 Legal Moves To Avoid When a Spouse Dies | Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the 5 legal steps to avoid when a spouse passes away. 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