Updated October 5, 2026. Quick answer: No. Missouri has no estate tax for a person who dies in 2026. The Missouri Department of Revenue says that because the IRS no longer allows a state death tax credit for deaths on or after January 1, 2005, “no Missouri estate tax is imposed”. The federal exclusion is $15,000,000 for 2026.
Putting a loan in writing? The interest limit, the signing rules and the time limit to sue, from the state’s own statutes: Missouri promissory note.
Deeding a home to a family member while you are alive? What Missouri requires, from its own documents: Missouri quitclaim deed requirements.
Naming a beneficiary on a brokerage account or a vehicle title is covered here: transfer-on-death registration in Missouri.
Missouri estate tax at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| State estate tax | None |
| Why | Missouri’s tax equals the federal state death tax credit, which the IRS no longer allows for deaths on or after January 1, 2005 |
| State estate tax return | None required for deaths on or after January 1, 2005 |
| State inheritance tax | Not addressed in the documents read |
| Federal estate tax basic exclusion amount, 2026 | $15,000,000 |
| Source | Missouri Department of Revenue; Missouri Revisor of Statutes; IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 |
Why Missouri has no estate tax
The statute, section 145.011 RSMo, imposes the tax by reference to the federal credit: “A tax is imposed on the transfer of every decedent’s estate which consists in whole or in part of property having a tax situs within the state of Missouri” (the amount is the maximum credit for state death taxes allowed by federal law). With no credit allowed, the Department says “no estate tax return must be filed for deaths occurring” on or after January 1, 2005.
Does Missouri have an inheritance tax?
The documents read for this page do not address whether Missouri levies an inheritance tax, so this page makes no statement about it. CMG’s inheritance tax by state page lists the states that do and links each one.
What applies to a Missouri estate instead
Federal estate tax is separate. Revenue Procedure 2025-32 says the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, section 70106, increased the “basic exclusion amount to $15,000,000 for calendar year 2026”.
An estate of $3,000,000 in Missouri owes $0 of state estate tax, and $3,000,000 is below the federal $15,000,000.
Probate: Missouri probate cost. Retirement accounts: how Missouri taxes 401(k) and IRA withdrawals.
What the documents do not say
- The Department notes a condition: “If at any point the IRS reinstates the state death tax credit”, a Missouri estate tax return will be required again.
Common mistakes
- Treating the old section 145.011 RSMo as a tax in force; it applies only when the IRS allows the federal credit.
- Assuming the state answer settles the federal one, or the answer for property held in another state.
Related: estate tax by state, inheritance tax by state, and probate cost by state.
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Answer againSources
- Estate Tax: Missouri Estate Tax Filings No Longer Required: https://dor.mo.gov/taxation/individual/tax-types/estate.html
- RSMo Section 145.011: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=145.011
- Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (Internal Revenue Service): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 5, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and an estate attorney, a tax preparer or the state agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.