On a Fort Worth purchase, the buyer's last financial step before getting keys is sending the cash to close to the title company. It is usually the largest single payment in the transaction outside the loan itself, and the figure that matters is the one on the final Closing Disclosure.
This article explains what goes into that figure, why it moves between the Loan Estimate and closing, how it has to be sent, and how to protect it from wire fraud.
Cash to close is a net amount. It starts with what the buyer owes and subtracts what has already been paid or credited.
What the buyer owes includes:
What is subtracted includes:
The Closing Disclosure walks through this math in its Calculating Cash to Close table and in the Summaries of Transactions on page three.
Texas property taxes are assessed for the calendar year and are generally billed in the fall, payable by the end of January of the following year. On most resales, the tax bill for the year of sale has not yet been paid at closing.
The title company prorates the tax so each party pays for the part of the year they owned the house. Because the buyer will receive and pay the full bill later, the seller credits the buyer for the days the seller owned it. That credit reduces the buyer's cash to close.
The estimate used for proration is based on the best figures available at closing, often the prior year's taxes or the current appraised value with the prior year's rates. The contract describes how proration works and whether any adjustment happens after the actual bill is issued.
The proration credit is a separate line from the initial escrow deposit. The proration settles the current year between buyer and seller. The escrow deposit funds the account that will pay the bill when it comes.
The Loan Estimate shows a cash-to-close figure early in the process. That figure is a good-faith budget built on the information available. Several things can move it:
The Closing Disclosure's Calculating Cash to Close table shows each line's Loan Estimate figure next to the final figure, with a short note on any change. Compare them during the three-business-day waiting period, while there is time to ask questions.
Fictional example: consider a buyer whose Loan Estimate showed one cash-to-close figure. The appraisal was fine. Then the insurance premium came in higher, and the tax proration moved because the closing date slipped into the next month. The Closing Disclosure is the figure to wire. The estimate was the budget. The disclosure is the number.
Seller credits and lender credits reduce cash to close. On a typical purchase, they can only pay for allowable costs, such as closing costs and prepaids. They cannot reduce cash to close below what the buyer must contribute under the program, and they cannot produce cash back to the buyer beyond limited exceptions the program allows.
If total credits exceed the costs they are allowed to pay, the extra goes unused, and the structure usually gets adjusted. The parties may lower the price instead of keeping the larger credit, or the lender may reduce the credit. Each program also limits seller contributions as a percentage tied to the loan-to-value or the program, and the lender applies those limits.
The title company will only disburse funds it has actually received and can rely on. Most title companies require cash to close by wire transfer, and some accept a cashier's check under their own rules. A personal check brought to the signing is often too late to count as good funds.
Ask the title company early:
Wire early enough that the funds arrive before the signing, especially if the bank has a daily cutoff.
Wire fraud targeting real estate closings is a real and common crime. The typical pattern involves a fraudulent email, often appearing to come from the title company or an agent, with new or changed wiring instructions.
The defense is verification:
If you believe a wire was sent to the wrong place, contact your bank immediately and then the title company. Speed matters.
The money used for cash to close has to come from sources the underwriter has documented. A large new deposit in the week before closing reopens the sourcing question and can delay the closing.
If family is helping with a gift, the gift letter and evidence of the transfer should already be in the file before closing. Many programs allow a donor to wire gift funds directly to the title company, with the documentation the program requires.
Earnest money already held by the title company is a credit on the closing statement. The buyer does not bring it again.
A buyer can make closing week easier by planning the funds early:
Cash to close and the down payment are different amounts. The down payment is one piece. Closing costs, prepaids, and escrow are others, and credits reduce the total.
Earnest money is already subtracted on the Closing Disclosure. The buyer brings the final cash-to-close figure as shown, with the deposit already counted.
Fictional example: two buyers purchase homes at the same price in Fort Worth. The first closes on the 28th of the month with a seller credit and a lender credit. The second closes on the 3rd of the next month with no credits. The second buyer pays more prepaid interest because more days remain in the month, receives a slightly different tax proration, and has no credits to offset costs. Their down payments are identical, but their cash to close is not. Each wires the figure on the final Closing Disclosure, confirmed by phone with the title company.
If you think you sent a wire to a fraudster, call your bank first, then the title company, and report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. For who pays which costs in Texas, see buyer and seller closing costs, and for the deposit you already made, earnest money.
If you want your cash to close estimated with Fort Worth taxes, insurance and a realistic closing date, I can build it before you write an offer. Book a call, or start an application.
Links checked Oct 21, 2026.
About the author: McKade Lively, NMLS 2704474, American Pacific Mortgage Corporation dba True North Home Loans, NMLS 1850.
Equal Housing Opportunity.
Last reviewed: Oct 2026