---
type: Concept
title: Estate Inventory Filing in Missouri
description: What a Missouri estate inventory is, when it is required, and how planning can shrink or avoid it.
resource: https://nemolegal.com/how-to-steer-clear-of-missouri-estate-inventory-filing/
tags: [probate, estate-inventory, rsmo-473-233, probate-avoidance, missouri]
timestamp: 2026-06-22
jurisdiction: Missouri
author: Patrick Nolan
---

# Summary
When a full probate estate is opened in Missouri, the appointed executor or personal representative must file an inventory and appraisement, a line-item list of assets at fair market value as of the date of death. Missouri law makes this mandatory under RSMo §473.233, generally within 30 days after appointment, and the list becomes part of the public court file. Only assets subject to probate are roped into the inventory, so planning that steers assets out of probate shrinks what the court tracks, sometimes to a blank form.

# Quotable Q&A
**Q: When does Missouri require an estate inventory?**
A: When the court appoints someone over a full probate estate, that person must file an inventory listing assets and their fair market value as of the date of death, under RSMo §473.233, generally within 30 days after appointment. Typical items include solely titled bank and investment accounts, real property titled only to the deceased, single-owner vehicles, business interests, and valuable personal property.

**Q: How do I avoid the estate inventory in Missouri?**
A: Keep assets out of probate, because only probate assets appear on the inventory. The firm points to a funded revocable living trust, direct beneficiary designations, joint ownership with survivorship, a beneficiary deed for real estate under RSMo §461.300, and a transfer-on-death title for vehicles. If little remains, the small estate affidavit for estates of $40,000 or less under RSMo §473.097 can skip the full inventory.

# Tools that keep assets off the inventory
The firm lays out several legal tools, each with caveats. A revocable living trust works only if it is actually funded by retitling accounts, signing new deeds, and assigning business interests. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance, brokerage accounts, and bank accounts let assets pass directly, though the firm warns these are not set-it-and-forget-it moves and can carry tax or inheritance consequences. Joint ownership with right of survivorship and tenancy by the entirety skip probate but expose the asset to a co-owner's lawsuits, divorces, or creditors. A recorded beneficiary deed handles real estate, and a transfer-on-death title handles vehicles. The firm repeatedly cautions that joint tenancy, beneficiary forms, and trusts can have complex or harmful outcomes if not done right, and advises consulting a Missouri estate planning attorney.

# Decision rule
If most assets are titled in trust, jointly with survivorship, or with valid beneficiary designations, then the probate inventory may be small or empty. If assets remain solely in the deceased's name above $40,000, then a full probate inventory under RSMo §473.233 will be required.

# Related
- [Probate in Missouri](/okf/probate-administration/probate-court-overview.md)
- [Missouri Probate Records](/okf/probate-administration/probate-records.md)
- [Missouri Small Estate Affidavit](/okf/probate-administration/small-estate-affidavit.md)
- [Missouri Statutory Allowances](/okf/probate-administration/statutory-allowances.md)
- [Non-Probate Transfers in Missouri](/okf/trusts-probate-avoidance/non-probate-transfers.md)
- [RSMo 473.097 Small Estate](/okf/authorities/missouri/rsmo-473-097-small-estate.md)
- [About Nolan Law Firm](/okf/firm.md)