Mississippi Paycheck Calculator (Hourly)

How the Mississippi Paycheck Calculator Works

This Mississippi paycheck calculator hourly tool estimates your take-home pay by subtracting federal income tax, Mississippi state income tax (4.7% on income above $10,000 for 2026), and FICA (Social Security plus Medicare) from your gross earnings. Each component is calculated independently using current 2026 brackets, exemptions, and rates so you see exactly where each paycheck dollar goes.

The core formula:

Take-Home = Gross Pay - Federal Tax - Mississippi State Tax - Social Security - Medicare $$P_{\text{net}}=P_{\text{gross}}-T_{\text{fed}}-T_{\text{MS}}-T_{\text{SS}}-T_{\text{Med}}$$

Annual gross pay equals your hourly wage multiplied by hours per week multiplied by 52 weeks. To convert that annual figure into per-period amounts, divide by 52 for weekly, 26 for biweekly, 24 for semi-monthly, or 12 for monthly pay. If you want to test how an hourly rate maps to common annual salary benchmarks, use our salary calculator to translate between the two.

Federal income tax uses the 2026 progressive brackets. For a single filer, the first $11,925 of taxable income is taxed at 10%, income from $11,925 to $48,475 at 12%, income from $48,475 to $103,350 at 22%, income from $103,350 to $197,300 at 24%, income from $197,300 to $250,525 at 32%, and income from $250,525 to $626,350 at 35%. The 2026 standard deduction is $15,000 for single filers, $30,000 for married filing jointly, and $22,500 for head of household. Mississippi state tax starts by subtracting the standard deduction ($2,300 single, $4,600 married, $3,400 head of household) from gross income, then exempts the first $10,000 of taxable income and applies a flat 4.7% rate to everything above that. Social Security is 6.2% on wages up to $176,100, and Medicare is 1.45% with an additional 0.9% surtax on wages above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married).

Mississippi Hourly Paycheck Tax Breakdown

Mississippi's income tax structure is undergoing a historic transformation. The state's 2022 Tax Freedom Act set in motion a plan to phase out the state income tax entirely — a goal that, if achieved, would make Mississippi only the tenth state to operate with zero income tax on wages. For 2026, the rate stands at 4.7% on taxable income above $10,000 (after the standard deduction), but that is already down from 5% just two years ago, and scheduled reductions aim to bring it to 4.0% by 2029.

The $10,000 exemption is a meaningful benefit for lower-income workers. A single filer earning $30,000 with the $2,300 standard deduction has Mississippi taxable income of $27,700, but only the $17,700 above the $10,000 exemption is actually taxed at 4.7%, producing a state tax bill of $832. This means the effective Mississippi state tax rate on a $30,000 income is only about 2.8%, which is lower than flat-rate states like Michigan (4.25%) or even Indiana (3.0%) at the same income level. The exemption disproportionately benefits workers earning under $40,000, which includes a large share of Mississippi's workforce given the state's median household income of approximately $52,000 — the lowest in the nation.

Mississippi's economy is anchored by several distinct sectors that shape its hourly wage landscape. The military and defense sector is substantial: Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi employs over 13,000 military and civilian personnel, Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg is one of the largest military training facilities in the country, and Stennis Space Center on the Gulf Coast houses NASA and Navy testing operations. The gaming industry centered in Biloxi and Tunica generates thousands of hospitality and service jobs with hourly wages ranging from $10 for housekeeping to $25 for experienced dealers and pit supervisors. Poultry processing — Mississippi is the fifth-largest broiler chicken producer in the U.S. — employs roughly 25,000 workers at plants across central and south Mississippi at wages of $13 to $18 per hour. Automobile manufacturing has grown with the Nissan plant in Canton (over 5,000 employees) and Toyota in Blue Springs (over 2,000 employees), paying assembly workers $18 to $28 per hour.

Mississippi's greatest paycheck advantage is its cost of living, the lowest in the United States according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parity index. A $35,000 take-home salary in Mississippi has the purchasing power of roughly $42,000 in the national median and over $55,000 in a high-cost metro like San Francisco or New York. Median home prices in Jackson are around $175,000, in Hattiesburg around $195,000, and even along the Gulf Coast around $230,000 — all dramatically below national averages. This means Mississippi's lower nominal wages translate to competitive real wages when housing, groceries, and transportation are factored in.

Variable Definitions

Hourly Wage: Your gross pay per hour before any deductions. Mississippi hourly workers range from federal minimum wage ($7.25, which applies since Mississippi has no state minimum) to $12-$16 for poultry processing and warehouse workers, $15-$22 for casino and hospitality staff in Biloxi, $18-$28 for auto assembly workers at Nissan Canton or Toyota Blue Springs, $20-$32 for skilled trades and construction workers, and $35-$55 for registered nurses and specialized healthcare professionals at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Hours per Week: Total hours worked each week. Standard full-time is 40 hours. Mississippi follows federal overtime rules requiring 1.5x pay above 40 hours per week for non-exempt workers. Poultry processing plants commonly schedule 45 to 50 hour weeks during peak demand, and Nissan and Toyota plant workers may work mandatory overtime of 50 to 55 hours during production surges. Casino workers in Biloxi often work irregular schedules of 35 to 45 hours per week including nights and weekends.

Pay Frequency: How often you receive a paycheck. Weekly equals 52 paychecks per year, biweekly equals 26, semi-monthly equals 24, and monthly equals 12. Mississippi law requires that employers pay employees at least twice per month on scheduled paydays. Biweekly is the most common frequency for manufacturing and service workers. A $16/hour poultry plant worker at 40 hours per week earns $33,280 annually regardless of frequency, but per-paycheck gross is $640 weekly versus $1,280 biweekly versus roughly $1,387 semi-monthly.

Filing Status: Your federal tax filing status, which determines your standard deduction and bracket thresholds for both federal and Mississippi purposes. Single filers use the $15,000 federal standard deduction and a $2,300 Mississippi standard deduction. Married filing jointly uses $30,000 federal and $4,600 Mississippi. A single Jackson hospital worker earning $45,000 has federal taxable income of $30,000 and Mississippi taxable income of $32,700 (after the $2,300 deduction but before the $10,000 exemption), with only $22,700 subject to the 4.7% rate.

Pre-Tax Deduction: Percentage of gross pay contributed to 401(k), 403(b), traditional IRA, or HSA. Mississippi follows federal treatment, so each dollar contributed reduces both federal and Mississippi taxable income. For a Canton Nissan worker earning $52,000 contributing 6% ($3,120), federal tax savings of approximately $374 plus Mississippi savings of $147 total about $521 in annual tax savings. Mississippi does not have a state-sponsored 529 plan tax deduction, but the Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) program offers other benefits for education savers.

Worked Example 1: Mississippi Hourly Paycheck at $18/Hour

A single filer earning $18/hour, working 40 hours/week, biweekly pay, with a 3% pre-tax 401(k) contribution. This represents a typical poultry processing line worker in central Mississippi or a hotel housekeeper supervisor on the Gulf Coast:

1. Annual gross: $18 x 40 x 52 = $37,440
2. Pre-tax deduction: $37,440 x 3% = $1,123.20
3. Taxable gross: $37,440 - $1,123.20 = $36,316.80
4. Federal taxable income: $36,316.80 - $15,000 (standard deduction) = $21,316.80
5. Federal tax: ($11,925 x 10%) + ($9,391.80 x 12%) = $1,192.50 + $1,127.02 = $2,319.52
6. Mississippi taxable income: $36,316.80 - $2,300 (MS standard deduction) = $34,016.80
7. Mississippi taxable above exemption: $34,016.80 - $10,000 = $24,016.80
8. Mississippi state tax: $24,016.80 x 4.7% = $1,128.79
9. Social Security: $36,316.80 x 6.2% = $2,251.64
10. Medicare: $36,316.80 x 1.45% = $526.59
11. Total deductions: $1,123.20 + $2,319.52 + $1,128.79 + $2,251.64 + $526.59 = $7,349.74
12. Annual take-home: $37,440 - $7,349.74 = $30,090.26
13. Biweekly take-home: $30,090.26 / 26 = $1,157.32

Worked Example 2: Mississippi Hourly Paycheck at $45/Hour

A married filing jointly worker earning $45/hour, working 40 hours/week, biweekly pay, with an 8% pre-tax 401(k) contribution. This profile fits a senior engineer at Nissan's Canton assembly plant, a nurse practitioner at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, or a civilian project manager at Stennis Space Center:

1. Annual gross: $45 x 40 x 52 = $93,600
2. Pre-tax deduction: $93,600 x 8% = $7,488
3. Taxable gross: $93,600 - $7,488 = $86,112
4. Federal taxable income: $86,112 - $30,000 (married standard deduction) = $56,112
5. Federal tax: ($23,850 x 10%) + ($32,262 x 12%) = $2,385 + $3,871.44 = $6,256.44
6. Mississippi taxable income: $86,112 - $4,600 (MS married standard deduction) = $81,512
7. Mississippi taxable above exemption: $81,512 - $10,000 = $71,512
8. Mississippi state tax: $71,512 x 4.7% = $3,361.06
9. Social Security: $86,112 x 6.2% = $5,338.94
10. Medicare: $86,112 x 1.45% = $1,248.62
11. Total deductions: $7,488 + $6,256.44 + $3,361.06 + $5,338.94 + $1,248.62 = $23,693.06
12. Annual take-home: $93,600 - $23,693.06 = $69,906.94
13. Biweekly take-home: $69,906.94 / 26 = $2,688.73

This couple's effective Mississippi state rate is approximately 3.59% of gross income, below the 4.7% statutory rate thanks to the $10,000 exemption and $4,600 standard deduction. The 8% 401(k) contribution saves them roughly $898 in federal tax and $352 in Mississippi state tax annually. With Mississippi's low cost of living, their $69,907 take-home provides purchasing power equivalent to roughly $84,000 in a median-cost U.S. metro area.

Edge Cases and Advanced Scenarios

The $10,000 exemption and low-wage workers: Mississippi's structure of exempting the first $10,000 of taxable income is especially powerful for lower-wage workers. A single filer earning $20,000 with the $2,300 standard deduction has Mississippi taxable income of $17,700, but only $7,700 is taxed at 4.7%, producing a state tax bill of just $362 — an effective rate of only 1.8%. Compare this to a flat-tax state like Michigan (4.25% on income above the $5,400 exemption), where the same earner would owe roughly $621. As Mississippi's rate drops toward zero, this benefit becomes less relevant, but for 2026, workers earning under $30,000 benefit significantly from the exemption structure.

Gaming industry workers in Biloxi and Tunica: Mississippi's gaming industry, the third-largest in the nation after Nevada and New Jersey, employs roughly 18,000 workers along the Gulf Coast (Biloxi, Gulfport, Bay St. Louis) and in Tunica County in the Delta region. Dealers typically earn $10 to $14/hour base plus tips that can double their effective wage, while slot technicians earn $18 to $25/hour and supervisory positions pay $22 to $35/hour. Tip income is fully taxable for both federal and Mississippi purposes, but the $10,000 exemption means a dealer earning $30,000 in total compensation (wages plus tips) owes only about $833 in Mississippi state tax. Casino workers often face variable scheduling that makes annualized calculations less precise — averaging hours over a full quarter provides better estimates.

Military personnel at Keesler AFB and Camp Shelby: Active-duty military members stationed in Mississippi who are legal residents of another state do not owe Mississippi income tax under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Only those who claim Mississippi as their state of legal residence owe the 4.7% rate. A Mississippi-resident airman at Keesler AFB earning $42,000 in taxable military pay owes approximately $1,394 in state tax. However, military housing allowance (BAH) and subsistence allowance (BAS) are exempt from both federal and state income tax, which can represent $15,000 to $25,000 in additional tax-free compensation depending on rank and duty station. Military retirees in Mississippi pay zero state income tax on their retirement benefits.

DeSoto County commuters to Memphis: Mississippi's DeSoto County (Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake) is functionally part of the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area, with tens of thousands of residents commuting north to work in Tennessee. Since Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, these workers owe only Mississippi income tax — not Tennessee's. A DeSoto County resident earning $60,000 working in Memphis owes approximately $2,242 in Mississippi state tax. There is no reciprocal agreement needed because Tennessee simply does not tax wages. This arrangement makes DeSoto County attractive: workers get Mississippi's low cost of living and declining income tax rate while accessing Memphis's larger job market.

What to Do with Your Mississippi Paycheck Result

• Remember that Mississippi has no local income taxes, so your state-level tax liability is fully captured by this calculator. The result should closely match your actual pay stub for the income tax component.
• Take advantage of the declining rate schedule. If you are evaluating whether to stay in Mississippi versus moving to Tennessee (no tax), the gap narrows each year as Mississippi approaches its 4.0% target by 2029.
• If your taxable income is below $10,000 after the standard deduction, you owe zero Mississippi income tax. This applies to many part-time workers and seasonal employees.
• Use our federal income tax percentage calculator to check your effective federal tax rate and ensure your W-4 withholding aligns with your actual liability.

Related Calculators

• Alabama Paycheck Calculator (Hourly) — compare Mississippi's 4.7% flat-above-exemption rate with Alabama's progressive 2%-5% structure for Gulf Coast workers.
• Arkansas Paycheck Calculator (Hourly) — Arkansas tops at 3.9%, making it slightly lower than Mississippi's current rate for mid-to-high earners.
• Salary Calculator — convert between hourly and annual pay.
• Income Tax Calculator — estimate your total federal income tax liability.
• Federal Income Tax Percentage Calculator — find your effective federal tax rate.
• Paycheck Calculator by State — compare take-home pay across all 50 states and DC.