Missouri follows the reasonable-compensation standard for trusteesMo. Rev. Stat. § 456.7-708Verified Sep 18, 2026View source. A court decides what is reasonable case by case, on the trust's size, its complexity and the trustee's actual work. A family-member trustee often waives the fee. A professional trustee (a bank, a trust company, an attorney) typically charges 0.5% to 1.5% of trust assets a year, and a corporate fiduciary applies an annual minimum. The Missouri trustee compensation calculator breaks it down by trust situation.

Trust administration in Missouri is typically faster than probate because a trust needs no court supervision. The trustee can shorten the creditor-claim window to 6 monthsRSMo § 456.5-505.5 (permissive "may publish a notice" 1x/week for 4 consecutive weeks → 6-month bar from first publication); default RSMo § 473.444.1 (1-year nonclaim bar if trustee does not publish). Elective safe-harbor, no mandatory duty to notify known creditors.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source by publishing Missouri's optional notice; otherwise the general 12 monthsRSMo § 456.5-505.5 (permissive "may publish a notice" 1x/week for 4 consecutive weeks → 6-month bar from first publication); default RSMo § 473.444.1 (1-year nonclaim bar if trustee does not publish). Elective safe-harbor, no mandatory duty to notify known creditors.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source period governs before final distributions are safe. A simple trust often wraps up in six to nine months; a trust holding a business interest, real property in more than one state, or one that files an estate tax return takes longer. The Missouri trust settlement plan carries the full process.

Estate planning attorneys in Missouri average $328Clio Compare Lawyer Rates, Missouri: Wills and Estates rate (2025 data)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source an hour for wills and estates work. A flat-fee package runs $984Estimate: 3 hours at $328, Clio's Missouri Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,968Estimate: 6 hours at $328, Clio's Missouri Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a simple individual will and $3,570Estimate: 10 hours at $357, Clio's Missouri Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,355Estimate: 15 hours at $357, Clio's Missouri Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for a basic revocable trust. An online service prices the same documents in the tens to low hundreds of dollars; the Missouri will cost calculator sets the two side by side.

In Missouri, estates valued at $40,000RSMo § 473.097Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less use the Small Estate AffidavitRSMo § 473.097Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 30 daysRSMo § 473.097Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death, a court filing short of full probate. That route is a form rather than a court case, and most families handle it without an attorney. Above the line, formal probate generally benefits from counsel for the procedural work, even when nothing is contested. The Missouri probate calculator estimates the cost by estate value.

In Missouri, the situations where counsel is typically worth the cost are: a blended family with children from a prior relationship; a business, rental property or significant investment assets; a dependent with special needs, who needs a special-needs trust to keep benefits; substantial property in more than one state. Where none of these apply, an online or self-help document is often enough.

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Missouri

Free Missouri forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

Get Started
Free

Pour-Over Will

In Missouri, a pour-over will is signed before 2RSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

Get Started

All Missouri forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Missouri

Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Missouri: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.

How Do I Settle a Trust?

Settling a trust in Missouri happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeMo. Rev. Stat. § 456.1-101 et seq. (Missouri Uniform Trust Code)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 120 daysRSMo §§ 456.8-813, 456.10-1005Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.

Get Plan

What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Missouri, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)Mo. Rev. Stat. § 456.7-708Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.

Use Calculator

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Missouri: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 30 daysRSMo §§ 473.233, 473.240Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsRSMo §§ 473.033, 473.360, 473.380, 473.397, 473.403, 473.444Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 12 months.

Get Plan

Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?

Missouri requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 1040Mo. Rev. Stat. § 143.011Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

Check Requirements

How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Missouri take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces no state tax after a 100% exclusion of long-term gains, available to individuals only, not to estates or trusts§ 143.121.3(14)(a) RSMo (HB 594, 2025) — 100% capital gains deduction for an INDIVIDUAL subject to tax under § 143.011; estates/trusts excludedVerified Sep 15, 2026View source.

Use Calculator

All Missouri tools