Paycheck Calculator Mississippi.
Mississippi's income tax is scheduled to disappear a little more every year. Here is where it stands for 2026.
Start with $69,450 after your 401(k) and health premium. Subtract the $2,300 standard deduction and the $6,000 personal exemption. That leaves $61,150 taxed at flat 4% on taxable income above $10,000.
Effective Mississippi rate: 2.95% of gross pay. Using 2026 rates.
The rate, and what it actually costs you
Mississippi taxes wage income at a flat 4% for 2026, down from 4.4% in 2025. The rate applies only to taxable income above $10,000, so the first $10,000 is taxed at zero.
That $10,000 band sits on top of the standard deduction and the personal exemption, which is the part most calculators handle badly. A single filer gets a $2,300 standard deduction and a $6,000 personal exemption, then the first $10,000 of what remains is untaxed. Stack them and roughly the first $18,300 of wages carries no Mississippi income tax at all.
The rate is still falling. The legislature set a schedule taking it to 3.75% in 2027, 3.5% in 2028, 3.25% in 2029, and 3% in 2030, with further reductions and a possible full phaseout if specific revenue triggers are met. Any Mississippi figure you read is a snapshot of a moving target, which is a good reason to check the tax year on whatever calculator you use.
What Mississippi takes instead
Despite the low headline rate, Mississippi takes slightly more of a middle income than Louisiana does. On a $75,000 salary with a 5% 401(k) and a $150 monthly health premium, Mississippi's effective state rate works out around 2.7% of gross against Louisiana's 2.3%. Louisiana's much larger standard deduction outweighs its lower rate.
That is the general lesson about state income tax comparisons: the headline rate tells you very little on its own. What matters is the rate together with the deductions and exemptions that come before it.
Mississippi has no state disability insurance withholding and no local income taxes, so the paycheck picture is federal tax, state tax, and FICA.
Because the rate drops on January 1 most years, your first paycheck of the new year should be slightly larger than your last one of the old year, with no other change. If it is not, your employer's payroll system may not have picked up the new rate yet, and it is worth asking.
Common questions
How much state income tax does Mississippi take?
Mississippi applies flat 4% on taxable income above $10,000. What you actually pay depends on the deductions that come first, which is why the effective rate is lower than the headline rate. Run your own salary through the calculator above to see the real figure.
Does my 401(k) contribution lower my Social Security and Medicare tax?
No, and this trips up most calculators. Traditional 401(k) contributions reduce your income tax but you still pay Social Security and Medicare on that money. Pre-tax health premiums work the other way: they come out before FICA is figured. Both rules are applied above.
Which tax year does this use?
Federal figures use the 2026 brackets, standard deduction, and Social Security wage base. State figures use 2026 rates, verified on 2026-08-15. Source: Tax Foundation, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026 (published 2026-02-17, statutes as of 2026-02-11).
Is this exact enough to plan around?
It is an estimate, and a careful one, but it models a straightforward wage earner taking the standard deduction. It does not handle itemised deductions, dependents, multiple jobs, head of household, self-employment income, or local income taxes. For anything with moving parts, talk to a tax professional.