Clear Money Guide
What this state guide covers
A quick view of the questions, practical details and source notes below.
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Updated August 19, 2026. Quick answer: Missouri puts probate fees on a statutory percentage schedule, so the largest single cost is anchored to published numbers rather than to an hourly rate: the schedule is a floor rather than a ceiling — both the personal representative and the attorney are each entitled to a minimum of 5% of the first $5,000, 4% of the next $20,000, 3% of the next $75,000 and less above that (RSMo §473.153), computed on personal property administered, and the court may allow more. The second number is the small-estate threshold, at or under which an estate skips most of probate: $40,000, net of liens, by small-estate affidavit. Whether any of that reaches a solely owned house is answered below — it is where most published guidance goes wrong.
What probate costs in Missouri
| Item | Missouri |
|---|---|
| Fee model | statutory-percentage |
| What the fee is calculated on | Statutory MINIMUM schedule for both PR and attorney (RSMo §473.153), computed on personal property administered plus proceeds of court-ordered real estate sales: 5% of first $5,000; 4% of next $20,000; 3% of next $75,000; 2.75% of next $300,000; 2.5% of next $600,000; 2% of everything over $1,000,000. Courts may allow more for services; it is a floor, not a ceiling. |
| Court filing fee | varies by county |
| Small-estate threshold | $40,000 (net of liens/encumbrances) — small estate affidavit (‘affidavit to establish title of distributee’), RSMo §473.097; 30-day wait; bond generally required; published notice required if estate exceeds $15,000. |
Missouri probate fees in real dollars
Because Missouri publishes an actual schedule, the fee can be computed rather than estimated. Applying RSMo §473.153 to the personal property administered:
| Estate value | Statutory fee |
|---|---|
| $100,000 | $6,600 |
| $250,000 | $14,850 |
| $500,000 | $28,100 |
| $1,000,000 | $53,100 |
| $2,000,000 | $93,100 |
A statutory MINIMUM for both the PR and the attorney — a floor, not a ceiling. Computed on personal property administered plus proceeds of court-ordered real-estate sales.
Run any figure, and compare against a second state, with the probate cost calculator.
What is the small estate limit in Missouri?
$40,000 (net of liens/encumbrances) — small estate affidavit (‘affidavit to establish title of distributee’), RSMo §473.097; 30-day wait; bond generally required; published notice required if estate exceeds $15,000.
Missouri answers this directly. RSMo §473.097 says distributees of an estate consisting of “personal property or real property or both” are entitled to the real property without waiting for letters, where the entire estate less liens, debt and encumbrances does not exceed $40,000, thirty days have passed, and a bond is filed. Title is established by recording the affidavit and the clerk’s certificate with the recorder of deeds in each county where the real property sits.
Full thresholds for every state: small-estate limits by state.
If the estate is still being planned rather than settled, the usual way to keep a house out of probate entirely is a living trust, which carries its own upfront cost: whether a living trust is worth it in Missouri.
Skipping probate entirely
The usual way to keep a house out of probate entirely is a living trust, which carries its own upfront cost: LawDepot builds a state-specific revocable living trust if that fits how you want to leave things to your heirs.
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Does a house have to go through probate in Missouri?
Often not — Missouri is one of the clearer states on this. RSMo §473.097 entitles distributees to the real property of a small estate without letters testamentary or administration, and they perfect title by recording the affidavit and the clerk’s certificate with the recorder of deeds in each county where the property sits. The ceiling is the whole estate, less liens, debt and encumbrances, at $40,000 — which a house alone can exceed quickly — and a bond is required. Above that line the ordinary process applies, and the time to sort it out is while the owner is alive and has options, not while an estate is being administered. A fiduciary advisor can price the exposure alongside the rest of the estate picture. talk to someone about the whole estate picture. You can also run the numbers yourself first with the probate cost calculator — no email required.
How Missouri compares to the other 50
Missouri’s small-estate threshold of $40,000 ranks 39 of 49 jurisdictions with a stated figure, and sits well below the national median of $75,000. The range runs from $15,000 at the bottom to $400,000 at the top, so where an estate falls relative to the line matters far more than any national “average probate cost” figure. On fee model, Missouri is one of 7 of 51 jurisdictions using the statutory-percentage approach.
Death taxes in Missouri, separately
Missouri levies neither an estate tax nor an inheritance tax, which is true of 34 jurisdictions. That is a different question from probate cost and is decided by different statutes, but families routinely conflate the two.
What this does not include
The figures above are the probate cost — the court and compensation side of settling an estate. They are separate from any state estate tax or inheritance tax, which are taxes on the transfer itself and are owed whether or not the estate goes through probate. Appraisal, bond premium, publication, and real-estate commissions if property is sold are additional and are not set by the fee statute.
Before you hire anyone
- Ask which statute the fee is charged under, and get the citation. In Missouri the governing provisions are below.
- Ask whether the quoted fee is calculated on gross value or net of debts. Gross-value states charge on the full house value even if a mortgage covers most of it.
- Ask whether the personal representative is also claiming compensation, and on what basis.
- Ask in writing whether the estate qualifies for the small-estate route, and if a solely owned house is involved, whether that route reaches it.
Primary sources
- RSMo §473.153
- RSMo §473.097
Missouri in the rest of the picture
Probate cost is one of four things Missouri decides for a retiree and their heirs. The other three — income tax on withdrawals, estate tax, and inheritance tax — are priced separately:
- Every tax Missouri charges a retiree: Missouri retirement taxes
Compare and calculate
Probate cost by state compares all 51 jurisdictions side by side. The probate cost calculator prices a specific estate. If a move is on the table, retirement tax relocation prices probate alongside the three other taxes that change with residency.
Cite or share this guide: “Missouri Probate Cost (2026),” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/missouri-probate-cost/. Free to cite with attribution.
What the whole settlement costs here. On a $500,000 estate the statutory schedule alone comes to $28,100, and $53,100 on a $1,000,000 estate. No state estate tax and no inheritance tax reaches an estate this size here. The small-estate route stops at $40,000 and it does reach real property: § 473.097 entitles distributees “to the real property of such estate”, and the affidavit is recorded with the recorder of deeds in every county where that property sits. No state charges estate tax at any of these estate sizes. All three lines computed for every state: the cost of dying index.
A related question: when is probate required in Missouri at all, and what the small-estate shortcut covers.