Updated October 16, 2026. Quick answer: Missouri allows a private pension subtraction of up to $6,000 per taxpayer, phased out as income rises, and a separate public pension exemption; the statute defines retirement income to include “annuity, pension or retirement allowance shall be defined to include 401(k) plans”, and the documents do not name 403(b) or 457(b).
State retirement-income forms, line by line: Missouri Form MO-A.
Missouri at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| How the state treats 403(b) and 457(b) withdrawals | The documents read do not say whether these plans qualify |
| Do the state’s documents name these plans? | The documents read name neither 403(b) nor 457(b) plans |
| Retirement exclusion or credit | Private pension subtraction of up to $6,000 per taxpayer, phased out above $25,000 (single) or $32,000 (married filing combined); public pensions are exempt up to $47,633 on the 2025 worksheet |
| Public-employee pension rule | Yes, public pensions from a federal, state or local government have their own exemption |
| Rate in the documents read | 4.7% above $9,191 on the 2025 tax chart |
| Changed for 2026? | The documents read describe no 2026 change |
What the Missouri documents say
The MO-1040 instructions define the public side: “Public pensions are pensions received from any federal, state, or local government”. The private pension subtraction is the lesser of the pension amount and $6,000, and it phases out dollar for dollar above $25,000 for a single filer, $32,000 for married filing combined and $16,000 for married filing separately.
Section 143.124 of the Missouri statutes lists the retirement forms it covers, including “deferred compensation plans, self-employed retirement plans” as part of the same definition. The 2025 tax chart reads “$256 plus 4.7% of the excess over $9,191”.
Withholding and federal tax
Whether a state withholds is a separate rule: see state withholding on retirement withdrawals. Federal rules: 403(b) withdrawal rules and 457(b) withdrawal rules. The IRS says pension and annuity payments from a qualified employer plan have “all or some portion of the amounts you receive may be taxable”.
What the documents do not say
- The documents read never name 403(b) or 457(b) plans.
- The statute’s definition lists 401(k) plans and deferred compensation plans; whether a 403(b) or 457(b) falls within it is not stated in so many words.
Common mistakes
- Assuming Missouri’s rule for a 401(k) or IRA also covers a 403(b) or 457(b): read whether its documents name the plan.
Related: whether Missouri taxes 401(k) and IRA withdrawals, Missouri retirement taxes, whether Missouri taxes pensions, 403(b) withdrawal rules, 457(b) withdrawal rules, and state withholding on retirement withdrawals.
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Answer againSources
- 2025 Missouri Individual Income Tax Return Instructions (MO-1040 booklet incl. Form MO-A): https://dor.mo.gov/forms/MO-1040%20Instructions_2025.pdf
- Section 143.124 RSMo, Annuities, pensions, retirement benefits … Keogh plans, annuities from defined pension plans and IRAs: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=143.124
- Section 143.011 RSMo, Tax rates: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=143.011
- IRS Tax Topic 410, Pensions and annuities: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc410
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 16, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a tax professional or the state agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.