Someone died in Missouri. Start here.
The first 24 hours, in order, then the first week and the first month, with Missouri's actual rules for death certificates, cremation, and probate. This page is free. No account required.
Sources: official Missouri statutes and agencies, linked below. Last updated: September 2026.
Start with safety, the required local response, and the people who can help. The exact process depends on where and how the death occurred.
These figures come from the same data as our full Missouri guide, built from state statutes and official agencies.
Death certificate
Filed within 5 days
The window runs from the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs. Confirm the current fee with the issuing office; the guide's last-reviewed first-copy or search fee starts at $14. Additional-copy, vendor, and expedited fees may differ.
Source: RSMo §§ 193.145, 193.255, 193.265; Missouri DHSS Vital Records (opens in a new tab)Cremation
No fixed statutory wait
Missouri doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Source: RSMo §§ 194.119, 214.090; 20 CSR 2120-2.071 (opens in a new tab)Probate
$40,000 listed amount
The amount alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Confirm which property counts, how it’s valued, the waiting period, ownership, any pending court case, and every other state condition.
Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097 (small estates) (opens in a new tab)Estate tax
None in this state
Missouri has no state estate or inheritance tax. The federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million for deaths in 2026; other Form 706 filing reasons can still apply.
Source 1: Missouri Department of Revenue, Estate Tax (opens in a new tab)Source 2: IRS: 2026 estate tax basic exclusion amount (opens in a new tab)Days 2 to 7 · 1 to 7 days
These tasks often begin during the first week, but local requirements and the family's circumstances may change the order.
Weeks 2 to 4 · 1 to 4 weeks
The immediate calls may slow down. Estate, account, benefit, property, and tax work often continues for months.
The Long Game · 1 month+
Estate administration may take months or longer. The timing depends on the assets, claims, disputes, tax work, court schedule, and state procedure.
Have the death officially pronounced. For an expected hospice death, call the hospice nurse and follow the hospice instructions. For an unexpected death, call 911 and don’t move the body until you’re told you can. Then notify the closest people and, after the body is released, contact the funeral, cremation, burial, or donation provider the person chose.
In Missouri, the death certificate must be filed within 5 days of the death. The funeral provider or another authorized filer usually handles it. Ask each institution whether it needs a certified copy, then order an initial quantity based on those actual needs.
Missouri records are closed to the public. Under 19 CSR 10-10 a certified copy goes to the registrant, a family member, a guardian or their official representative: all family members including in-laws, cousins and step relations, genealogists representing a family member, an attorney, physician or funeral director acting for the family, or anyone who shows a direct and tangible interest to protect a personal or property right. Mail applications must be notarized. Certified copies come from Missouri's Bureau of Vital Records, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, in Jefferson City; 115 local public health agencies issue short-form copies for deaths since 1980.
$14 for a certified copy from the state office, per the fee page linked on this page. A five-year search fee due whether or not the certificate is found. Additional copies of the same record at the same time are $11 each. Mail requests have to be notarized.
From Missouri's Bureau of Vital Records, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, in Jefferson City; 115 local public health agencies issue short-form copies for deaths since 1980, in person at the state office or a local public health agency, by notarized mail application, or online or by phone through VitalChek. The official order page is linked on this page. The funeral home usually orders the first copies for you.
Missouri doesn’t set a fixed minimum wait in the source reviewed. Release, authorization, permit, death-record, or investigation requirements may still delay cremation. The person legally authorized under state law completes any required authorization; the provider handles its filing process.
Missouri's stated small-estate threshold is $40,000. Value alone doesn’t establish eligibility. Ownership, asset type, timing, beneficiaries, debts, and other state requirements can affect whether a simplified procedure is available.
No. Missouri has no state estate or inheritance tax. The federal basic exclusion amount is $15 million for deaths in 2026, and Form 706 may also be relevant for certain elections.
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