Missouri Probate Timeline

A full Missouri estate usually takes about 6 to 12 months from the grant of letters to final settlement, and it can run longer. Simple estates move faster. Estates with disputes, hard-to-value property, or a will contest take more time. The calendar is set by statutory deadlines, not by one closing date. The six-month creditor claim bar under RSMo 473.360 is the floor, because a personal representative cannot safely distribute and close before that window ends.

Use this Missouri probate timeline as a planning calendar, not a promise that an estate will close on a fixed day. Missouri probate runs through the Probate Division of the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent lived, and the City of St. Louis is its own jurisdiction. Start with the Missouri probate guide if you are still choosing a path, and the Missouri executor duties guide for the full task list.

Missouri Probate Timeline at a Glance

These dates can overlap. A family often orders records and locates the will before any court filing. After letters issue, the 30-day inventory and the published notice both run at once. A Missouri probate timeline works best when each date is tied to the grant of letters or the first publication of notice, not a generic month count.

First Week: Records, Property, and the Original Will

The first week is about preventing avoidable delays, not finishing probate.

Start by gathering:

• certified death certificates from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
• the original will and any codicils
• trust documents
• deeds and property tax records
• vehicle titles and registrations
• bank, credit union, brokerage, and retirement statements
• life insurance and beneficiary records
• mortgage, utility, insurance, and tax records

Keep the home secure, keep insurance active when you can, and do not give away property before authority and ownership are clear. A payable-on-death or beneficiary account can pass outside probate. A solely owned bank account often needs letters or a qualifying small estate path. The Missouri first steps guide covers this early document stage in more detail.

At Least 30 Days: Small Estate Affidavit Window

Missouri lets a distributee collect estate property by small estate affidavit once 30 days have passed since the death, when the value of the entire estate, after liens, debts, and encumbrances, does not exceed $40,000 (RSMo 473.097). The affidavit is filed with the Probate Division of the Circuit Court.

This path skips full administration, so it can settle a modest estate in weeks rather than months. It does not apply once the estate is worth more than the threshold or once a personal representative has been appointed. Confirm the current figure and the county's proof requirements before you rely on it.

Opening the Estate: Letters and the One-Year Limit

Missouri sets an outer limit on opening an estate. No letters of administration are issued unless someone applies within one year of the decedent's death, and a will must be presented for probate within six months after the first published notice of letters, or within one year of death when no notice was published (RSMo 473.050). A will not presented in time is forever barred from admission to probate in Missouri, so do not sit on the original will.

Most other deadlines run from the date letters are granted, so the sooner the court appoints a personal representative, the sooner the rest of the calendar becomes concrete. You open the estate in the Probate Division of the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent lived. Missouri also allows independent administration, which the will can authorize or the heirs can request. Independent administration removes many interim court settlements and often shortens the timeline. The Missouri probate guide walks through the supervised and independent paths.

Within 30 Days of Letters: Inventory and Appraisement

The personal representative must file an inventory and appraisement of the estate within 30 days after letters are granted, unless the court allows a longer time (RSMo 473.233). The inventory lists estate assets at date-of-death value and classifies them.

Inventory work starts before the form is due. Build a list of:

• probate bank and brokerage accounts
• vehicles
• tangible personal property
• business interests
• refunds and checks payable to the estate
• real property connected to the estate
• liens, secured debts, and disputed items

The Missouri executor duties guide covers the appointment steps that come before the inventory.

Notice of Letters and the Six-Month Claim Bar

When letters issue, the clerk publishes a notice of letters in a newspaper (RSMo 473.033). That first publication starts the creditor claim clock.

Claims against the estate are barred unless a creditor files them with the Probate Division within six months after the date of the first published notice of letters, or within two months after a notice was mailed or served on that creditor, whichever is later (RSMo 473.360). A claim filed after the deadline is forever barred against the estate, the personal representative, and the heirs and devisees.

This six-month window is the practical floor on the timeline. A personal representative who pays heirs before the claim period ends can face personal liability for a valid claim that arrives later, so many estates wait out the six months before making final distributions.

One-Year Absolute Claim Bar

Missouri layers a second, harder deadline on top of the six-month window. All claims are absolutely barred one year after the date of death, whether or not any notice was published or received (RSMo 473.444). The six-month period can never push a claim past this one-year outer bar.

For a personal representative, the read is simple. The six-month window sets when you can start closing, and the one-year bar caps how long any creditor has, even if the estate was never opened or noticed.

Settlements: Annual and Final

Missouri measures the closing stage in settlements. In a supervised estate, the personal representative files an annual settlement on the anniversary of the date of letters, and each year after, until administration is complete (RSMo 473.540). Each settlement accounts for what came into the estate, what was paid out, and what remains, with vouchers backing every disbursement.

The final settlement can be filed after six months and ten days have passed since the first published notice of letters, or whenever administration is otherwise complete (RSMo 473.540). That timing lines up with the six-month claim bar, which is why a straightforward Missouri estate often closes around the seven- to nine-month mark and a supervised or contested estate runs past a year. Independent administration can substitute a statement of account to the distributees for some court settlements, which can move faster.

Tax Calendar

Tax timing depends on the estate.

The decedent's final federal Form 1040 and any Missouri individual income tax return are due by the normal filing date, about April 15 of the year after death. An estate that earns income during administration may also need a fiduciary income tax return.

Federal estate tax is a separate question. IRS Form 706 is due about nine months after death when the estate must file or when the family wants to elect portability, and a six-month extension to file may be available. Missouri has no separate state estate or inheritance tax, so most families face no state death tax. Confirm whether a federal filing is required based on the size of the gross estate.

What Can Slow the Timeline

A Missouri estate can stretch when:

• the original will is missing or a custodian delays handing it over
• heirs or beneficiaries are unknown or hard to reach
• a creditor disputes a claim or the estate is insolvent
• real estate must be sold to pay debts
• the estate owns a business interest
• assets are hard to value for the inventory
• a surviving spouse claims statutory allowances or an elective share
• someone contests the will
• an inventory or settlement is late or incomplete

Some delays cannot be avoided. Others come from filing late or with gaps. Calendar each date from the grant of letters and keep your paperwork organized.

Practical Filing Calendar

Use this working calendar:

1. First week: secure property, order death certificates, and locate the original will.
2. First two weeks: list probate and non-probate assets, debts, liens, and likely recipients.
3. Before filing: confirm the correct county Probate Division through the Missouri court directory.
4. At least 30 days after death: check the small estate affidavit if the estate may qualify.
5. When letters issue: confirm the clerk's notice of letters and note the first publication date.
6. Within 30 days of letters: file the inventory and appraisement.
7. Through the six-month claim period: review claims, spousal allowances, and any contest before paying anyone.
8. One year after death: treat the absolute claim bar as the hard cap for creditors.
9. Closing: file the final settlement after the claim period ends and confirm the court's approval and discharge.

This guide is general information about Missouri estates. It is not legal advice. Confirm anything that affects your situation with the Probate Division of the Circuit Court or a licensed Missouri attorney, and return to the Missouri probate hub for related guides.

Sources:

• Title: RSMo 473.360, Claims barred, when. Publisher: Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Publication Date: Current statute, accessed 2026-07-17. URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=473.360
• Title: RSMo 473.444, Claims barred one year after death. Publisher: Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Publication Date: Current statute, accessed 2026-07-17. URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=473.444
• Title: RSMo 473.233, Inventory and appraisement. Publisher: Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Publication Date: Current statute, accessed 2026-07-17. URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=473.233
• Title: RSMo 473.050, Wills, presentment for probate, time limited. Publisher: Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Publication Date: Current statute, accessed 2026-07-17. URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=473.050
• Title: RSMo 473.033, Notice of letters, duty of clerk, publication, form. Publisher: Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Publication Date: Current statute, accessed 2026-07-17. URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=473.033
• Title: RSMo 473.540, Settlements required, when. Publisher: Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Publication Date: Current statute, accessed 2026-07-17. URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=473.540
• Title: RSMo 473.097, Small estate, distribution of assets without letters. Publisher: Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Publication Date: Current statute, accessed 2026-07-17. URL: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=473.097
• Title: Estate Tax. Publisher: Internal Revenue Service. Publication Date: Current IRS estate tax page, accessed 2026-07-17. URL: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estate-tax

It is not legal advice.