Who Should File?
You should file a Mississippi Income Tax Return if any of the following statements apply to you:
- You have Mississippi Income Tax withheld from your wages.
- You are a Non-Resident or Part-Year Resident with income taxed by Mississippi.
- You are a Mississippi resident employed in a foreign country on a temporary or transitory basis. Your total gross income is subject to Mississippi Income tax.
- You are a Mississippi resident working out of state (employee of interstate carriers, construction worker, salesman, offshore worker, etc.). You must file a Mississippi Resident return and report total gross income, regardless of the source.
- You are a single resident and have gross income in excess of $8,300 plus $1,500 for each dependent.
- You are a married resident and you and your spouse have gross income in excess of $16,600 plus $1,500 for each dependent.
- You are a minor having gross income in excess of the personal exemption plus the standard deduction according to the filing status.
- You are the survivor or representative of a deceased taxpayer. You must file a return for the taxpayer who died during the tax year or before the return was filed. A return for the deceased taxpayer should be filed on the form which would have been appropriate had he or she lived. Enter the word "deceased" and the date of death after the decedent's name on the return.
Exemptions
Mississippi allows certain exemption amounts depending upon your filing status and other criteria. Below is listed a chart of all the exemptions allowed for Mississippi Income tax.
| Married Filing Joint or Combined* | $12,000 | ||
| Married Spouse Deceased | $12,000 | ||
| Married Filing Separate* | $ 6,000 (exactly 1/2 of the $12,000) | ||
| Head of Family | $ 8,000 (with at least 1 dependent) | ||
| Single | $ 6,000 | ||
| Dependent, other than self or spouse** | $ 1,500 | ||
| Taxpayer over 65 | $ 1,500 | ||
| Spouse over 65 | $ 1,500 | ||
| Taxpayer blind | $ 1,500 | ||
| Spouse blind | $ 1,500 |
*For Married Filing Joint or Combined returns, the exemption amount may be divided between the spouses in any matter they choose. For Married Filing Separate, any unused portion of the $6,000 exemption amount by one spouse on his/her separate return cannot be used by the other spouse on his/her separate return.
**For each dependent claimed, you must provide the name, social security number and relationship of that dependent to you. A dependent is a relative or other person who qualifies for federal income tax purposes as a dependent of the taxpayer. A dependency exemption is not authorized for yourself or your spouse. If you have filed as Head of Family, you must have at least one qualifying dependent listed.
Deductions
You may choose to either itemize individual non-business deductions or claim the standard deduction for your filing status, whichever provides the greater tax benefit. Mississippi allows you to use the same itemized deductions for state income tax purposes as you use for federal income tax purposes with one exception: Mississippi Income Taxes are not deductible on your itemized deduction schedule requiring that an adjustment be made for that exception. Mississippi does allow certain deduction amounts depending upon your filing status. Below is listed a chart of all the exemptions allowed for Mississippi Income Tax.
| Married Filing Joint or Combined | $ 4,600 | ||
| Married Spouse Deceased | $ 4,600 | ||
| Married Filing Separate | $ 2,300 (exactly 1/2 of the $4,600) | ||
| Head of Family | $ 3,400 | ||
| Single | $ 2,300 |
For Married Filing Joint or Combined returns, the $4,600 standard deduction amount or the itemized deduction amount may be divided between the spouses in any matter they choose. For Married Filing Separate, any unused portion of the $2,300 standard deduction amount by one spouse on his/her separate return cannot be used by the other spouse on his/her separate return.
Tax Rates
Mississippi has a graduated tax rate. These rates are the same for individuals and businesses. There is no tax schedule for Mississippi income taxes.
The graduated 2023 income tax rate is:
- 0% on the first $10,000 of taxable income.
- 5% on the remaining taxable income in excess of $10,000.
Tax Rates for Tax years 2024-2026:
The 4% rate is eliminated for tax year 2024 and forward.
| Tax Year 2024 | Excess of $10,000 of Taxable Income is taxed @ 4.7% |
| Tax Year 2025 | Excess of $10,000 of Taxable Income is taxed @ 4.4% |
| Tax Year 2026 | Excess of $10,000 of Taxable Income is taxed @ 4% |
If filing a combined return (both spouses work), each spouse can calculate their tax liability separately and add the results.
Example:
In 2023, John is single and has taxable income of $23,000. His 2023 tax liability will be:
$10,000 X 0% = $0
$13,000 X 5% = $650
Total Tax Liability = $650
If John marries Mary, who has taxable income of $40,000. Their 2023 tax liability will be:
Taxpayer + Spouse = Total X Tax Rate = Tax Liability
$10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000 X 0% = $0
$13,000 + $30,000 = $43,000 X 5% = $2,150
Total Tax Liability = $2,150