Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Missouri

After a death in Missouri, the estate either qualifies for the simplified procedure for estates under $40,000 or goes through probate, where creditors have 6 months to file claims after notice.

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36 tools for Missouri

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Missouri costs an estimated $28,815. Attorney fees are statutory (set by law).

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How Much Can an Executor Charge?

Missouri sets executor compensation by statute — about $14,050 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 2.8%.

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Who Inherits Without a Will?

Without a will in Missouri, a surviving spouse takes the first $20,000 plus half of the rest when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representation.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Missouri, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent) unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.

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How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?

Missouri levies no estate or inheritance tax; only the federal estate tax applies above $15,000,000.

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How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?

In Missouri, certified death certificates come from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services - Bureau of Vital Records; the first copy costs $14, additional copies $11 each.

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Do I Need Probate?

In Missouri, estates valued at $40,000 or less use the Small Estate Affidavit, 30 days after death, a court filing short of full probate.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Missouri runs $3,570 to $5,355 and a simple will $984 to $1,968, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Missouri runs $3,570 to $5,355 for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Does a Will Cost?

An attorney-prepared will in Missouri runs $984 to $1,968, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $28,815.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In Missouri, four years at a public university cost about $82,516 and the cost of living is 9% below the U.S. average; no state estate or inheritance tax applies.

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What Taxes Apply to My Inheritance?

Missouri imposes no inheritance or estate tax; probate assets arrive when the estate closes, 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Missouri take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death, 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.

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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Missouri automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.

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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Missouri costs an estimated $28,815 and takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estate. Estates under $40,000 can use a small-estate procedure instead.

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How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?

Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.

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How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

In Missouri, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writing, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18.

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What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in My State?

Missouri allows you to name your own agent in a signed, written document, and that designation takes priority over the statutory order of next of kin who otherwise control disposition of the remains.

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How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

Find witness, notary, and remote signing requirements for all 50 states.

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Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

Check if estate planning documents signed in one state are valid in another.

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Missouri allows estates valued at $40,000 or less to use the Small Estate Affidavit, which avoids full probate administration. In Missouri the affidavit is filed with the court, and holders honor the court's certified copy — but no letters testamentary or of administration issue. The waiting period is 30 days after death.

Probate costs in Missouri typically include attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estate, executor fees, court filing fees, and publication costs. On a $500,000 estate, total costs run about $28,815, roughly 6% of estate value, varying with complexity. Estimate executor compensation separately with the Missouri executor fee calculator.

Missouri intestacy law decides. Missouri follows separate property rules: the surviving spouse's share depends on whether children survive and whose children they are. The estate passes to the closest surviving relatives, in most cases the spouse and children first, then in order: Parents, siblings, and their descendants; Grandparents, uncles, and aunts and their descendants; Nearest lineal ancestors and their children; A predeceased spouse's kindred; The state (escheat).

No. Missouri imposes no state estate tax and no inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax applies, on an estate above $15,000,000, an exemption the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21 §70106) set permanently from 2026 and indexes for inflation.

A will in Missouri costs what the provider charges. An online service runs $0 to $299 up front. An attorney in Missouri charges around $328 an hour for wills and estates work, which puts a simple will at $984 to $1,968. The document is only part of the cost: probate adds about $28,815 on a $500,000 estate in fees the heirs pay later.