A certified death certificate in Texas costs $20 for the first copy and $3 for each additional copy ordered in the same transaction through the Texas Department of State Health Services.1Texas Department of State Health Services. Costs and Fees County clerks commonly charge a dollar more per copy. Because most families need several copies to settle an estate, the total you spend depends far more on how many you order at once than on where you order them.
The Base State Fee
DSHS sets the statewide price. One certified copy is $20. Every additional copy requested at the same time is $3.1Texas Department of State Health Services. Costs and Fees The math rewards ordering together. Five copies in one order run $32. Five copies ordered one at a time in five separate transactions would cost $100.
Placing a second order later resets the fee. If you order three copies today and realize next month you need one more, that next copy is another $20, not $3.
Why County Clerks Charge More
Under Texas Health and Safety Code Section 191.0045, county clerks may add a preservation fee of up to $1 per copy. That is why Dallas County charges $21 for the first certified copy and $4 for each additional one,2Dallas County. Vital Records Fees and Payment Information and Denton County uses the same schedule.3Denton County, TX. Vital Records Fee Schedule It is a small premium for the convenience of ordering locally.
Expedited Processing and Shipping
If you need the certificate sooner than the standard turnaround, DSHS offers expedited processing for an extra $25 on top of the certificate fees. You have to send the application by an overnight carrier such as FedEx or UPS and pay for expedited return shipping as well: $16 for domestic overnight, or $22.95 for USPS Express Mail to a P.O. Box.1Texas Department of State Health Services. Costs and Fees You can pay for overnight return shipping without paying the $25 expedited processing fee, but expedited processing requires expedited shipping.
A single expedited copy shipped back overnight can therefore run about $61 before you order any extras. Standard delivery, by contrast, is by USPS First Class mail at no additional charge.
Verification Letters Cost the Same
Texas issues two different death records, and the price is identical. A certified copy is the full legal document bearing the registrar’s seal and is what banks, insurers, courts, and government agencies accept. A verification letter only confirms that a death occurred and is not a legal substitute for a certified copy.4Texas.gov. Death Verification Letter Both cost $20.1Texas Department of State Health Services. Costs and Fees
Since the price is the same, order certified copies for anything involving financial or legal matters. Verification letters are useful mainly for genealogical research or informal confirmation.
How Many Copies You’ll Actually Need
This is where families consistently underspend at the counter and overspend later. Many institutions require an original certified copy and will not accept a photocopy, so plan by counting the accounts, policies, and agencies you will have to deal with.
Situations that typically each call for their own certified copy include:
- Life insurance claims, one per policy issuer
- Banks and investment accounts, to close or transfer them
- Probate court, to open the estate
- Real estate transfers, for title companies handling a sale or ownership change
- Retirement and pension plans, to distribute survivor benefits
- Social Security Administration, for survivor benefit claims
- VA benefits if the deceased was a veteran, since the VA requires a copy showing cause of death to process burial allowance claims5Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation Benefits
For a typical estate with a home, a couple of bank accounts, and a life insurance policy, five to seven copies is a reasonable starting point. At $3 each after the first, extras ordered upfront are cheap insurance against having to place a second $20 order weeks later.
Sample Totals
Working from the DSHS schedule:
- 1 copy: $20
- 3 copies: $26
- 5 copies: $32
- 7 copies: $38
- 10 copies: $47
Add roughly $1 per copy if you order from a county clerk applying the preservation fee.
If You Need to Correct a Certificate
Errors on a death certificate can hold up estate work, so budget for a correction if you spot one. The correction fee is $15, and you still pay the standard $20 for the first corrected certified copy plus $3 for each additional copy.6Texas Department of State Health Services. Death Certificate Correction Application
Expedited correction processing costs an additional $5 and must be sent via overnight carrier. Only the funeral director named on the certificate, the informant listed on it, or a surviving spouse or parent named on it can apply for a correction, and everyone signing must do so before a notary.6Texas Department of State Health Services. Death Certificate Correction Application
Fees Are Non-Refundable
One warning worth pricing in. All orders are non-refundable, even if the record is not found.7Texas.gov. Order Vital Records Dallas County spells this out as a non-refundable $21 search fee for each record not found.8Dallas County. Vital Records Division – Death Certificates Before you submit, double-check the deceased’s full legal name, date of death, date of birth, Social Security number, city and county of death, and both parents’ names, including the mother’s maiden name.9Texas Department of State Health Services. Mail Application for Death Record An inaccurate application can cost you the fee and still leave you without a certificate.