Need to Know Tax › Mississippi
Mississippi · the numbers
Mississippi figures at a glance for 2026
Every Mississippi number for the 2026 return on one page: the rate and the zero bracket, the standard deduction and exemptions by filing status, the filing thresholds, the credits, the 529 deduction, the dates, and the handful of figures outside the income tax that a household meets. Each with a one-line note, and a short list of what changed from 2025.
By Charles Trautman, EA, editor
Need to Know Tax · written from Mississippi Department of Revenue sources, November 3, 2026; updated November 12, 2026 after the election · not yet reviewed by a Mississippi practitioner
Mississippi has fewer numbers than almost any return a filer will see, and only one of them changed for 2026: the rate on taxable income over $10,000 fell from 4.4% to 4.0%. Nothing on the Mississippi return is indexed to inflation. The standard deduction, the exemptions, the filing thresholds, the dependent care credit and the 529 deduction cap are fixed in statute and are the same figures the Department of Revenue published for 2025. The Department confirmed all of them in its General Information table posted January 7, 2026. The 2026 Form 80-100 instruction booklet had not been published as of early November 2026; the figures below come from the Department’s table and the 2025 booklet, and should be checked once against the 2026 booklet when it appears.
The core figures
| Item | 2025 | 2026 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate on taxable income over $10,000 | 4.4% | 4.0% | Falls to 3.75% in 2027 and 3.0% by 2030 under HB 1 of 2025 |
| Taxable income taxed at 0% | first $10,000 | first $10,000 | Per taxpayer; each spouse separately on a combined return |
| Starting point | Mississippi gross income | Mississippi gross income | Built line by line on Form 80-105; not federal AGI |
| Standard deduction, single or married filing separately | $2,300 | $2,300 | Statutory, not indexed |
| Standard deduction, married joint or combined | $4,600 | $4,600 | Also for a spouse who died during the year |
| Standard deduction, head of family | $3,400 | $3,400 | Requires at least one dependent |
| Exemption, single | $6,000 | $6,000 | Worth $240 of tax at 4.0% |
| Exemption, married joint or combined | $12,000 | $12,000 | Divisible between spouses on a combined return |
| Exemption, married filing separately | $6,000 | $6,000 | Each spouse |
| Exemption, head of family | $8,000 | $8,000 | Plus $1,500 for the dependent that qualifies you |
| Each dependent | $1,500 | $1,500 | Worth $60 of tax at 4.0% |
| Extra exemption, taxpayer or spouse 65 or older | $1,500 | $1,500 | Each; not for dependents |
| Extra exemption, taxpayer or spouse blind | $1,500 | $1,500 | Each; not for dependents |
| Retirement income and Social Security | Exempt in full | Exempt in full | No age test, no cap; early distributions (1099-R code 1 or 2) are taxable |
| Local income tax | None | None | No city, county or school district income tax |
Married couples may file joint or combined. Combined computes each spouse’s tax separately, which gives the household two $10,000 zero brackets; software picks whichever is lower.
Who must file
| Filing status | File if Mississippi gross income exceeds | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Single | $8,300 + $1,500 per dependent | The $2,300 standard deduction plus the $6,000 exemption |
| Married, joint or combined | $16,600 + $1,500 per dependent | Both spouses’ income together |
| Anyone with Mississippi withholding | Any amount | A return is the only way to get it back |
| Nonresident or part-year resident with Mississippi income | Any amount | Form 80-205 |
Retirement income and Social Security are not Mississippi gross income, so a retiree living on a pension, an IRA and Social Security, with no other income, is under the threshold and does not file.
The deduction and exemption by household
| Household | Deduction + exemptions | Tax saved |
|---|---|---|
| Single, under 65 | $8,300 | $332 |
| Single, 65 or older | $9,800 | $392 |
| Head of family, one child | $12,900 | $516 |
| Married joint, both under 65 | $16,600 | $664 |
| Married joint, both 65 or older | $19,600 | $784 |
| Married joint, two dependent children | $19,600 | $784 |
Tax saved assumes the household is above the $10,000 zero bracket after these subtractions. Because the Mississippi standard deduction is small, many filers who take the federal standard deduction do better itemizing on Mississippi Schedule A (Form 80-108); the taxes line carries a $40,000 limit ($20,000 married filing separately) and Mississippi income tax itself is never deductible.
Credits and deductions
| Item | Figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Earned income credit | None | No state EITC |
| Child tax credit | None | The $1,500 dependent exemption is the only child break |
| Child and dependent care credit | 25% of the federal credit | Only if federal AGI is $50,000 or less; nonrefundable, no carryover; Form 80-401 code 44 |
| Adoption credit | $10,000 per child adopted from Mississippi, $5,000 from elsewhere (verify) | From the year the adoption is final; 5-year carryforward; code 25 |
| Long-term care insurance credit | 25% of premiums, up to $500 per policy (verify) | Qualified policy; one-year carryover; code 27 |
| Qualifying Charitable Organization credit | Up to $1,200 single or head of family / $2,400 married joint | Pre-approval through the Department’s annual allocation; $1,000,000 shared statewide cap; 5-year carryforward; codes 34 and 35 |
| Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organization credit | Up to $1,500 / $3,000 | Same allocation and cap |
| Credit for tax paid to another state | Lesser of the other state’s tax or Mississippi tax on that income | Form 80-160; requires a copy of the other state’s return |
| MACS 529 deduction | $10,000 single or other / $20,000 joint | Contributions by April 15, 2027 without extension; Form 80-105 line 57 |
| MPACT prepaid tuition | Payments deductible in full | Line 56 |
| National Guard and Reserve pay | Up to $15,000 excluded per taxpayer | Line 55 |
| Refundable credits | None | Every Mississippi credit is nonrefundable |
At 4.0%, the dependent care credit is worth at most 25% of a federal credit that is itself capped; a family with $6,000 of care expenses and a $1,200 federal credit gets $300 from Mississippi if AGI is under $50,000, and nothing at $50,001. See Credits and breaks for Mississippi families.
Worked example: joint against combined for a two-earner couple
A married couple, both under 65, no dependents, each earning $50,000 of wages, standard deduction. The same income on a joint return and on a combined return.
| Joint | Combined: spouse A | Combined: spouse B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wages | $100,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Standard deduction | −$4,600 | −$2,300 | −$2,300 |
| Exemption ($12,000 split $6,000 each) | −$12,000 | −$6,000 | −$6,000 |
| Taxable income | $83,400 | $41,700 | $41,700 |
| First $10,000 at 0% | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Balance at 4.0% | $2,936 | $1,268 | $1,268 |
| Mississippi tax | $2,936 | $2,536 | |
The $400 difference is the second $10,000 zero bracket at 4.0%. Combined filing wins whenever both spouses have taxable income; software offers it on Form 80-105 as a filing status. In 2025 the same couple saved $440 at 4.4%; in 2027 the saving is $375.
Filing and payment dates
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| January 15, 2027 | Fourth 2026 estimated payment, Form 80-106 or TAP |
| April 15, 2027 | Form 80-105 and payment due; first 2027 estimated payment; extension payment on Form 80-106; last day for a 2026 MACS deduction |
| June 15, 2027 | Second 2027 estimated payment |
| September 15, 2027 | Third 2027 estimated payment |
| October 15, 2027 | Extended due date; Mississippi grants the federal extension with no state form if no tax is owed |
Estimated payments are required when withholding covers less than 80% of the year’s Mississippi tax and the tax is more than $200. Underpayment interest is 1/2% a month. The 2025 booklet states no prior-year safe harbor. Late payment draws interest of 1/2% a month plus a penalty of 1/2% a month up to 25%; failing to file costs 5% a month up to 25%, minimum $100. Details and the forms are in Mississippi calendar and forms.
Beyond the income tax
| Item | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Estate, inheritance and gift tax | None. No estate tax return for deaths on or after January 1, 2005 |
| Sales tax, general | 7%; almost no local add-on (Jackson 1%, Tupelo 0.25% (verify)) |
| Sales tax, groceries | 5% since July 1, 2025; first full year in 2026 |
| Sales tax, vehicles | 5%; prescription drugs exempt |
| Gasoline and diesel excise | 21 cents to June 30, 2026; 24 cents from July 1, 2026; 27 cents from July 1, 2027 |
| Casino winnings | 3% withheld at the casino is the final Mississippi tax; slot threshold $2,000 from January 1, 2026; losses not deductible |
| Homestead exemption, regular | Credit against tax on the first $7,500 of assessed value, up to $300 of tax |
| Homestead exemption, 65 or older or 100% disabled | First $7,500 of assessed value ($75,000 market, at 10% assessment) fully exempt; apply at the county assessor by April 1 |
| Reciprocal states for wages | None |
What changed from 2025
The rate: 4.4% to 4.0%. The only change on the return itself. Withholding tables on Form 89-350 moved to 4.0% on January 1, 2026.
Schedule A taxes line: $10,000 to $40,000. The 2025 Form 80-100 adopted the federal $40,000 limit ($20,000 married filing separately); it carries into 2026 (verify in the 2026 booklet).
Casino slot withholding threshold: $1,200 to $2,000, effective January 1, 2026.
Gasoline tax: 21 to 24 cents on July 1, 2026.
Everything else: unchanged. Deductions, exemptions, thresholds, credits, the 529 cap, the Guard exclusion, the sales tax rates, the homestead figures. No conformity to the federal tips, overtime, senior or car-loan deductions. No ballot measure on November 3, 2026.
Behind the scenes: why nothing moves
Mississippi writes its deduction and exemption amounts into the Code as dollar figures with no inflation adjustment, and the Legislature has chosen to spend its tax-cutting energy on the rate rather than the base. The $6,000 and $12,000 exemptions and the $2,300 and $4,600 standard deductions predate the 2022 rate reform and survived it untouched. The practical effect is a slow drift: each year inflation makes the fixed deductions worth a little less in real terms while the rate cut gives a little back. For a median household the rate cut wins by a wide margin. For a household near the $8,300 or $16,600 filing threshold, which has not risen in years, a cost-of-living raise can be what pulls them into filing.
What to bring
- Last year’s Form 80-105, to compare line by line
- Dates of birth for anyone 65 or older, for the extra $1,500 exemption
- Property tax and mortgage interest records, to test Mississippi Schedule A against the small standard deduction
- MACS or MPACT contribution statements
- The federal Form 2441 figures and federal AGI, for the dependent care credit test
- Allocation approval letters for any QCO or QFCCO charitable credit
- Estimated payment confirmations from TAP
Questions people ask
What is the Mississippi income tax rate for 2026?
0% on the first $10,000 of taxable income and 4.0% on the rest. It was 4.4% for 2025 and will be 3.75% for 2027.
What is the Mississippi standard deduction for 2026?
$2,300 single or married filing separately, $4,600 married joint or combined, $3,400 head of family. Unchanged from 2025. You may itemize on Mississippi Schedule A instead even if you took the federal standard deduction.
How much is a dependent worth on the Mississippi return?
A $1,500 exemption, which saves $60 of tax at 4.0%. There is no state child tax credit and no state earned income credit.
Does Mississippi have a 529 deduction?
Yes. Contributions to MACS, the state’s 529 plan, are deductible up to $10,000 a year on a single return and $20,000 on a joint return, for contributions made by April 15, 2027. MPACT prepaid tuition payments are deductible in full.
Is there an estate tax?
No estate tax, no inheritance tax, no gift tax. Only the federal rules apply.
Which figures should I double-check when the 2026 booklet comes out?
Two: that the Schedule A taxes limit is still $40,000, and that no deduction or exemption amount changed. Nothing else on this page depends on a figure the Department has not already published.
One rate, one zero bracket, nothing indexed
Multiply last year’s Mississippi tax by 0.91 and you have this year’s, give or take a few dollars.
Written by Charles Trautman, EA, editor · Need to Know Tax, Lone Tree, Colorado
Questions about this article in Mississippi are answered by [your practice name] · [your phone] · [your email address]. We’re looking for an EA or CPA in each Mississippi city to hold that city’s seat and take this spot — is that you?
An invitation to Mississippi EAs and CPAs
These Mississippi pages were written by the editor from the Mississippi Department of Revenue’s own publications, and they need a Mississippi practitioner’s eye. One enrolled agent or CPA in each Mississippi city holds that city’s seat: reads these pages before the filing season and is credited as a reviewer, is named on every page of their city’s edition, and answers its readers’ questions. $1,000 for the 2026 season, the charter price. Take your city’s seat (a two-minute form and a card), tell us you’re interested, write to editor@needtoknowtax.com, or read how it works.
Forms and official pages named in this article
Sources and where to check
- Mississippi DOR: Individual Income Tax General Information (posted January 7, 2026)
- Mississippi DOR: 2025 Form 80-100 instructions, including estimated tax rules, penalties and the Schedule A taxes limit
- Mississippi DOR: Withholding on Mississippi gaming winnings (December 23, 2025)
- Mississippi DOR Notice 72-25-03: 5% grocery sales tax from July 1, 2025
- Mississippi DOR: Make online tax payments (TAP, estimated payments, no fee)
- Bloomberg Tax: Mississippi DOR issues information on 2026 rates, exemptions, deductions