Callaway County Circuit Court probate division Guide

Note: Missouri probate court costs are set statewide by Missouri Court Operating Rule 21.01 (COR 21.01) under Mo. Rev. Stat. sections 488.010 to 488.020, and are collected by the clerk of the Probate Division of the Circuit Court; Missouri imposes no probate tax and no separate state estate or inheritance tax. Opening a decedent's estate (original letters testamentary or of administration) is a graduated court cost: $115 when the final inventory value of the real and personal property is $50,000 or less, plus $50 for each additional $50,000 of inventory value up to $500,000, capped at $565 total (COR 21.01), and that cost includes one certified copy of the letters. Because the opening cost is graduated by inventory value it is not stored here as a single number. Admitting a will to probate adds $35 (Mo. Rev. Stat. 473.050). Collection of a small estate by affidavit under Mo. Rev. Stat. 473.097 is $35, and refusal of letters under Mo. Rev. Stat. 473.090 is $35; each includes one certified copy. A statewide court-automation fee, certified-copy and newspaper-publication charges, and small local surcharges apply on top, so the all-in cost a filer pays to open an estate or file a short-form proceeding is higher and varies by county (publication is required, with a deposit, when the estate exceeds $15,000). Personal representative and attorney compensation follow the Mo. Rev. Stat. 473.153 minimum schedule. Verify the current local court-cost deposit with the Callaway County Probate Division of the Circuit Court before filing.