Clear Money Guide
What this state guide covers
A quick view of the questions, practical details and source notes below.
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Updated July 27, 2026. Quick answer (2026): Moving from California to Mississippi in retirement, you stop paying California income tax on retirement withdrawals. Four separate taxes change when you move — state income tax on withdrawals, state estate tax, state inheritance tax, and what probate costs your heirs. Most comparisons only price the first one.
California vs Mississippi: every tax that changes
| What changes | California (leaving) | Mississippi (arriving) |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | graduated to 13.3% (plus existing 1% mental health surtax included in that top rate; wages also face uncapped SDI, not relevant to retirement income) | flat 4% for 2026 (final cut under prior schedule; HB 1 of 2025 continues: 3.75% in 2027, then -0.25%/yr to 3% by 2030, with growth triggers toward elimination). First $10,000 of taxable income exempt. |
| Social Security | not taxed (excluded from CA AGI) | not taxed (fully exempt) |
| Pension / 401(k) / IRA | Pensions, 401(k), and IRA distributions fully taxable as ordinary income — no age-based exclusion or retirement deduction. | Fully exempt: all qualified retirement income — pensions (public/private), 401(k)/403(b), IRA distributions taken per plan terms (normal retirement), annuities. |
| Estate tax | none | none |
| Inheritance tax | none | none |
| Probate fee model | statutory-percentage | reasonable-fee |
| Probate filing fee | $435 first-filed petition for letters (Gov. Code §70650, Statewide Civil Fee Schedule); a few counties add local surcharges (~$435-$500). Note each side’s petition triggers the fee. | varies by county |
| Small-estate limit | $208,850 for deaths on/after April 1, 2025 (Cal. Prob. Code §§13100-13101, indexed triennially per §890; was $184,500 for deaths April 2022–March 2025). 40-day wait, personal property. Separately, AB 2016 (2024) allows a simplified §13151 petition for a primary residence up to $750,000 for deaths on/after April 1, 2025. | $75,000 (net of liens/encumbrances) — successor’s affidavit for personal property, Miss. Code §91-7-322 (raised from $50,000 in 2020); 30-day wait. Bank-account affidavit and muniment-of-title procedures also exist for narrow cases. |
Every cell is quoted from our statute-cited 51-jurisdiction dataset. Download the full dataset as CSV.
1. What changes on your annual tax bill
California taxes retirement withdrawals: Pensions, 401(k), and IRA distributions fully taxable as ordinary income — no age-based exclusion or retirement deduction. Mississippi does not. On a $100,000 annual withdrawal, the California bill is whatever its graduated to 13.3% (plus existing 1% mental health surtax included in that top rate; schedule produces; in Mississippi it is $0. Social Security is treated as follows — California: not taxed (excluded from CA AGI) Mississippi: not taxed (fully exempt)
2. What changes at death: state estate tax
Neither state levies an estate tax. California: none Mississippi: none Only the federal estate tax applies.
3. What changes at death: state inheritance tax
Neither state levies an inheritance tax. California: none Mississippi: none
Price the move against the rest of your money
A state-to-state comparison shows you which taxes change, not what to do about the accounts, the house and the timing sitting behind them, and an adviser can look at those together before a move is set in motion.
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4. The one nobody prices: what probate costs your heirs
California uses a statutory-percentage fee model (Cal. Prob. Code §10810 (attorney) and §10800 (PR) — identical schedules, each computed on gross estate value: 4% of first $100,000; 3% of next $100,000; 2% of next $800,000; 1% of next $9,000,000; 0.5% of next $15,000,000; court-determined reasonable amount above $25,000,000. E.g., $500,000 estate = $13,000 each for attorney and PR.); Mississippi uses a reasonable-fee model (Court’s discretion: ‘such sum as the court deems proper’ considering estate value/worth and difficulty of duties, plus necessary expenses including a reasonable attorney’s fee (Miss. Code §91-7-299). The old 1%-7% statutory guideline was removed by amendment; no percentage schedule today.). Filing fees — California: $435 first-filed petition for letters (Gov. Code §70650, Statewide Civil Fee Schedule); a few counties add local surcharges (~$435-$500). Note each side’s petition triggers the fee. Mississippi: varies by county
Full detail: probate cost by state and small-estate limits by state.
Will California still tax me after I move to Mississippi?
Not on your retirement withdrawals, once you genuinely change domicile — but that is a harder test than a change of address, and what you leave behind stays in reach.
- Domicile is a test, not a mailing address. A departing state can and does audit residency. Days present, voter registration, driver’s licence, where your doctors and advisers are, and where you keep what you value all count.
- A Roth conversion is taxed where you live in the year you convert. Sequencing a conversion after establishing the new domicile is often worth more than the annual saving — see how all 51 jurisdictions tax Roth conversions.
Full state detail
Every figure above is summarized. The complete statute-cited breakdown for each state: California retirement taxes and Mississippi retirement taxes. To compare any other pair, start at the retirement tax relocation hub.
Talking this through
Relocation timing, Roth conversion sequencing and estate exposure interact, and the order you do them in changes the total. If you want a second opinion, understand what it should cost first — see our advisor cost guide. If a move is genuinely on the table, here is what to look for in an advisor who knows both California and Mississippi.
Cite or share this comparison
Suggested citation: Clear Money Guide, “California to Mississippi Retirement Taxes (2026),” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/california-to-mississippi-retirement-taxes/. Free to cite with attribution. Download the full dataset as CSV, or contact contact@clearmoneyguide.com for custom cuts.
Primary sources
- FTB 2025 Schedule CA (540) instructions
- Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code (2025-26 budget trailer legislation)
- Miss. Code § 27-7-15(4)(k) (retirement income exclusion)
- HB 1 (2025), ‘Build Up Mississippi Act’
- Cal. Prob. Code §10810
- Cal. Prob. Code §10800
- Cal. Prob. Code §§13100-13101
- Cal. Gov. Code §70650
- Miss. Code §91-7-299
- Miss. Code §91-7-322
Methodology: every figure is quoted from Clear Money Guide’s statute-cited 51-jurisdiction datasets, compiled from state statutes, session laws and revenue-department publications and adversarially verified in July 2026. Nothing here is personalized tax or legal advice. Confirm your own facts with a qualified adviser before you move.