{"id":13021,"date":"2024-11-10T06:00:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legaltalktexas.hammerle.com\/?p=13021"},"modified":"2025-06-18T12:11:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T17:11:41","slug":"spouses-death-leads-to-complexity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/probate\/spouses-death-leads-to-complexity\/","title":{"rendered":"Spouse\u2019s Death Leads to Complexity: Ignore the Legal Consequences at Your Peril"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/legal-talk\/marital-agreements-in-texas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">married<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and residing with your spouse in the Great State of Texas?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then we will launch right into a discussion of what happens legally when your spouse dies.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What to Expect Legally When a Spouse Dies<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your marriage terminates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/community-property-separate-property-deed\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">community property<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ceases to exist because only spouses can own community property.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Death works a division of the community property assets. You retain your half of the community assets. Your spouse\u2019s half interest in the community assets passes to your spouse\u2019s heirs or devisees. Note that it may not be you.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your spouse\u2019s separate property becomes part of your spouse\u2019s estate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your mutual obligation to support each other ends.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You do not have a legal duty to bury your deceased spouse.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your spouse\u2019s community interest in your state employee\u2019s retirement plan, if you have one, terminates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You remain personally liable for your debts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your spouse\u2019s estate is liable for your spouse\u2019s debts, although a creditor must jump through some hoops to recover the debt. Those debts are considered a statutory lien on your spouse\u2019s estate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need to divide your spouse\u2019s assets into two categories: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/wills-trusts\/types-of-probate-in-texas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">probate and non-probate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Difference Between Probate and Non-Probate Assets<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Non-Probate Assets<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An asset is non-probate if your spouse entered into\u2013please forgive the Latin\u2013an <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">inter vivos <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">transaction. That means your spouse either made a contract, gifted a future interest, executed a document such as a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/understanding-transfer-on-death-deeds-texas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transfer on Death Deed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or gave a survivorship right in co-owned assets that transferred ownership at death.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A small side note \u2013 if your spouse transferred a community asset that ostensibly included your interest, then you may be looking at fraud in the community lawsuit.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Probate Assets<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An asset is a probate asset if it is not subject to an <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">inter vivos<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or non-probate agreement. A probate asset passes at your spouse\u2019s death to your spouse\u2019s heirs or devisees. Your spouse\u2019s probate assets make up your spouse\u2019s probate estate. Those assets pass subject to your deceased spouse\u2019s debt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sound complicated? That\u2019s because it is, but let\u2019s continue anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rights of the Surviving Spouse<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have certain additional rights as a surviving spouse. These are provided by either the Texas Constitution or by statute.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Homestead Right<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/estate-planning\/texas-homestead-law-requires-spouses-join-together\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">homestead<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> right. Even if your spouse owned your home as a separate property and left it to someone else, you have an exclusive right to occupy the homestead as long as you elect to occupy it as your home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have a duty, while you are exercising your homestead right, not to commit waste and to pay utilities, property taxes, mortgage interest, and ordinary maintenance and repairs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If there is not a homestead, then you have the right to an allowance from your spouse\u2019s estate in lieu of a homestead.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right to a Family Allowance<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have a right to a family allowance for one year\u2019s maintenance, provided you do not have sufficient separate estate. The amount of the allowance is set by the probate court.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another small side note \u2013 if you and your spouse had a marital or premarital agreement, then you may have waived those rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rights Without a Probate<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What if a probate estate is not opened for your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/probate\/5-legal-moves-avoid-when-spouse-dies\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deceased spouse<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? You still have the authority, as a surviving spouse, to take some interesting actions regarding the community property. You can sue to recover it, sell or otherwise dispose of it to pay debts out of the community estate, and collect claims owing to the community estate. And you can get paid a commission for your troubles.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prepare for Life Changes With Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you cannot do when your spouse dies is close your eyes and hope that everything will turn out fine. It won\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Establish an estate plan with the help of our expert attorneys. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/lewisville-attorney\/#form\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schedule a consultation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virginia Hammerle is an accredited estate planner and represents clients in estate planning, probate, guardianship, and contested litigation. She may be reached at <\/span><\/i><a href=\"mailto:legaltalktexas@hammerle.com\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">legaltalktexas@hammerle.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This blog contains general information only and does not constitute legal advice.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you married and residing with your spouse in the Great State of Texas?\u00a0\u00a0 Then we will launch right into a discussion of what happens legally when your spouse dies. What to Expect Legally When a Spouse Dies Your marriage terminates. Your community property ceases to exist because only spouses can own community property. Death [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13022,"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-13021","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>Spouse\u2019s Death Leads to Complexity | Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Navigate the complex legal aftermath of a spouse\u2019s death in Texas. 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