What Qualifies for Missouri's Determination of Heirship?
Missouri's Determination of Heirship has no dollar ceiling under RSMo § 473.663; eligibility instead turns on the specific statutory conditions below. This is informational only — we don't determine your eligibility for you.
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The statutory line, exactly
Missouri's Determination of Heirship has no dollar ceiling — eligibility instead turns on the specific conditions RSMo § 473.663 sets out, evaluated by the court when the application is filed. There's no total to add up before you know whether it applies.
The mistakes that actually sink an otherwise-eligible estate
5 reasons account for most of the rejections Missouri families run into — cited to the specific RSMo § 473.663 section behind each one, not general advice:
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An administration was commenced, or a will was presented, within the first year. The statute applies only if no administration was commenced on the estate within one year after the date of death and no written will was presented for probate within the § 473.050(3) period. Where an estate was opened or a will was presented in time, the heirs are determined inside that proceeding instead. — RSMo § 473.663.1
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The petitioner does not claim as an heir or through an heir. Only a person claiming an interest in the property as an heir or through an heir may petition. A creditor, or anyone with no interest through an heir, does not qualify. — RSMo § 473.663.1
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The petition is missing what the statute requires. It must give the decedent's name, age, domicile, last residence and the fact and date of death; each heir's name, relationship and address; anyone claiming through an heir who has since died; and a particular description of the property and its value. — RSMo § 473.663.1(1)-(4)
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Notice and publication were not completed. Notice must reach all persons known or believed to claim as heirs, those shown by the county conveyance records, and unknown heirs; publication runs once a week for four consecutive weeks, the last at least seven days before the hearing. — RSMo § 473.663.2-.3
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The decree was not recorded for land. A certified copy of the decree must be recorded in each county in which real property described in it is located, at the petitioner's expense. — RSMo § 473.663.5
Once you've confirmed the estate qualifies, the next question is the actual filing sequence — see how to file Determination of Heirship in Missouri, step by step.
Once you know it applies, this is what trips families up next
Not the eligibility conditions — the notice, clearance, and follow-up steps after you file. Free one-pager: what to have ready at each step, emailed now. Then a few short follow-ups over the next few weeks — then we stop.