Estate plan

Missouri

Everything to plan your estate in Missouri: execution requirements, the documents we generate, statutory citations, and the exact wording our generators insert.

Plan your Missouri estate in 20 minutes

Will, living trust, durable power of attorney, and healthcare directive. All four documents, all valid in Missouri, all for $29/year.

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Missouri content last reviewed May 18, 2026.

Will

2W

Trust

POA

N

Healthcare Dir.

N

E-will

Adopted

Since 2025

RON

Since 2020

Remote online notarization

ROW

All documents

Remote online witnessing

Community property

No

Minimum age

18

NW + N = N witnesses + notarizationNW = N witnesses, no notarizationN = notarization, no witnesses = no formal requirements
News

Recent changes in Missouri

E-Will

Missouri authorizes electronic wills and estate planning documents

The Missouri Uniform Electronic Wills and Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act takes effect, authorizing electronic wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and beneficiary deeds.

HB 754 / SB 221Source →
1

Will

Mo. Rev. Stat. §474.310 et seq.

Witnesses: 2 required

Two competent witnesses must sign in the presence of the testator

Notarization: Recommended

Not legally required, but recommended for self-proving affidavit

Holographic will: Not valid

Missouri does not recognize handwritten wills without witnesses

Self-proving affidavit: Available

Allows the will to be admitted to probate without witness testimony

2

Living Trust

Witnesses: None required

No formal execution requirements beyond settlor signature; notarization strongly recommended when funding real property

Notarization: Recommended

Not legally required for the trust document, but needed to transfer real property

3

Durable Power of Attorney

Witnesses: None required

No witnesses required for power of attorney

Notarization: Required

Notarization is required for a valid durable power of attorney

State-specific notes

Signed by the principal, dated, and acknowledged in the manner prescribed by law for conveyances of real estate (i.e., before a notary public). Mo. Rev. Stat. §404.705
Durability requires one of the two statutory magic-words formulas under Mo. Rev. Stat. §404.705: either (a) 'THIS IS A DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY AND THE AUTHORITY OF MY ATTORNEY IN FACT SHALL NOT TERMINATE IF I BECOME DISABLED OR INCAPACITATED OR IN THE EVENT OF LATER UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHETHER I AM DEAD OR ALIVE,' or (b) the §404.705 substitute that adds 'when effective, shall not terminate or be void or voidable if I am or become disabled or incapacitated…' Either phrasing satisfies the statute; absence of the magic words defaults the instrument to a non-durable POA that terminates on the principal's incapacity.
4

Healthcare Directive

Mo. Rev. Stat. §§404.800-404.872

Witnesses: None required

No witnesses required

Notarization: Required

Notarization is required for a valid healthcare directive

Document sections

Separate living will

State-specific notes

The Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care must be signed by the principal and acknowledged in the manner prescribed by law for conveyances of real estate (i.e., before a notary public). Mo. Rev. Stat. §404.705, incorporated into the DPOA-HC act by §404.810.
The DPOA-HC statute does not require attesting witnesses; a two-witness convention sometimes seen on Missouri Bar form drafts is a best practice, not a statutory mandate.
Mo. Rev. Stat. §404.815 disqualifies the attending physician, the physician's employee, and an owner, operator, or employee of the patient's health care facility from serving as agent unless related within the second degree by blood or marriage, or unless both the patient and the agent are members of the same religious community that conducts religious, charitable, or health care ministry.
5

Living Will Declaration

Mo. Rev. Stat. §§459.015, 459.016

Missouri's living-will declaration is a separate document from the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. The declaration directs the withholding or withdrawal of death-prolonging procedures; §459.015 sets out a sample form (optional) and requires the declaration to be signed in the presence of two or more witnesses age 18+ unless it is wholly handwritten by the declarant. Under §459.016, the Department of Health and Senior Services publishes the form on its website.

Both this document and the primary healthcare directive are generated for you. You can sign both in the same session.

Subscription

6 more documents with a subscription

$29/year unlocks the documents below alongside the four free ones above. Your answers and documents are saved privately to your account, encrypted in your browser, so you can revise them any time life changes.

Disposition of Remains Authorization

Names the agent who controls funeral, burial, or cremation decisions, with optional preferences.

HIPAA Authorization

Stand-alone PHI release that survives death for the period you specify, separate from the in-life authorization in your healthcare directive.

Nomination of Conservator

Pre-nominates the person you want a court to appoint if a conservator (or guardian of the estate) is ever needed.

Business Succession Declaration

Identifies your interests in any closely-held businesses and how they should be transferred or wound down.

Real-Estate Retitling Checklist

Step-by-step instructions for transferring real-property deeds into your trust so the trust actually controls those assets.

Letter of Instruction

Non-binding personal note to your executor and family: where to find documents, account access, funeral wishes, and other practical guidance.

Free vs. paid

Free
Paid
All 4 state-specific documents
State-specific signing guide
Download as PDF, print forever
Secure online storage
Covers real estate, business, digital, and funeral wishes
Disposition of remains authorization
Standalone HIPAA authorization
Nomination of conservator
Business succession declaration
Real-estate retitling checklist
Special needs trust provisions
Letter of instruction, pre-filled and editable
Edit anytime
Annual review reminder
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Electronic will status

Missouri has adopted electronic will legislation (2025). You may be able to create, sign, and witness a will electronically using approved methods.

Digital assets access

Missouri has adopted RUFADAA (2018). This is the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which lets your executor, trustee, or agent access your email, social media, cryptocurrency wallets, cloud storage, and other digital accounts after death or incapacity.

To take advantage of RUFADAA, your will, trust, or power of attorney must explicitly grant authority to access digital assets. Without explicit authorization, service providers can deny access even to a court-appointed executor.

Remote online notarization (RON)

Missouri authorized RON in 2020.

Will

Allowed

Trust

Allowed

POA

Allowed

Remote online witnessing (ROW)

Missouri allows remote online witnessing for all estate planning documents. Witnesses can observe your signing over a live video call instead of being physically present.

Will

Allowed

Trust

Allowed

POA

Allowed

HC Directive

Allowed

This information is general in nature and not legal advice. Laws change. Consult a licensed estate planning attorney in Missouri for guidance specific to your situation.

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