Missouri Executor Guide: What to Do Immediately After Death

One of your first legal duties is protecting the estate’s physical assets from loss, theft, or damage. This begins with real property — if the decedent owned a home, visit it promptly. Ensure doors and windows are locked. If caregivers, contractors, or others had keys, changing the locks is appropriate and within your authority as Personal Representative.

Do not allow family members to remove property — including sentimental items — before a full inventory is completed. Even well-intentioned early removals create accounting problems, generate disputes among beneficiaries, and can expose you to liability. The property belongs to the estate until the estate is properly wound up.

• Confirm homeowners insurance is active; notify insurer of vacancy status
• Arrange ongoing lawn care, utility maintenance, and security monitoring
• Photograph or video the interior of the home and its contents
• Remove clearly portable valuables (jewelry, cash, documents) to a secure location
• Locate and secure any vehicles, boats, or other titled personal property
• Secure any firearms in compliance with applicable law

Death certificates are the administrative key to virtually every step of estate administration. Every financial institution, insurance company, government agency, pension administrator, and court will require at least one certified copy before releasing information, transferring assets, or taking any action related to the estate.

The funeral home typically handles initial ordering. Request between 10 and 15 certified copies. This number consistently surprises families — but running short mid-administration means delays while you wait for additional copies from Missouri’s Bureau of Vital Records. Order more than you think you need at the outset; unused copies cost only a few dollars each and the time savings are significant.

• Certified copies required by: banks and credit unions (each institution wants its own), brokerage accounts, life insurance companies, retirement account administrators (401k, IRA, pension), Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs if applicable, Missouri Department of Revenue, title companies, and the probate court
• If additional copies are needed later: order through Missouri’s Bureau of Vital Records (burials.dshs.mo.gov or through the county health department)

The original will — not a photocopy — is required for Missouri probate filing. Begin searching for it immediately. Common locations include a home safe, a bank safe deposit box, the attorney who drafted it, or filing cabinets in the decedent’s home office.

If you locate a safe deposit box, you will typically need a death certificate and court authorization (or, in some cases, a state law permits access for the limited purpose of locating the will). Contact the bank holding the box for their specific procedure before attempting access.

• Original will — required for probate; photocopy is not sufficient
• Trust documents — if a revocable living trust exists, many assets may pass entirely outside probate
• Deeds to real property — identifies how each property was titled and whether it is a probate or non-probate asset
• Life insurance policies — policy number, insurer, and named beneficiary; call insurer to initiate claim
• Retirement account statements — 401(k), IRA, pension; beneficiary designations determine whether these are probate assets
• Bank and investment account statements — most recent statements; note whether accounts have POD/TOD designations
• Safe deposit box keys and location
• Tax returns (last 3 years) — useful for identifying assets and income sources
• Digital asset inventory or password manager — critical for locating online accounts

This analysis determines the scope of your responsibilities and whether formal probate is required at all. Go through every asset you’ve identified and classify it:

Non-probate assets (pass automatically — you facilitate the transfer, but no court is involved): life insurance with a named individual beneficiary; retirement accounts (IRA, 401k, pension) with a named individual beneficiary; bank accounts with a POD (Payable on Death) designation; investment accounts with a TOD (Transfer on Death) designation; assets held in a revocable living trust; real estate held in joint tenancy with right of survivorship or tenancy by the entirety; Missouri beneficiary deed property.

Probate assets (require court authority to transfer): bank accounts in the decedent’s sole name with no POD designation; investment accounts in the decedent’s sole name with no TOD designation; real estate titled solely in the decedent’s name; vehicles titled solely in the decedent’s name; personal property (furniture, art, collectibles, jewelry).

Add up the total value of probate assets only. If the total is $40,000 or less, the Missouri Small Estate Affidavit process (§ 473.097 RSMo) may be available and full probate may not be required. If between $40,001 and $60,000, simplified administration may apply. Over $60,000 — full probate administration is typically required. See our complete guide to the Missouri Small Estate Affidavit.

Several notifications must happen in the first weeks — some to stop ongoing charges, some to initiate claims, and some because it is legally required.

• Social Security Administration — notify SSA of the death immediately; any payment received after the month of death must be returned. If the decedent had a surviving spouse or minor children, they may be entitled to survivor benefits.
• Life insurance companies — contact each insurer and initiate the claim process with the death certificate and policy number
• Employer and pension administrator — stop payroll, initiate any pension or survivor benefit claim, address any group life insurance through the employer
• Department of Veterans Affairs — if the decedent was a veteran, notify the VA and inquire about burial benefits and survivor benefits
• Financial institutions — notify banks, brokerages, and credit card companies; freeze accounts against unauthorized withdrawals; do not close accounts yet
• Mortgage servicer — notify of the death; confirm insurance is current and payments continue being made if the home is to be maintained
• Subscriptions and recurring charges — cancel recurring charges (streaming services, memberships, subscriptions) to prevent ongoing costs against the estate
• Missouri probate court — if probate is required, you will file formal notice to creditors as part of the court proceeding; creditors then have a limited period to file claims

If probate is required, you must file a petition with the probate court in the Missouri county where the decedent resided at the time of death. The petition asks the court to admit the will to probate (if there is one), appoint you as Personal Representative, and issue Letters Testamentary.

Letters Testamentary are your legal authority. They are a court-issued document proving that you have the authority to act on behalf of the estate — to access accounts, transfer property, negotiate with creditors, and take all other administrative actions. No financial institution will take instructions from you without them. Do not attempt to transfer, liquidate, or access estate assets before receiving Letters Testamentary.

• File in the correct county — the county of the decedent’s residence at death, not where property is located
• File the original will — the court retains the original; file promptly, as Missouri has deadlines for probate filing
• Petition for appointment — requests the court formally appoint you as Personal Representative
• Bond may be required — unless the will waives the bond requirement, the court may require a bond to protect beneficiaries; bond costs are an estate expense
• Order multiple certified copies of Letters Testamentary — each institution you contact will want its own certified copy; order at least 10–12 at filing

Missouri probate requires the Personal Representative to file a formal Inventory of Assets with the probate court within 30 days of appointment (with extensions available for good cause). The inventory must list every probate asset with its description, date-of-death fair market value, and basis for the valuation.

• Real property — legal description, address, and estimated fair market value (a formal appraisal may be needed for estate tax purposes or complex property)
• Bank accounts — institution, account type, account number (last 4 digits), and balance as of date of death
• Investment accounts — institution, account type, and value as of date of death
• Vehicles and personal property — description, make/model/year for vehicles, estimated value for personal property
• Business interests — ownership percentage, entity name, estimated value (may require formal valuation)
• Digital assets with financial value — cryptocurrency balances, monetized online accounts, digital intellectual property

Review the decedent’s last three years of tax returns, recent bank and investment statements, and any financial records you can locate. Watch the mail for 60–90 days — financial institutions and creditors will send statements and notices that help identify accounts you didn’t know existed.

Missouri law requires you to publish notice to creditors in a local newspaper and provide direct written notice to known creditors. Creditors then have six months from the date of first publication to file claims against the estate.

Do not pay any creditor on a first-come, first-served basis. Missouri law establishes a specific priority order for debt payment, and paying out of order can make you personally liable to higher-priority creditors you later cannot pay in full. The priority order under Missouri law is:

• 1st — Costs of administration (court costs, attorney fees, executor compensation)
• 2nd — Funeral and burial expenses (up to a statutory limit)
• 3rd — Federal, state, and local taxes
• 4th — Family allowance (surviving spouse and minor children)
• 5th — Debts and taxes with preference under federal law
• 6th — Reasonable and necessary medical expenses of the last illness
• 7th — All other claims (credit cards, personal loans, miscellaneous creditors)

Evaluate every claim before paying. Some claims may be untimely, invalid, or disputed. An estate attorney can advise on which claims must be paid and in what amount.

If the estate includes real property, you are responsible for maintaining it during administration — just as the decedent would have been. The estate continues to owe property taxes, insurance premiums, mortgage payments (if any), and maintenance costs. These are estate expenses paid from estate funds before distribution.

• Maintain homeowners insurance; notify insurer of vacancy (vacancy exclusions can void coverage after 30–60 days)
• Continue mortgage payments if the property is to be maintained and eventually sold or distributed
• Keep utilities on if needed to prevent damage (pipes, HVAC)
• Secure the property; address any deferred maintenance that could affect value
• If court approval is needed to sell: check the will’s authority provisions; most wills grant the Personal Representative authority to sell without court approval, but some require it

Modern estates almost always include digital assets — and they are among the most commonly overlooked during administration. Failing to address them promptly can result in ongoing charges, lost assets, or permanent account termination by platforms that detect inactivity after death.

• Online banking and investment accounts — may require the same process as physical accounts; look for accounts mentioned in statements or tax returns that you haven’t already located
• Cryptocurrency — if the decedent held cryptocurrency in a self-custody wallet, the private key or seed phrase is required to access it; without it, those assets are permanently lost
• Email accounts — may contain financial statements, account confirmations, insurance policies, and subscription receipts that identify other assets; follow each platform’s deceased user policy to gain access or transfer
• Social media accounts — decide whether to memorialize, deactivate, or transfer per the decedent’s wishes; most major platforms have a deceased user process
• Subscription services — cancel to prevent ongoing charges; some may have transferable value (domain names, digital content libraries)

See our complete guide on protecting digital assets within an estate plan.

Tax compliance is a core fiduciary duty. Failure to file required returns can delay closing probate, generate penalties, and expose you to personal liability for unpaid tax obligations. The following may all be required depending on the estate’s situation:

• Final individual income tax return (Form 1040) — covers income earned from January 1 of the year of death through the date of death; due April 15 of the following year (or extended)
• Estate income tax return (Form 1041) — required if the estate earns $600 or more in income during administration (interest, dividends, rent, capital gains from asset sales); due April 15 of the year following the tax year
• Federal estate tax return (Form 706) — required only if the gross estate exceeds the federal estate tax exemption (currently for any estate over $15 million for 2026)
• Missouri estate tax — Missouri does not currently impose a state estate tax separate from the federal system
• Final state income tax return — Missouri Form MO-1040 for the final year

Distributions to beneficiaries occur only after all of the following are complete: the creditor claim period has closed; all valid creditor claims have been paid in statutory priority order; all required tax returns have been filed and any taxes paid; all court-required approvals have been obtained; and the final accounting has been prepared and approved.

Do not make informal distributions — even partial ones — before these conditions are met. Once you distribute assets, recovering them from beneficiaries is extremely difficult and may require litigation. The estate’s creditors can hold you personally liable for distributions made before valid claims were paid.

• Prepare a final accounting — detailed record of all assets received, all income collected, all expenses paid, all debts paid, and proposed distribution to each beneficiary
• File the final accounting with the probate court — the court reviews and approves before distributions are made
• Obtain receipts from beneficiaries — written acknowledgment from each beneficiary confirming receipt of their distribution
• File petition for discharge — requests the court formally discharge you from your duties and release you from fiduciary liability
• Close the probate estate — once the court enters its final order, the estate is closed and your authority as Personal Representative ends