Simplified route
$40,000
Small estate affidavit; usable 30 days after death.
Eligibility and caveatsMissouri estate administration
Missouri probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines
Small-estate limit: $40,000
This guide explains probate in Missouri: Missouri permits a small-estate affidavit after 30 days for estates not exceeding $40,000 after liens, debts, and encumbrances.
Sources reviewed August 7, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch October 3, 2026.
Answer first
Missouri simplified probate route
Up to $40,000; usable 30 days after death. Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097.
Small estate affidavitScreen a specific Missouri estate with the calculators on the small-estate page and the executor-fee page, or compare states in the full estate navigator.
What the reviewed rules establish
Court cost
Tiered
1 published schedule, itemised on the filing-cost page.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
Statutory schedule
A statutory percentage schedule applies. Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.153.1.
Compensation detailCreditor deadline
Multiple triggers
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.360.1 (Missouri Revisor of Statutes; reviewed August 7, 2026)
Timeline and creditor detailsStatutes read in full for Missouri
Read on the enacting state’s own site, with the date each was read.
| Citation | What reading it established | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| RSMo § 473.360 (limitations on filing of claims), eff. May 23, 1996 | Missouri runs two clocks at once and takes whichever ends later, then bars the claim outright — creditor deadline note | 2026-09-17 |
Missouri decision map
The four facts that change the Missouri route
Each Missouri answer below links to the page that sets out its source.
| Question | Recorded Missouri answer |
|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Small estate affidavit |
| What property and basis count? | probate property within the rule's stated scope; net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. |
| What is the amount screen? | $40,000 |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 30 days after death; creditor deadlines: separate clocks by triggering event |
| What does the cost record establish? | 1 published schedule; the proceeding and value basis control the total. |
| What does compensation use? | Statutory percentage schedule, measured on the estate accounting. |
Limits and unresolved costs
- The filing amounts in section 488.012 apply before adjustment by the supreme court, which sets the operative court costs by rule. The published figure is a statutory baseline, not a confirmed current charge.
- The statute measures the estate "less liens, debt, and encumbrances". Liens come from the asset entries and unsecured debt is asked for separately, because it cannot be read off an asset list. Until that figure is entered the route stays undecided rather than being resolved as though the debt were zero.
- A bond is required unless the court dispenses with it, and estates above $15,000 generally require published notice to creditors. Both add cost.
- The court may award compensation above the statutory minimum.
Continue
What Missouri courts publish
Every link is probed before each release.
No Missouri court document is linked here. The notes below state why, rather than leaving the absence unexplained.
Limits on court material
- Missouri publishes no statewide small-estate affidavit form. The probate division of the circuit court in the county of residence supplies the affidavit and states its local requirements.
- The Missouri Courts self-help probate page did not respond when this record was reviewed, so no link is published rather than publishing one that may not resolve.
Missouri primary sources
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097 — Revised Statutes of Missouri, Small Estate Affidavit
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 488.012(16) — Revised Statutes of Missouri, Probate Fees
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.153.1 — Revised Statutes of Missouri, Personal Representative Compensation
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.360.1 — Revised Statutes of Missouri, Limitations on Filing of Claims
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.444.1 — Revised Statutes of Missouri, Absolute One-Year Claim Bar
Every quotation, edition label and machine check is on the Missouri source record.
Missouri record: 5/5 verified, 23 matched checks, latest source re-fetch October 3, 2026. Source record · method · report a correction