An independent personal representative (authorized by the will or by consent of all heirs and devisees, RSMo § 473.780) closes the estate by filing a statement of account under § 473.840 — a complete accounting of receipts and disbursements, a statement that claims, expenses, and taxes are paid, and a schedule of proposed distribution — with 29 days’ published notice and a 20-day objection window; if no proceeding is commenced within six months after it is filed, the representative is discharged by operation of law with no court orderRSMo §§ 473.540, 473.583, 473.587, 473.590, 473.597, 473.610, 473.617, 473.660, 473.780, 473.837, 473.840, 473.843Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

Missouri publishes no statewide form, and some county courts publish their ownSt. Louis City 22nd Circuit Probate Division, Renunciation / Consent (letters of administration)Verified Sep 23, 2026View source. A signed writing stating the same facts is what the rule requires.

Yes. Missouri requires an account of the administration to close on this routeRSMo § 473.840.2(2); § 473.540.1Verified Sep 15, 2026View source. In independent administration the personal representative mails a statement of account and schedule of proposed distribution to each interested party and files it in court; absent a written objection within 20 days the representative distributes without any judicial settlement, and a court order of complete settlement is available voluntarily and compellable on petitionMo. Rev. Stat. §§ 473.780, 473.837, 473.840Verified Jul 11, 2026View source.

The letters to banks and online services can go out as soon as there is a death certificate. Whether the estate needs the court forms depends on its size: an estate under the state's small estate limit is collected with the small estate affidavit after the waiting period, and a larger one opens with the petition for probate and letters. The Probate Decision Tool answers the size question for each state.