What are all the charges on a DFW seller’s closing statement?
A DFW seller’s closing statement is most commonly an ALTA Settlement Statement Seller from your title company. It lists your gross sale price at the top. Then it deducts your mortgage payoff, prorated property taxes, title charges, recording fees, and any negotiated credits before arriving at your net proceeds. Texas imposes no state real estate transfer tax, so that line simply doesn’t exist here. The charges that do appear are largely negotiable by contract. However, there is one notable exception: the county clerk’s schedule fixes Dallas County’s published recording fees.
The Two Documents You’ll See at the Closing Table
Before walking through individual line items, it helps to know which document you’re actually looking at. Sellers in DFW often see two different forms, and they are not interchangeable.
ALTA Settlement Statement Seller
The ALTA Settlement Statement is the standard form most Texas title companies use for seller-side closings. It shows your column only: credits in, debits out, net proceeds at the bottom. When there’s no lender involved on the buyer’s side, this is often the only settlement document you’ll sign.
Closing Disclosure
When the buyer is financing the purchase, federal law requires their lender to issue a Closing Disclosure. You may receive a copy for your records, but it’s primarily the buyer’s document. The Closing Disclosure and the ALTA statement cover some of the same charges from different angles. So don’t confuse them as duplicates. If a number looks different between the two, ask your title officer to walk you through the reconciliation before you sign anything.
I walk every seller I work with through both documents before closing day. Surprises at the table are usually the result of not previewing the settlement statement 24 to 48 hours in advance. Therefore, ask your title company to send the draft statement the day before.
Line-by-Line Breakdown of a Seller’s ALTA Statement
Here’s how each section of a typical DFW seller’s closing statement works, in the order you’ll usually see it.
Gross Sale Price (Credit to Seller)
This is the contract price, the number at the very top of your credits column. Everything else flows downward from here. So confirm it matches your executed purchase contract exactly before reviewing anything else.
Existing Mortgage Payoff
If you have a mortgage, your title company requests a payoff statement directly from your lender. That payoff figure includes your outstanding principal and accrued interest through the anticipated funding date. It also includes any prepayment penalty if your loan carries one. Interest accrues daily. So if closing slips by even one day, the payoff amount adjusts. Your title officer handles this recalculation automatically. Still, it’s worth understanding why the payoff on your statement might differ slightly from your online mortgage balance.
Property Tax Prorations
Texas homeowners pay property taxes in arrears. In other words, you owe taxes for the portion of the year you owned the home, even though the bill doesn’t arrive until later. At closing, the buyer receives a credit from you to account for the days each party owned the property during the tax year. In some cases, depending on the closing date and how the contract reads, you receive a credit from the buyer instead.
In Collin County and Dallas County, the title company typically calculates the proration using the prior year’s tax bill as the basis, then adjusts for the number of days. Because North Texas tax rates vary by city, school district, and MUD, the proration line can be a meaningful number. Verify with your title company which taxing entities the calculation includes. This is especially important if your property sits in a Municipal Utility District or has a separate HOA assessment tied to taxes.
Title Insurance
Texas has a unique title insurance structure. The Texas Department of Insurance sets the premium rates by rule. As a result, the owner’s title policy premium is not freely negotiated the way it might be in other states. By long-standing Texas custom, the seller typically pays for the owner’s title policy. However, that allocation is negotiable in the contract, so confirm it in your specific purchase agreement. The lender’s title policy, if the buyer is financing, is a separate charge that typically falls on the buyer’s side.
Escrow and Closing Fee
The title company charges a closing or escrow fee for managing the transaction. That work includes holding earnest money, coordinating payoffs, preparing documents, and disbursing funds. This fee varies by title company and transaction complexity. Like most closing costs in Texas, who pays it and how much is negotiable between the parties in the contract. Some sellers negotiate a split; others pay it in full. So confirm your contract language before assuming.
Recording Fees
This is one of the few line items with a publicly fixed, non-negotiable schedule. Dallas County’s recording fee schedule shows $25.00 for the first page of a standard filing. That breaks down as $5.00 recording, $10.00 records preservation, and $10.00 archiving records. Each additional page then costs $4.00. The deed recording line on your settlement statement will reflect document length more than sale price. A longer deed costs more to record, but the difference is usually modest.
Are you selling in Collin County rather than Dallas County? Note that each county clerk sets its own recording fee schedule. Your title company will apply the correct county’s schedule based on where the property is located.
One practical note: the Dallas County Clerk’s Recording Division at 500 Elm Street, Suite 2100, is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Documents funded after hours get recorded the next business day. That is why your title company may note a brief gap between funding and official recording on your closing packet.
No Transfer Tax in Texas
Sellers who’ve sold property in other states sometimes expect to see a transfer tax or documentary stamp tax on their closing statement. Texas has no state real estate transfer tax, so that line simply doesn’t appear. The Dallas County Clerk’s recording fees are document-filing costs, not a tax on the sale price. That’s an important distinction when you’re comparing your Texas net proceeds to a prior sale in California, New York, or another transfer-tax state.
HOA Transfer Fees and Resale Certificate
Is your home in a community with a homeowners association? Many North Texas communities like Stonebridge Ranch, Windsong Ranch, and Light Farms are. If so, expect to see HOA-related charges on your statement. These commonly include a resale certificate fee (the HOA’s charge for preparing the required disclosure documents) and a transfer fee. Sometimes there is also a capital contribution or working capital fee paid by the buyer. Which party pays which HOA fee is negotiable in the contract. Confirm what your contract specifies, and request the resale certificate early. Some HOAs take 10 or more days to deliver it, and closing can’t proceed without it.
Seller’s Disclosure Notice
Texas Property Code § 5.008 requires the TREC Seller’s Disclosure Notice for previously occupied single-family residences. The current version applies to contracts entered into on or after September 1, 2023. The disclosure itself isn’t a closing cost, but the timing matters. You must deliver it to the buyer before the contract is executed. A failure to deliver it properly can affect your contract rights. You won’t see it as a line item on your ALTA statement. Even so, it’s part of the transaction paperwork your agent manages before you ever get to closing.
Negotiated Seller Concessions and Credits
Did your contract include a seller’s contribution toward the buyer’s closing costs, a repair credit, or a rate buydown credit? Those show up as debits on your seller’s statement. These are purely negotiated items. There’s no statutory requirement to offer them. In a market where buyers have more options, concessions have become a more common negotiating point. For a fuller picture of how the current DFW market is affecting seller leverage, see my post on DFW’s 2026 market shift.
Broker Compensation
Broker fees appear as a debit on the seller’s statement when the listing agreement provides for compensation at closing. Per NAR’s 2024 settlement guidelines, broker compensation is fully negotiable. No standard, customary, or fixed rate sets it, and there is no “going rate.” Your listing agreement sets the listing fee. Any compensation a seller chooses to offer a buyer’s broker is a separate, optional item negotiated independently. For a detailed look at how compensation works in DFW after the settlement, see Realtor Commissions in DFW After the MLS Settlement.
Net Proceeds to Seller
After all debits come out of your credits, the bottom line is your net proceeds, the amount wired to you at closing. This number is what actually matters. It’s also the number I work through with every seller before we even talk about list price. Your specific net depends on your payoff balance, your tax proration, your contract terms, and the negotiated allocation of closing costs. The only way to know your real number is to run it with someone who knows this market. My post on DFW net sheets, timing, and closing costs goes deeper on that process.
Summary table
| Line Item Category | Credit or Debit to Seller | Fixed or Negotiable |
|---|---|---|
| Gross sale price | Credit | Set by contract |
| Mortgage payoff | Debit | Fixed (lender payoff statement) |
| Property tax proration | Debit or Credit (depends on closing date) | Calculated per contract terms |
| Owner’s title insurance premium | Debit | TDI-regulated rate; allocation negotiable |
| Escrow / closing fee | Debit | Negotiable between parties |
| Deed recording fee (Dallas County) | Debit | Fixed by county schedule ($25 first page + $4/add’l) |
| HOA resale certificate / transfer fee | Debit | Negotiable; HOA sets its own fee |
| Seller concessions / repair credits | Debit | Fully negotiable |
| Broker compensation | Debit | Fully negotiable; set in listing agreement |
| State transfer tax | N/A | Does not exist in Texas |
How to Review Your Statement Before You Sign
Ask your title company to send you a draft ALTA statement at least 24 hours before closing. When you receive it, check these things in order:
- Sale price matches your contract. Resolve any discrepancy before closing, not at the table.
- Payoff figure is current. Confirm the funding date the payoff runs through. Also ask if there’s a per-diem adjustment if closing shifts.
- Tax proration basis is clear. Ask which year’s tax bill the title company used and which taxing entities it included.
- HOA fees match your contract allocation. If the contract says the buyer pays the transfer fee, then confirm it’s on their side of the statement.
- Any seller concessions are accurately reflected. For example, if you agreed to a $5,000 closing cost credit, verify it appears as a debit on your statement.
- Recording fees are reasonable for document length. A deed recording line of $25 to $65 is normal for a standard deed in Dallas County. A significantly higher number, however, warrants a question.
If anything looks off, call your title officer before closing day. Title companies expect questions and would rather resolve them in advance. After all, a confused seller at the table slows down everyone’s afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What line items are usually on a Texas seller’s closing statement?
A Texas seller’s ALTA Settlement Statement typically shows your gross sale price as a credit. Then it deducts your mortgage payoff, prorated property taxes, the owner’s title insurance premium, the escrow/closing fee, and deed recording fees. It also deducts any HOA transfer charges, negotiated seller concessions, and broker compensation. Texas has no state transfer tax, so that line doesn’t appear. Finally, the exact allocation of most charges is negotiable in your purchase contract.
Is there a transfer tax when selling a house in Texas?
No. Texas does not impose a state real estate transfer tax on home sales. The recording-related charges you’ll see on a DFW closing statement are Dallas County’s document-filing fees: $25 for the first page and $4 per additional page. Those are administrative costs, not a tax on your sale price. This is one of the ways Texas closing costs differ from states like California or New York.
Who pays recording fees in a Dallas County home sale?
The purchase contract typically decides who pays recording fees. No law assigns them to one party. In practice, the deed recording fee often appears on the seller’s side of the statement. Meanwhile, the deed of trust recording (for the buyer’s mortgage) appears on the buyer’s side. Either way, your contract controls the allocation. Dallas County’s published schedule is $25 for the first page and $4 per additional page, per the Dallas County Clerk’s Recording Division.
What is the difference between a Closing Disclosure and an ALTA Settlement Statement?
The Closing Disclosure is a federally required form that the buyer’s lender issues when the purchase is financed. It shows both sides of the transaction from the lender’s perspective. The ALTA Settlement Statement, by contrast, is a title-industry form that your title company prepares. The seller-specific version shows only your credits, debits, and net proceeds. When a lender is involved, both documents will be at the closing table. They are not duplicates. So your title officer should reconcile any discrepancy between them before you sign.
How do property tax prorations work at closing in Dallas–Fort Worth?
Texas homeowners pay property taxes in arrears. So at closing, the seller owes taxes for the portion of the year they owned the home. The title company calculates a daily rate based on the prior year’s tax bill (or an estimate if the current year’s rate is available). Then it multiplies that rate by the number of days the seller owned the property during the tax year. In Collin and Dallas counties, tax rates vary by city, school district, and MUD. Therefore, the proration can be a significant line item. Confirm with your title officer exactly which taxing entities your calculation includes.
What closing costs can a Texas seller negotiate with the buyer?
Most items on a Texas seller’s closing statement are negotiable by contract. Common negotiated items include the escrow/closing fee split and the HOA resale certificate and transfer fee allocation. Seller concessions toward the buyer’s closing costs or rate buydown, as well as repair credits, are also common. The Texas Department of Insurance sets the owner’s title insurance premium rate. However, which party pays it is still negotiable. Dallas County’s recording fees are the one truly fixed line. The county clerk’s published schedule sets those, and they don’t move.
The bottom line on your closing statement
Your closing statement is the financial summary of your entire transaction. Every line on it has a reason it’s there. The sellers who walk away most confident are the ones who reviewed the draft statement the day before. They asked their questions in advance, and they showed up knowing exactly what their net proceeds would be.
Are you preparing to sell in McKinney, Stonebridge Ranch, Frisco, or anywhere across the DFW Metroplex? If you want to walk through your statement before closing day, I’m glad to help. Schedule a consultation and we’ll go through every line together.
Equal Housing Opportunity. Jason Feller is licensed as a Real Estate Broker in Texas (License: Broker), regulated by the Texas Real Estate Commission, Consumer Protection Notice | Information About Brokerage Services. This article is general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice; confirm your specific numbers and obligations with your attorney, tax advisor, lender, or closing officer.