The Estate Planning Guide Est. 2026

How Much Does an Executor Get Paid in Missouri?

Published June 11, 2026 7 min read

Quick answer

Missouri sets a statutory minimum percentage schedule for executor pay under Mo. Rev. Stat. §473.153: 5% of the first $5,000, 4% of the next $20,000, 3% of the next $75,000, 2.75% of the next $300,000, 2.5% of the next $600,000, and 2% of everything above $1,000,000, based on the value of the personal property administered plus proceeds of any real estate sold. On a $500,000 estate that minimum is about $14,050. The estate's attorney is entitled to compensation on the same schedule separately, and family executors often waive the fee since it is taxable income.

⚠️ Educational information only — not legal, tax, or financial advice.

The figures on this page are general estimates. Laws, fees, thresholds, and prices differ by state and change often, and your own situation may change the result. Before you act, confirm the current numbers and rules for Missouri with a licensed professional — an attorney, tax advisor, or licensed agent as appropriate. Reading this page does not create a professional relationship.

What an executor gets paid in Missouri

Mo. Rev. Stat. §473.153 sets minimum compensation for the personal representative as a percentage of the fee base (personal property administered plus proceeds of real estate sold): 5% of the first $5,000, 4% of the next $20,000, 3% of the next $75,000, 2.75% of the next $300,000, 2.5% of the next $600,000, and 2% of the balance over $1,000,000. The same section entitles the estate's attorney to a fee computed on the same schedule.

The executor (in some states called the personal representative) is the person who settles the estate — gathering assets, paying debts and taxes, and distributing what’s left. The fee is their compensation for that work, paid out of the estate before the beneficiaries receive their shares.

A Missouri example

On a $500,000 Missouri estate the statutory minimum executor fee is about $14,050 ($250 on the first $5,000 + $800 on the next $20,000 + $2,250 on the next $75,000 + $8,250 on the next $300,000 + $2,500 on the remaining $100,000). The estate's attorney may be paid a fee on the same schedule separately, so statutory fees can roughly double that figure.

Statutory vs. “reasonable” — how Missouri decides

The percentages are minimums — the court may allow additional compensation for extraordinary services (such as selling real estate, running a business, or handling litigation). Real estate that passes directly to heirs without being sold is excluded from the fee base, and co-executors split the single statutory fee.

A quick map of how states handle this: some (like California, New York, Florida, and Ohio) set the fee by a statutory percentage; others (like Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan) use a “reasonable compensation” standard with no fixed schedule. Missouri falls into the percentage camp.

Should a family executor in Missouri even take the fee?

Here’s the part most guides skip. An executor’s fee is taxable income to the person who receives it. An inheritance, by contrast, is not taxed as income to the beneficiary.

So when the executor is also a main beneficiary — a spouse or child inheriting most of the estate — taking the fee often makes no sense. The same dollars come to them either way, but the fee is taxed and the inheritance isn’t. In that situation, many Missouri executors simply waive the commission and take their inheritance instead.

Taking the fee usually makes sense when:

  • The executor is not a beneficiary (or only a small one), so waiving wouldn’t get them the money anyway.
  • The work is unusually heavy — a contested estate, a business to wind down, property to sell.
  • The executor is in a lower tax bracket than the bracket the inheritance would otherwise sit in (rare, but possible).

There’s no obligation to take the maximum — or to take anything. It’s a choice, and in Missouri it’s often a tax decision more than anything else.

What the fee does and doesn’t cover

The commission compensates the executor for ordinary administration. Two things to keep separate:

  • The attorney’s fee is separate. The estate’s lawyer is paid on top of the executor’s commission — and in some states (California is the clearest example) the attorney is entitled to the same statutory amount as the executor, effectively doubling the statutory cost.
  • Extraordinary work can be billed extra. Selling real estate, running a business, handling litigation or a tax audit — Missouri courts can approve additional compensation for work beyond routine administration.

Executor fees vs. total probate cost in Missouri

The executor’s fee is only one line on the probate bill. Court costs, the attorney’s fee, appraisals, bonds, and publication all add up on top of it. To see the full picture for Missouri, read How Much Does Probate Cost in Missouri?.

And remember: assets that avoid probate entirely — through a funded living trust, beneficiary designations, or joint ownership — generally pay no executor commission at all, because they never pass through the estate the executor administers.

The honest takeaway

In Missouri, an executor is entitled to compensation for real work — and they should be paid for it when they’ve earned it and aren’t already inheriting the money. But if you’re the executor and the main heir, run the simple comparison first: the fee is taxable; your inheritance isn’t. Often the smartest move is to waive the commission and take your share.

If you’re choosing an executor, pick someone trustworthy and organized over someone who’ll charge the most — and consider keeping assets in a trust or beneficiary designations where you can, so less of the estate runs through a fee-charging probate at all.

Executor fees in other states

Compare Missouri with what executors are paid in other states:

This page explains executor (personal representative) compensation in Missouri in general terms as of 2026. It is not legal or tax advice; fee rules, statutes, and figures change and depend on your situation. Confirm current rules with a licensed Missouri attorney, and ask a tax professional before waiving or accepting a fee. Sources: Missouri Revisor of Statutes (revisor.mo.gov); Mo. Rev. Stat. §473.153 (compensation of personal representatives, accountants and attorneys).

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