How Much Does Guardianship Cost in Missouri? Filing Fees, Attorney Costs, and Ongoing Expenses

The Total Range: $3,000 to $20,000+

Guardianship in Missouri isn't a single expense — it's a stack of costs that varies dramatically by county, attorney, and whether anyone in the family objects. An uncontested guardianship in a low-fee circuit might cost $3,000 all in. A contested case with sibling disputes in St. Louis or Jackson County can easily clear $15,000 to $20,000 before ongoing annual costs kick in.

Here's every line item.

Court Filing Fees

Missouri's probate courts set their own fee schedules, and the variation across circuits is significant:

• St. Louis County (21st Circuit): $115.50 base filing fee
• Jackson County (16th Circuit): $115.50 base filing fee
• Platte County (6th Circuit): $148.50
• Morgan County (26th Circuit): $200.00
• Barry County (39th Circuit): $358.50 (includes guardian ad litem deposit)

These are base filing fees for an initial guardianship or conservatorship petition. A combined guardianship and conservatorship petition is filed as a single proceeding; the county's fee schedule controls the applicable filing charge.

Sheriff and Process Server Fees

Your parent (the respondent) must be personally served with the petition and notice of hearing. This is a constitutional protection that can't be waived.

• County sheriff service: approximately $36 per person served (St. Louis County standard)
• Court-approved process server: fees vary, but typically $50 to $100 per service

All interested persons — your parent's spouse, parents, and adult children — must also receive copies via mail, though that cost is just postage.

Attorney Fees

This is the largest variable. Probate attorneys in Missouri typically charge for guardianship proceedings in one of two ways:

Uncontested cases: Flat fees or limited hourly engagements ranging from $2,500 to $5,000. This covers drafting and filing the petition, coordinating with the court-appointed attorney and GAL, preparing for the hearing, and attending the hearing itself.

Contested cases: Hourly billing at $200 to $500 per hour, with total fees of $7,500 to $20,000 or more depending on the complexity and number of hearings. Cases become contested when siblings file competing petitions, dispute who should serve as guardian, or challenge whether guardianship is necessary at all.

Court-appointed attorney for the respondent: The court must appoint independent defense counsel for your parent. In many circuits, this attorney's fee is paid from the proposed ward's estate. Typical fees range from $500 to $2,000 for an uncontested case.

Guardian Ad Litem (GAL): In contested cases, the court may appoint a GAL to investigate and report on the parent's best interests. GAL fees are also typically paid from the ward's estate and can add $1,000 to $3,000.

Background Screening Costs

Missouri requires proposed guardians to register with the Family Care Safety Registry (FCSR) and submit to fingerprint-based background and credit checks. The registration fee is $15 plus a small processing fee ($0.55 to $1.25).

Surety Bond (Conservatorship Only)

If you're also petitioning for conservatorship — authority over your parent's financial estate — the court will require you to post a corporate surety bond equal to the value of the parent's personal property (excluding real estate).

Bond premiums run approximately 0.5% of the total estate value annually. For a parent with $200,000 in savings and investments, that's roughly $1,000 annually for as long as the conservatorship remains active.

Ongoing Annual Costs

Guardianship and conservatorship don't end at the hearing. Annual obligations add recurring costs:

• Annual settlement filing fee (conservatorship): approximately $30 per year
• Attorney fees for annual settlement preparation: $500 to $1,500, depending on the estate's complexity
• Annual surety bond premium: continues for the life of the conservatorship
• Newspaper publication fees: some circuits may add $125 to $200 during the proceeding

What a DPOA Would Have Cost Instead

Properly executed durable financial and healthcare powers of attorney — covering both financial and healthcare authority — cost between $0 (using the Missouri Bar's free healthcare directive template plus a self-drafted financial DPOA) and $1,500 if you hire an elder law attorney to customize the documents.

Total ongoing cost: $0 per year. No court oversight, no bond, no annual settlements.

The difference between a $500 DPOA and a $10,000 guardianship comes down to timing. If your parent signs the documents while they still have capacity, you avoid the entire probate process. Once capacity is gone, the family may need a court-supervised guardianship or conservatorship, subject to the court's consideration of less restrictive alternatives.

Our Missouri Power of Attorney & Guardianship Kit covers both tracks — the DPOA execution protocol for families who still have a signing window, and the full guardianship filing workflow with a cost tracking spreadsheet for families who don't.

See more Missouri guides →