Simplified route
$40,000
The net estate must not exceed $40,000. A bond may be required, and estates above $15,000 generally require notice to creditors.
Eligibility and caveatsMissouri estate administration
Missouri small-estate limit: $40,000
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
Answer first
Small estate affidavit
The net estate must not exceed $40,000. A bond may be required, and estates above $15,000 generally require notice to creditors.
Read the eligibility detailsWhat the reviewed rules establish
Court cost
Tiered
When letters are applied for, section 488.012 lists a graduated fee from $75 below $10,000 to $365 above $500,000. The statute states these amounts apply before adjustment by the supreme court, which sets the operative figures by rule.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
Statutory schedule
Missouri publishes a minimum percentage schedule and allows additional reasonable compensation.
Compensation detailLimits 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.
- Attorney fees, bond premiums, publication, certified copies, tax work, and asset-sale costs are not included unless expressly shown.
- Asset title, beneficiary designations, creditor claims, and will terms can change the route.
Use this as a starting point.
This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Probate law varies by state and county and changes over time. Verify the current rule with the court or a licensed attorney in the relevant state.
Continue
What Missouri courts publish
The statutes on this page state the rule. These are the documents the court itself publishes. Every link is probed before release, and any link that stops resolving fails the build rather than staying on the page.
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.
Primary sources
Each legal input links to the government source reviewed for this page. Source text can change; confirm the current rule before acting.
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097
Reviewed source note: (1) The value of the entire estate, less liens, debt, and encumbrances, does not exceed forty thousand dollars; (2) Thirty days have elapsed since the death of the decedent
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 488.012(16)
Reviewed source note: (16) When letters are applied for in probate proceedings, pursuant to section 483.580 , when the value of the estate is: (a) Less than $10,000 $ 75.00 (b) From $10,000 to $25,000 115.00 (c) From $25,000 to $50,000 155.00 (d) From $50,000 to $100,000 245.00 (e) From $100,000 to $500,000 305.00 (f) More than $500,000 365.00
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.153.1
Reviewed source note: On the first $ 5,000, 5 percent; On the next 20,000, 4 percent; On the next 75,000, 3 percent; On the next 300,000, 2 3/4 percent; On the next 600,000, 2 1/2 percent; On all over 1,000,000, 2 percent.