What is different in Mississippi:
- Flat 4% income tax on wages — and scheduled to keep falling.
- No local income tax anywhere in the state.
- The 4% applies to wages after pre-tax deductions like a 401(k).
- Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare work exactly as in every other state.
What a Mississippi paycheck looks like at six salaries
Single filer, paid every two weeks, no 401(k) or other deductions, 2026 figures. Every number below comes from the same tested formulas the calculator above uses.
| Salary | Federal income tax | Social Security + Medicare | Mississippi tax | Take-home / year | Take-home / paycheck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $38,000 | $2,380 | $2,907 | $1,520 | $31,193 | $1,199.73 |
| $56,000 | $4,540 | $4,284 | $2,240 | $44,936 | $1,728.31 |
| $76,000 | $7,890 | $5,814 | $3,040 | $59,256 | $2,279.08 |
| $96,000 | $12,290 | $7,344 | $3,840 | $72,526 | $2,789.46 |
| $126,000 | $18,974 | $9,639 | $5,040 | $92,347 | $3,551.81 |
| $165,000 | $28,334 | $12,623 | $6,600 | $117,444 | $4,517.06 |
Worked example: $68,000, married, paid biweekly
Married filing jointly, paid every two weeks, 5% of salary to a traditional 401(k) — $130.77 per paycheck, $3,400 a year — in Mississippi.
- Taxable income: $68,000 − $3,400 401(k) − $32,200 standard deduction (married filing jointly) = $32,400.00.
- Federal income tax on that amount: $3,392.00 a year.
- Social Security: $4,216.00; Medicare: $986.00. The 401(k) does not reduce these.
- Mississippi state income tax: $2,584.00.
- Take-home: $68,000 − $3,400 − $3,392.00 − $4,216.00 − $986.00 − $2,584.00 = $53,422.00 a year, or $2,054.69 per biweekly paycheck.
Worked example: $17 an hour in Mississippi
A single worker earns $17.00 an hour for 40 hours a week: $17.00 × 40 × 52 = $35,360 a year before tax. After federal income tax ($2,063), Social Security ($2,192) and Medicare ($513) ($1,414 of Mississippi tax), take-home is $29,177 a year — about $1,122.21 per biweekly paycheck.
Mississippi vs Tennessee: $76,000
The same single worker earning $76,000, paid biweekly with no 401(k). Mississippi's 4% takes $3,040 a year; Tennessee takes $0.
| Mississippi | Tennessee (no income tax) | |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $7,890 | $7,890 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $5,814 | $5,814 |
| State income tax | $3,040 | $0 |
| Take-home per year | $59,256 | $62,296 |
The Tennessee worker keeps -$3,040 more per year than the Mississippi worker — about -$116.92 per paycheck. To compare every no-tax and flat-tax state side by side, see take-home pay by state. Also see our Tennessee paycheck calculator.
What Mississippi does not tax — and what it does
Mississippi's 4% is on a glide path down — lawmakers set it falling toward zero over the coming years, so the state line on this page will shrink with it. There is no local income tax. Mississippi leans on a 7% sales tax (no local add-ons) in the meantime.
What this page leaves out
Child and dependent credits, itemized deductions, health premiums, 401(k) contributions beyond the examples above, bonuses and overtime are not in the simplified calculator — the full paycheck calculator covers all of them, with Mississippi at its 4.0% flat rate. For exact figures use your employer's payroll system or the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
Sources and review
Brackets and standard deductions come from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32. The Social Security wage base comes from the Social Security Administration, and Mississippi’s 4.0% flat rate is confirmed by the Tax Foundation's 2026 state rates. Last reviewed September 2026. See our methodology for how every figure is checked.