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Mississippi state tax

4 min read


4 min read


Editor’s Note: Do you earn income in Mississippi? Learn more about MS income tax, including who pays, how to prepare a state return, and how to itemize state deductions here.

Mississippi tax

Mississippi income tax is levied by the state on the income you earn within a tax year in Mississippi or income earned while you are a resident of Mississippi. State income taxes vary by state and are a percentage of income that you pay to the state government. Similar to federal taxes, they are self-assessed.

The state of Mississippi imposes a state level income tax. Read on to learn more about Mississippi tax details, like Mississippi income tax due dates, rates, and more.

Who pays Mississippi tax?

If you earn an income or live in Mississippi, you must pay Mississippi income taxes. As a traditional W-2 employee, your Mississippi taxes will usually be withheld and deposited from each paycheck automatically. You will see this on your paycheck stub, near or next to the federal taxes.

If you work remotely, you should pay taxes to the state in which the work is performed. Employees will generally also pay taxes on wages paid to these workers to the same state, even if the employer has no physical presence in that state. However, some states may require that workers are taxed based on their employer’s location. These rules may change if you are working from home due to COVID.

How do you pay Mississippi state taxes?

To pay Mississippi state taxes, visit the Mississippi revenue website.

How much should you pay in Mississippi state tax?

The Mississippi state tax rate is graduated and are the same for individual filers as well as businesses.

The tax rates are as follows:

  • 0% on the first $2,000 of taxable income
  • 3% on the next $3,000 of taxable income
  • 4% on the next $5,000 of taxable income
  • 5% on all taxable income over $10,000

When are Mississippi state income tax returns due?

The MS tax deadline coincides with the federal tax deadline, which typically is on April 15, unless it falls on a weekend or deemed otherwise by the IRS.

How do you check the status of your MS tax refund?

If you want to make sure your MS taxes were paid, you can do so in a number of ways:

  1. Online on the Mississippi Website here: Refund Status
  2. You may also call the automated refund line at 601-923-7801

Deducting Mississippi income taxes

If you pay Mississippi income tax, the IRS allows you to claim a deduction on your federal tax return for them. You can claim a state income tax deduction if you itemize deductions on your federal return.

To determine if you should itemize your deductions, add up your calendar-year deductible expenses, including your state income tax expense, to see if the total is greater than the standard deduction amount for your filing status. So, if you pay more than $12,400 (as a single individual) in state income taxes and other itemized deductions, then consider itemizing.

Because of to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, state and local tax deductions are limited to $10,000 per year ($5,000 for married filing separately).

What about Mississippi retirement taxes?

Mississippi exempts all forms of retirement income from taxation and has low property taxes and moderate sales taxes, thus making it an ideal place to retire.

More help with MS state tax

Understanding your tax obligation and potential federal deductions you can take. What’s even more time-intensive is how to deduct MS state tax from your federal taxes as an itemized deduction.

So, get help with H&R Block Virtual! With this service, we’ll match you with a tax pro with Mississippi tax expertise. Then, you will upload your tax documents, and our tax pros will do the rest! We can help with your MS taxes, including federal deductions for paying state taxes.

Prefer a different way to file? No problem – you can find Mississippi state tax expertise with all of our ways to file taxes.

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