Probate Estate Closing and Representative Discharge in Missouri

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Closing routes and filings

A representative under court supervision files final settlement on the first court day after six months and ten days from first publication of notice of letters, or as soon after that as administration is completed. The court may extend the time for good cause. After the claim period and when the estate is ready to close, the representative files final settlement and petitions for a decree of distribution. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.540; § 473.617.)

Independent administration can be authorized by the will or by the required heirs' or devisees' consent. Its representative may petition for complete settlement and a discharge order, or use the statement of account route after six months and ten days from first published notice. Unless extended, one of those filings is due within one year of original appointment; an interested person or the court can seek an order requiring closure or an extension application. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.780; § 473.837; § 473.840; § 473.843.)

Accounts, notice and distribution

The supervised settlement reports money collected, interest earned, and each expenditure or distribution. An expenditure above $75 needs a voucher or other documentation satisfactory to the court; the court may demand proof below that amount too. Before filing, the representative publishes closing notice at least 29 days ahead and mails it to identified interested heirs and devisees at least 15 days ahead, unless they waived notice. Written, specific objections are generally due within 20 days after filing. If none are filed, the court may approve settlement and order distribution without a hearing; an objection requires a hearing. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.543; § 473.587; § 473.590.)

The independent statement includes a complete accounting without vouchers, identifies unpaid claims, expenses and taxes, and proposes a distribution schedule. Its advance notice is published once weekly for four weeks, with the last publication at least seven days before the filing date. Before filing, the representative mails the statement, inventories, settlements and notice to each interested party, then files signed proof of mailing. An objection to proposed distribution is due 20 days after filing. Without one, the court has no duty to audit and the representative distributes on the schedule; with one, the court hears it and may require vouchers and an audit. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.840.)

Discharge and liability

The supervised decree specifies each recipient and share, addresses unpaid claims and funds, and directs distribution. After the representative files receipts or other satisfactory evidence that distribution followed the decree, the court enters a discharge order. Approval of the final settlement relieves the representative and sureties for administration before settlement, subject to appeal and the court's power to vacate final orders. The later discharge bars suit against them unless commenced within one year. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.617; § 473.597; § 473.660.)

If no proceeding involving the independent representative is filed within six months after the statement of account, the representative is discharged from further claim or demand by interested parties without a court order. A timely proceeding instead leads to a liability determination and, after any liability is satisfied, an order of discharge. These rules keep the 20-day proposed-distribution objection period separate from the six-month discharge period. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.840.)

What trips people up

A final settlement may be compelled: a successor or surviving representative or any interested person may ask the court to order the filing, with a hearing and at least ten days' notice to affected parties. That procedure is distinct from filing objections to an already-filed settlement. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.607.)

An independent representative may owe personal liability for estate-management obligations or torts when personally at fault; representative-capacity contracts follow their own disclosure rule. The discharge provisions should therefore be read alongside the statute on representative liability. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.820; § 473.840.)

Common questions

Can an independent estate get a court order instead of using a statement of account? Yes. The representative may petition for complete settlement; after notice and hearing, the court can approve settlement and distribution and discharge the representative. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.837.)

Does the court audit every independent closing account? No. The court has no audit duty if no objection is filed within the 20-day period. A timely objection requires a hearing, and the court may require vouchers and audit the account. (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.840.)

Statutes and sources

The quoted text comes from the Missouri Revisor of Statutes' current Chapter 473 section pages, accessed October 4, 2026.