Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In Missouri, you have 6 months to contest a will that has already been admitted to probate, running from the later of the date of probate or rejection, or the first publication of notice of granting of letters.
How long do you have to contest a will in Missouri?
| Deadline to contest an admitted will | 6 months |
| What starts the clock | the later of the date of probate or rejection, or the first publication of notice of granting of letters |
| Dedicated will-contest statute? | Yes |
“Unless any person interested in the probate of a will appears within six months after the date of the probate or rejection thereof by the probate division of the circuit court, or within six months after the first publication of notice of granting of letters on the estate of the decedent, whichever is later, and…contests the validity of a probated will…then probate or rejection of the will is binding.”
Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.083
What makes Missouri different
Missouri’s 6-month deadline runs from whichever of two triggering events comes later; the probate/rejection date, or the first publication of notice of granting letters; rather than from a single fixed date. The controlling authority is Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.083, and the window runs from the later of the date of probate or rejection, or the first publication of notice of granting of letters.
What happens once this deadline passes?
Once the window above closes, Missouri’s probate of the will generally becomes final and binding on everyone who had the chance to object, subject only to the tolling or discovery exceptions described above; a separate objection Missouri allowed at the original probate hearing does not reopen or extend it.
Sources
| Statute / rule | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.083 |
| Missouri courts (general reference) | Missouri judicial branch |
| Missouri (additional reference) | Missouri.gov |
| Confidence | High |
Every statute or rule quoted on this Missouri page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/court/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; whether a specific contest is still timely can turn on facts (exactly when notice was given, how the will was probated, whether a disability applies) that only your own Missouri probate court file can confirm.