St. Louis County, Missouri Probate
Cost Calculator

Estate administration in St. Louis County, Missouri proceeds through the St.

Louis County Circuit Court, Probate Division in Clayton. Understanding the local court's requirements — from petition formatting to hearing schedules — helps the process move efficiently.

The St. Louis County Circuit Court, Probate Division in Clayton processes a high volume of estate filings, with dedicated probate staff and structured hearing calendars.

Expect longer initial wait times for hearings, but the trade-off is a court system with deep experience handling complex estates. The typical probate timeline runs 6-12 months.

Missouri's six-tier statutory fee schedule (RSMo § 473.153) ranges from 5% on the first $5,000 to 2% above $1M, applying to both executors and attorneys. Independent vs. supervised administration affects cost and timeline.

Full details: Missouri Probate Calculator.

The St. Louis County Circuit Court, Probate Division is located at 7900 Carondelet Ave, Clayton MO 63105.

The court clerk can be reached at (314) 615-8029.

Visit the court's website for current forms, fee schedules, and filing instructions. Electronic filing is available.

Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–5:00 PM.

• Missouri's six-tier statutory schedule (RSMo § 473.153) applies to both executor and attorney fees — 5% on the first $5,000 down to 2% above $1M.
• Local court filing fees at the St.
• Louis County Circuit Court, Probate Division in Clayton are separate from the statutory compensation schedule.
• Contact the court for the current fee schedule.

• Estate administration in St.
• Louis County proceeds through the St.
• Louis County Circuit Court, Probate Division in Clayton.
• Missouri's Probate Division handles the appointment of personal representatives, approval of inventories, and oversight of the administration process.
• The process begins with filing a petition for probate (testate) or letters of administration (intestate), followed by a hearing and the appointment of the personal representative.

• Missouri distinguishes between supervised and independent administration.
• Under supervised administration — the default unless the will provides otherwise — the personal representative must seek court approval for most significant transactions, including real property sales and distributions.
• Independent administration, when authorized, reduces court involvement and accelerates the timeline.
• In St.
• Louis County, the typical probate process runs 6-12 months, with the court's structured docket keeping cases on track.

Missouri allows estates valued below $40,000 to use a small estate affidavit to transfer assets without formal probate. In St.

Louis County — the 1st most populated of Missouri's 115 jurisdictions — the affidavit is presented directly to the institutions holding the decedent's assets rather than filed with the St. Louis County Circuit Court, Probate Division.

The affidavit can be executed no earlier than 30 days after the decedent's death and is available for both testate and intestate estates.

As one of Missouri's larger jurisdictions, St. Louis County sees a wide range of estate values.

While many local estates exceed the $40,000 threshold, the small estate affidavit remains valuable for specific asset types — particularly bank accounts and vehicle titles — even when the overall estate requires formal probate for other assets.

• Getting an accurate cost estimate before you start probate in St.
• Louis County helps you budget for Missouri's statutory percentage schedule plus local filing fees at the St.
• Louis County Circuit Court, Probate Division.
• The clerk's office in Clayton can answer procedural questions about required forms and hearing schedules.

• This free probate calculator applies Missouri's specific rules automatically — enter the estate's approximate value to get an instant breakdown of expected fees.
• No account required.