Publication
Newspaper pricing is commercial rather than a statewide fee.
Missouri court costs
Missouri probate filing cost: not published
When letters are applied for, section 488.012 lists a graduated fee from $75 below $10,000 to $365 above $500,000. The statute states these amounts apply before adjustment by the supreme court, which sets the operative figures by rule.
not published is not published as a current figure, because the statute states its amounts apply before adjustment by another authority. Sources reviewed August 7, 2026. Latest primary-source re-fetch September 15, 2026.
What the statute charges
Missouri does not publish a current total here.
The schedule below is stated in the statute as applying before adjustment by another authority, so it is shown as a labelled baseline rather than as the amount the clerk collects today. Confirm the current figure before relying on it.
Every line below is computed from the statutory schedule quoted at the end of this page. These are court charges only. They are not an estimate of the total cost of settling an estate.
Application for letters in a probate proceeding Statutory baseline, superseded
These amounts are stated in the statute as applying before adjustment by another authority, so they are not the amount collected today. Section 488.012(2) directs the Missouri Supreme Court to set the operative court costs by rule. Confirm the current amount with the probate division of the circuit court.
Published value bands
These are the fee bands stated in the source. The worked examples below apply them to sample values; they do not replace the published thresholds.
Graduated probate fee by estate value
| Value band | Published fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $9,999.99 | $75 |
| More than $9,999.99 to $25,000 | $115 |
| More than $25,000 to $50,000 | $155 |
| More than $50,000 to $100,000 | $245 |
| More than $100,000 to $500,000 | $305 |
| More than $500,000 | $365 |
| Charge | $25,000 estate | $100,000 estate | $400,000 estate | $1,000,000 estate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduated probate fee by estate value | $115 | $245 | $305 | $365 |
| Total from this schedule | $115 | $245 | $305 | $365 |
Not included in this total
- Publication of notice to creditors
- Bond premium
- The $30 charge for each additional twelve months the estate remains open
Section 488.012 states these amounts apply "prior to adjustment by the supreme court", and subsection 2 directs the supreme court to set the operative amounts by rule. Treat this schedule as the statutory baseline and confirm the current figure with the probate division before relying on it. The small-estate affidavit fee is set separately under section 483.580.
Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 488.012(16), Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Edition/currentness: Effective 28 Aug 2014. Verified September 15, 2026.
Costs no statute prices
These are the costs executors most often meet after the filing fee. None of them has a statewide statutory amount, so this site does not estimate them.
Bond
Premiums depend on the bond amount, the estate, and the applicant.
Copies and local charges
Certified copies, recording, inventory, accounting, and county surcharges are billed separately.
Professional fees
Attorney, accountant, and appraiser fees are negotiated or court-reviewed.
State-specific limits
- The filing amounts in section 488.012 apply before adjustment by the supreme court, which sets the operative court costs by rule. The published figure is a statutory baseline, not a confirmed current charge.
- The statute measures the estate "less liens, debt, and encumbrances". Liens come from the asset entries and unsecured debt is asked for separately, because it cannot be read off an asset list. Until that figure is entered the route stays undecided rather than being resolved as though the debt were zero.
- A bond is required unless the court dispenses with it, and estates above $15,000 generally require published notice to creditors. Both add cost.
- The court may award compensation above the statutory minimum.
Use this as a starting point.
This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Probate law varies by state and county and changes over time. Verify the current rule with the court or a licensed attorney in the relevant state.
How to verify the amount for this case
Name the proceeding before asking for a total. A small-estate affidavit, an application for letters, formal administration, a later inventory or account, and a certified copy can each carry a different charge. Asking only “what does probate cost?” invites an answer for the wrong filing.
- Identify the county where the proceeding will be filed.
- Identify the exact route or petition you expect to use.
- State the value basis the schedule uses; it is not always the gross estate value.
- Ask the clerk to separate the opening fee, mandatory surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings.
- Record the schedule date or rule cited.
- Record whether payment is due at filing.
Keep that clerk quote with the estate record and compare it with the itemised statutory lines above. For the broader budget, use the probate cost-line guide; court filing is only one category.
Missouri filing-cost map
Separate the Missouri filing charge from the estate budget
The Missouri filing record prices a proceeding, not every cost of settling an estate. This map connects the published amount or schedule to its value basis and identifies the local items that still need a clerk or court schedule.
| Question | Recorded Missouri answer | Carry into the case |
|---|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Small estate affidavit | Confirm that the will, prior appointment, family facts, and asset titles fit this route. |
| What property and basis count? | probate property within the rule's stated scope; net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. | Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately. |
| What is the amount screen? | $40,000 | Establish unsecured debt before treating the screen as decided. |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 30 days after death; Missouri bars creditor claims six months after first published notice of letters, extended to the later of that date or two months from actual notice when a creditor is individually notified, and in all events one year after death. The periods run from different events, so they are published separately. | Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number. |
| What does the cost record establish? | 1 published schedule; the proceeding and value basis control the total. | Ask the Probate Division of Circuit Court about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings. |
| What does compensation use? | Missouri publishes a minimum percentage schedule and allows additional reasonable compensation. The relevant base is the estate accounting. | Keep the will, task log, receipts, and accounting base together; extraordinary work is separate. |
Filing record
What the Missouri cost record can answer
Application for letters in a probate proceeding
Basis: estate-value. Status: baseline-superseded. Section 488.012 states these amounts apply "prior to adjustment by the supreme court", and subsection 2 directs the supreme court to set the operative amounts by rule. Treat this schedule as the statutory baseline and confirm the current figure with the probate division before relying on it. The small-estate affidavit fee is set separately under section 483.580.
- Graduated probate fee by estate value 6 value bands
Case-file context
Keep the Missouri answer with its neighboring conditions
A route answer is easier to use when the facts that can change it stay in the same record. These are the reviewed Missouri descriptions adjacent to this page\'s main question; they are not a substitute for the source quotations or the receiving court\'s instructions.
Route context
Missouri permits a small-estate affidavit after 30 days for estates not exceeding $40,000 after liens, debts, and encumbrances.
The net estate must not exceed $40,000. A bond may be required, and estates above $15,000 generally require notice to creditors.
Compensation context
Missouri publishes a minimum percentage schedule and allows additional reasonable compensation.
Missouri publishes a minimum percentage schedule and allows additional reasonable compensation. The relevant base is the estate accounting.
Deadline context
Missouri bars creditor claims six months after first published notice of letters, extended to the later of that date or two months from actual notice when a creditor is individually notified, and in all events one year after death. The periods run from different events, so they are published separately.
- The filing amounts in section 488.012 apply before adjustment by the supreme court, which sets the operative court costs by rule. The published figure is a statutory baseline, not a confirmed current charge.
- The statute measures the estate "less liens, debt, and encumbrances". Liens come from the asset entries and unsecured debt is asked for separately, because it cannot be read off an asset list. Until that figure is entered the route stays undecided rather than being resolved as though the debt were zero.
- A bond is required unless the court dispenses with it, and estates above $15,000 generally require published notice to creditors. Both add cost.
- The court may award compensation above the statutory minimum.
Court-material note: Missouri publishes no statewide small-estate affidavit form. The probate division of the circuit court in the county of residence supplies the affidavit and states its local requirements. The Missouri Courts self-help probate page did not respond when this record was reviewed, so no link is published rather than publishing one that may not resolve.
Arithmetic illustration
See the Missouri amount screen without mistaking it for a result
The recorded Missouri ceiling is $40,000, and it is tested against probate property within the rule's stated scope, on a basis this site records as net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. Counted that way, $30,000 sits below the Missouri figure and $50,000 sits above it. Both are comparisons to a published number rather than legal outcomes: two estates holding the same total can land on opposite sides of this line, because what Missouri counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.
| Illustrative counted amount | Comparison to the Missouri ceiling | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | Below $40,000 | Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties |
| $50,000 | Above $40,000 | Whether another statutory route or court process applies |
Next evidence to collect
Name the proceeding and ask for mandatory surcharges, copies, publication, and later filings separately.
- Record the date of death, the county, and the exact proceeding or affidavit being considered.
- Classify each asset by title, beneficiary, trust, real-property status, and the value basis shown above.
- Open the official court material below and keep its form or schedule with the estate record.
- Do not distribute property until the route, creditor position, and required approvals are resolved.
Official material
Missouri publishes no court artifact in this registry. Missouri publishes no statewide small-estate affidavit form. The probate division of the circuit court in the county of residence supplies the affidavit and states its local requirements.
Missouri publishes no statewide small-estate affidavit form. The probate division of the circuit court in the county of residence supplies the affidavit and states its local requirements.
The Missouri Courts self-help probate page did not respond when this record was reviewed, so no link is published rather than publishing one that may not resolve.
Source trail
Records used by this Missouri map
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097Revised Statutes of Missouri, Small Estate Affidavit; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 488.012(16)Revised Statutes of Missouri, Probate Fees; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.153.1Revised Statutes of Missouri, Personal Representative Compensation; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.360.1Revised Statutes of Missouri, Limitations on Filing of Claims; reviewed August 7, 2026
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.444.1Revised Statutes of Missouri, Absolute One-Year Claim Bar; reviewed August 7, 2026
Filing-cost source
Each legal input links to the government source reviewed for this page. Source text can change; confirm the current rule before acting.
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 488.012(16) (RSMo 488.012(16))
Reviewed source note: (16) When letters are applied for in probate proceedings, pursuant to section 483.580 , when the value of the estate is: (a) Less than $10,000 $ 75.00 (b) From $10,000 to $25,000 115.00 (c) From $25,000 to $50,000 155.00 (d) From $50,000 to $100,000 245.00 (e) From $100,000 to $500,000 305.00 (f) More than $500,000 365.00