Is there a way to avoid probate appointment in Missouri?

Yes. A revocable living trust passes assets to beneficiaries without any court appointment — no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about 15 minutes.

How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in Missouri?

See the appointing court, the petition that opens the estate, what to file, and bond rules to be appointed in your state.

Got the Letters? Run the whole estate from here.

State

Document Type

Getting Appointed in Missouri

Personal Representative (executor if testate, administrator if intestate)

Where you file

Probate Division of the Circuit Court

The form that opens the estate

No statewide fill-in form · No statewide form

What the court issues (with a will)

Letters Testamentaryissued by Probate division of the circuit court

Letters are an output — the court issues them after granting the petition.

At a glance

UPC adoptedInformal trackE-filing (self-represented)Self-represented filingLocal/county forms

eFiling is for registered attorneys (and approved agency filers); it is NOT open to self-represented litigants for probate - OSCA lists Manage My Case for self-represented litigants as covering violation bureau tickets only, and states that "Most pleadings filed by self-represented litigants are filed in paper format." A pro se applicant therefore files the Application for Letters on paper with the circuit court probate division clerk (e.g. 22nd Circuit Local Rule 4.4). After death, the person having custody of the will must deliver the ORIGINAL will to the probate division (RSMo 473.043) - the original will must be filed before Letters will be granted, and an original will is one of the documents OSCA lists as still requiring paper.

The appointment application is published per-circuit, not statewide: OSCA's statewide PR series covers only small estate, refusal of letters, election, and heirship. Each circuit probate division publishes its own Application for Letters plus local packets, checklists, and cover sheets. Verified examples: St. Charles County (11th Circuit) publishes a fillable Application for Letters of Administration citing RSMo 473.017 & 473.780; Boone County (13th Circuit) publishes a combined Application for Letters Testamentary / of Administration / with Will Annexed. No two circuits ship the same document — the 22nd splits probate of the will from the application for letters and issues a separate C.T.A. form, the 11th splits intestate from testate across two fillable forms, the 13th combines all three into one print-only form, and the 16th does not even publish a PDF (its application is a Word .docx) — which is precisely why no single statewide fill exists.

Bond

Required before Letters: Yes
Waivable by will: Yes
Waivable by beneficiaries: Yes

What to file with the petition

Copy of the death certificate
Original will and any codicils, delivered to the probate division after death (RSMo 473.043); OSCA: "the Original Will must be filed with Probate (RSMo 473.043) before Letters will be granted"
Application for Letters Testamentary / of Administration stating decedent, heirs/devisees, probable value of the estate, the attorney for the applicant, and whether supervised or independent administration is sought (RSMo 473.017.1(1)-(10))
Bond, unless waived by the will or excused by the court (RSMo 473.157, 473.160)
Consent to appointment / consent to independent administration / waiver of bond by the persons receiving, where the will does not direct it
Publication of the notice of letters to creditors after appointment, published by the clerk once a week for four consecutive weeks (RSMo 473.033)

Small-estate alternative

Bypasses full Letters: Yes
Form: PR 16 (intestate); PR 17 (testate)View source
Form name: PR 16 Affidavit to Establish Title of Distributee - Small Estate - Intestate; PR 17 Affidavit to Establish Title of Distributee - Small Estate - Testate

State-specific notes

ONE-YEAR BAR: RSMo 473.050.6 - "no letters of administration shall be issued unless application is made to the court for such letters within one year from the date of death of the decedent" (excepting 473.050.4 and RSMo 537.021); a will not presented within one year (where no notice of letters was given) is "forever barred from admission to probate in this state" (473.050.5). PRIORITY WINDOW: if the person entitled to letters under RSMo 473.110 does not apply within twenty days after death, any interested person may petition (473.020.1), and that petition "must be filed within one year after the date of death of the decedent" (473.020.2). INDEPENDENT ADMINISTRATION (RSMo 473.780-.843) is ELECTED in the application (473.017.1(10) requires the application to state "Whether the application is for supervised or independent administration") - it is not a separate informal/registrar track; Missouri is not a UPC state and has no registrar appointment. BYPASS ROUTES: small estate by affidavit where "the value of the entire estate, less liens, debt, and encumbrances, does not exceed forty thousand dollars" and thirty days have elapsed since death (RSMo 473.097.1); refusal of letters to a surviving spouse or unmarried minor children where nothing would remain after exempt property and statutory allowances, or to a creditor where "the personal estate of the decedent does not exceed fifteen thousand dollars" and there is no widower, widow or unmarried minor children (RSMo 473.090.1). ATTORNEY REPRESENTATION: there is NO statewide statute or Supreme Court rule requiring counsel to open an estate. The requirement is real but LOCAL - e.g. 23rd Judicial Circuit Local Rule 72.7: "No full decedent's Estate will be administered without an attorney of record (precluded by the unauthorized practice of law rules)." The 21st and 22nd Circuit probate rules carry no equivalent bar - the 22nd expressly contemplates pro se probate filings (Local Rule 4.4: "documents filed by pro se litigants shall be filed with the Clerk of the Probate Division"). RSMo 473.017.1(8) requires the application to state "The name and address of the attorney for the applicant", which presupposes but does not mandate counsel. Do not assert a statewide attorney mandate. CLERK-GRANTED LETTERS: appointment does not require a judge. RSMo 473.023 - "The probate division of the circuit court, or the clerk thereof, subject to modification or revocation by the court, shall grant letters testamentary and of administration"; RSMo 473.073.1-.2 - the clerk or court admits the will and, "On an application for letters, the clerk or court shall determine whether the deceased died testate or intestate and grant letters accordingly". PRO SE E-FILING: not available - the Missouri eFiling System is for registered Missouri attorneys and approved agency filers, and OSCA states "Most pleadings filed by self-represented litigants are filed in paper format."

A revocable living trust passes assets to your family without this court appointment process — no petition, no Letters, no bond.

Create a Revocable Trust in 15 minutes

This tool provides general information about how a personal representative is appointed and is not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state for guidance specific to your situation.Data verified 2026-08-24

Frequently Asked Questions

Missouri has no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. Probate division of the circuit court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration after the court grants the petition.

Along with the petition, Missouri generally requires: Copy of the death certificate; Original will and any codicils, delivered to the probate division after death (RSMo 473.043); OSCA: "the Original Will must be filed with Probate (RSMo 473.043) before Letters will be granted"; Application for Letters Testamentary / of Administration stating decedent, heirs/devisees, probable value of the estate, the attorney for the applicant, and whether supervised or independent administration is sought (RSMo 473.017.1(1)-(10)); Bond, unless waived by the will or excused by the court (RSMo 473.157, 473.160); Consent to appointment / consent to independent administration / waiver of bond by the persons receiving, where the will does not direct it; Publication of the notice of letters to creditors after appointment, published by the clerk once a week for four consecutive weeks (RSMo 473.033).

Yes. Missouri requires a bond by default before Letters issue. A will can waive it. Beneficiaries can also waive it in writing.

Missouri permits self-represented filers to open an estate. E-filing is not open to self-represented filers. The Self-File Probate Assessment compares self-filing and attorney costs for Missouri.

Yes. A revocable living trust passes assets to beneficiaries without any court appointment in Missouri — no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about 15 minutes.

Getting Appointed in Missouri

Authority to act for the estate comes from Letters issued in Missouri by Probate division of the circuit court, on appointment by the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. The document is Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (no will). UPC adoption in Missouri: No.

Missouri publishes no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the court. The filing fee is $115 - $565 (based on estate value). Whether an informal (registrar) appointment track is available for qualifying estates: Yes.

A bond is required by default before Letters issue in Missouri, though a will can waive it and the beneficiaries can waive it in writing.

For smaller estates, Missouri offers a small-estate procedure for estates under $40,000 that can transfer assets without a full appointment or Letters (PR 16 (intestate); PR 17 (testate)). The Missouri self-file probate assessment compares self-filing and attorney costs.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated July 14, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from Missouri statutes and official state code. How we research.

Is this your situation?

Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.

Named as Executor

What an executor actually does: getting appointed, notifying creditors, paying debts and taxes, and where personal liability starts.

Learn more

More tools for settling this estate

Calculators and checklists for navigating probate and estate administration.

Free

Petition for Probate and Letters

Prepare the application to open probate and request Letters Testamentary or of Administration.

Get Started

Free

Notice to Creditors

Prepare the creditor notice for an estate — the official state form or a notice typeset to statute, plus mailed notices for known creditors.

Get Started

Free

Small Estate Affidavit

Prepare the affidavit that collects a small estate's property without probate — the official state form or an affidavit drafted to statute, plus a presentation letter for each holder.

Get Started

Free

Estate Inventory

Prepare the probate inventory of estate property — every asset at its date-of-death value, composed to your state's statute, with the state's filing or delivery instructions.

Get Started

Free

Estate Closing

Prepare the paperwork that closes the estate — the state's closing statement, petition for discharge, or final account, with the state's closing instructions and the optional federal forms.

Get Started

Free

Letter of Instruction

Prepare the letter of instruction a bank or insurer requests during estate settlement.

Get Started

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Estimate attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and timeline for probating an estate in your state. See if the estate qualifies for simplified probate procedures.

Use Calculator

How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Calculate how much an executor (personal representative) can charge for administering an estate. See if your state has statutory fees or uses reasonable compensation.

Use Calculator

Who Inherits Without a Will?

Find out who inherits your estate and how much they get if you die without a will. Based on your state's intestate succession laws.

Use Calculator

How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax (12 states + DC), and inheritance tax (5 states) for an estate or trust.

Use Calculator

How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

Calculate how many certified death certificates you need based on the assets and accounts you need to close. See state-specific ordering information.

Use Calculator

Do I Need Probate?

Answer a few questions to find out if an estate needs full probate, qualifies for simplified probate, or can avoid probate entirely with a small estate affidavit.

Check Now

Hire a Missouri Probate Attorney

Browse 74 probate firms in Missouri with addresses, contact info, and practice details.

Browse firms

Missouri Estate Planning Resources

In-depth guides covering Missouri probate laws, trust requirements, and estate planning strategies.