Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097 (RSMo 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
Missouri route screening
Missouri small-estate limit: $40,000
The net estate must not exceed $40,000.
Sources reviewed August 7, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch October 3, 2026.
A bond may be required, and estates above $15,000 generally require notice to creditors.
Threshold evidence and currency
What the reviewed source establishes
Currency: No later session-law supersession is recorded in the reviewed source set for this threshold. The edition/currentness label below is the basis for the published figure.
Controlling citation: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097 — Effective 28 Aug 2002.
Verbatim threshold text from that source:
(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
How the Missouri screen is measured
| Procedure | Small estate affidavit |
|---|---|
| What counts | The probate estate within the statute’s scope, so solely owned real property can count |
| Value basis | Value less enforceable liens and encumbrances |
| Waiting period | 30 days after death |
| Facts the asset list cannot supply | Unsecured debt of the estate, which this state deducts before applying the limit |
The Missouri caveats that can change this answer are listed once, on the Missouri overview.
The official Missouri path
No statewide form is published for this route; ask the Probate Division of Circuit Court in the county of residence for its packet.
What a small-estate screen can and cannot decide, and which assets never enter it, is explained once in small-estate affidavit or probate and what counts as a probate asset.
Controlling source
Missouri record: 5/5 verified, 23 matched checks, latest source re-fetch October 3, 2026. Source record · method · report a correction