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RSMo § 473.360.1 · checked 2026-10-20
How long probate takes in Missouri
The longest fixed wait in a Missouri probate is usually the creditor claim period: 6 months from first published notice of letters under RSMo § 473.360.1, a creditor who was mailed or served notice has two months from that notice, if later. An estate cannot be closed safely before that window shuts.
- 1Claim period 6 months
- 2Counted from Notice / letters
- 3Outer limit None stated
- 4Statute RSMo § 473.360.1
The statute
“within six months after the date of the first published notice of letters testamentary or of administration”
Source: RSMo § 473.360.1. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Worked example: a death on January 15, 2026
| Checkpoint | Date |
|---|---|
| Date of death | January 15, 2026 |
| Earliest small estate affidavit filed with the probate division (30 days, RSMo § 473.097) | February 14, 2026 |
| Trigger: first published notice of letters | March 1, 2026 |
| Creditor claim period ends (6 months, RSMo § 473.360.1) | September 1, 2026 |
Missouri starts the clock at first published notice of letters, so the end date moves with the court. The example assumes that event comes 45 days after the death (March 1, 2026); a later filing pushes September 1, 2026 back day for day. By comparison the small-estate route — when the estate fits — opens on February 14, 2026.
7 jurisdictions on this site give creditors longer and 23 give them less; the median is 122 days.
Steps that add time
- Getting appointed. Nothing runs until first published notice of letters; the time between the death and the petition is outside the statutory period.
- Notice. Published notice and notice mailed to known creditors start or shorten the claim period; a creditor who should have been mailed notice may get extra time — here, a creditor who was mailed or served notice has two months from that notice, if later.
- Real estate. Selling or transferring a house adds deeds, appraisals and sometimes a court order to the timeline.
- Accounting and closing. The final account, receipts from heirs and any tax filings come after the claim period ends.
Nearby West North Central timelines
Iowa: 4 months; Kansas: 4 months; Minnesota: 4 months; Nebraska: 2 months; North Dakota: 3 months; South Dakota: 4 months.
Related: Missouri small estate limit · creditor claim periods compared · executor timeline.
General information from the statute as written on 2026-10-20; not legal advice. Dates are worked examples of the statutory periods, not deadlines for any real estate. The Missouri probate court and its clerk can confirm how the periods run in a given case.