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Missouri court costs guide
Filing for divorce in Missouri costs County-set in court filing fees. This guide covers the verified filing fees for divorce, name change, general civil cases, and probate in Missouri — every figure from the official schedule or statute named at the foot of the page.
| Missouri at a glance | Figure |
|---|---|
| Court | Circuit Court |
| Divorce filing fee | County-set — Missouri filing deposits are set by each circuit court. Example (Jackson County, 16th Circuit): $144.50 dissolution of marriage filing deposit, excluding the service fee. |
| Name change filing fee | County-set. Example (Jackson County): $142.50 for a change of name. |
| Name-change publication | Required — Required — RSMo §527.290: give public notice at least 3 times in a newspaper published in the county where you reside, within 20 days after the court order. Not required if the petitioner is a victim of domestic violence, child abuse, or abuse by a family or household member. |
| General civil filing fee | County-set. Example (Jackson County): $112.50 circuit basic filing fee (associate civil $62.50). |
| Probate filing fee | Jackson County (16th Circuit): decedent's estates — testate $190.50 ($155.50 if the will was previously admitted), intestate $155.50. |
Filing fee + service + publication + certified copies is the real number. Stack all four for your state and procedure in the calculator.
Open the cost calculatorDivorce filing fees
County-set — Missouri filing deposits are set by each circuit court. Example (Jackson County, 16th Circuit): $144.50 dissolution of marriage filing deposit, excluding the service fee.
See the national picture — including the states where the fee is set county by county — in our divorce filing cost guide.
Name change: fee and publication
County-set. Example (Jackson County): $142.50 for a change of name.
Publication: Required — RSMo §527.290: give public notice at least 3 times in a newspaper published in the county where you reside, within 20 days after the court order. Not required if the petitioner is a victim of domestic violence, child abuse, or abuse by a family or household member.
Publication is the step readers most often get wrong, because the rule changed recently in several states. The full state-by-state picture is in our name change cost guide.
General civil filing fees
County-set. Example (Jackson County): $112.50 circuit basic filing fee (associate civil $62.50).
Probate court costs
Jackson County (16th Circuit): decedent's estates — testate $190.50 ($155.50 if the will was previously admitted), intestate $155.50.
How filing works in Missouri
- Prepare the petition or complaint for the Circuit Court — most Missouri courts publish the forms on their self-help pages.
- File with the clerk and pay the filing fee above. Keep the stamped copy; it is your proof of filing.
- Arrange service of process on the other party where the case requires it (divorce and general civil cases do; a name change usually does not).
- Complete any publication the rules require — for a Missouri name change: required.
- Attend the hearing or, in uncontested matters, submit the proposed decree for the judge's signature.
Worked total: what a divorce filing costs
Because the filing fee itself is not a single statewide figure in Missouri, a worked total would be a made-up number — we don't publish those. Budget the county filing fee from the note above, plus $50–$100 for service of process if the other party must be served, and confirm the filing fee with the clerk before you file.
Sources: 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County — Fees and Filing Deposits (2026) · RSMo §527.290 — Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.
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