Updated July 27, 2026. Quick answer (2026): Moving from Wisconsin to Mississippi in retirement, you stop paying Wisconsin 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.
Wisconsin vs Mississippi: every tax that changes
| What changes | Wisconsin (leaving) | Mississippi (arriving) |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | graduated, four brackets 3.5% to 7.65% top rate (2025 Act 15 widened the 4.4% second bracket) | 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 (fully subtracted). | not taxed (fully exempt) |
| Pension / 401(k) / IRA | Taxable, but from TY2025 (2025 Act 15, signed July 3, 2025): taxpayers age 67+ may exclude up to $24,000 each ($48,000 MFJ if both spouses qualify) of income from qualified retirement plans and IRAs – no income test (replaced the old $5,000 income-tested 65+ subtraction). | 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 | hybrid | reasonable-fee |
| Probate filing fee | Statutory: $20 if property subject to administration ≤$10,000; otherwise 0.2% of the value of property subject to administration, less encumbrances (Wis. Stat. §814.66(1)(b)) — e.g., $600 on a $300,000 probate estate. Verified. | varies by county |
| Small-estate limit | $50,000 — transfer by affidavit for estates ≤$50,000 (Wis. Stat. §867.03, official form PR-1831). Verified via wicourts.gov. | $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
Wisconsin taxes retirement withdrawals: Taxable, but from TY2025 (2025 Act 15, signed July 3, 2025): taxpayers age 67+ may exclude up to $24,000 each ($48,000 MFJ if both spouses qualify) of income from qualified retirement plans and IRAs – no income test (replaced the old $5,000 income-tested 65+ subtraction). Mississippi does not. On a $100,000 annual withdrawal, the Wisconsin bill is whatever its graduated, four brackets 3.5% to 7.65% top rate (2025 Act 15 widened the 4.4% second bracket) schedule produces; in Mississippi it is $0. Social Security is treated as follows — Wisconsin: Not taxed (fully subtracted). Mississippi: not taxed (fully exempt)
2. What changes at death: state estate tax
Neither state levies an estate tax. Wisconsin: none Mississippi: none Only the federal estate tax applies.
3. What changes at death: state inheritance tax
Neither state levies an inheritance tax. Wisconsin: none Mississippi: none
4. The one nobody prices: what probate costs your heirs
Wisconsin uses a hybrid fee model (Personal representative commission is statutory (Wis. Stat. §857.05(2)): 2% of the inventory value of property (less mortgages/liens) plus net principal gains, or a rate agreed with the decedent/beneficiaries; court may add for extraordinary services. Attorney fees are ‘just and reasonable’ (Wis. Stat. §851.40 standard). Verified on docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.); 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 — Wisconsin: Statutory: $20 if property subject to administration ≤$10,000; otherwise 0.2% of the value of property subject to administration, less encumbrances (Wis. Stat. §814.66(1)(b)) — e.g., $600 on a $300,000 probate estate. Verified. Mississippi: varies by county
Full detail: probate cost by state and small-estate limits by state.
Will Wisconsin 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: Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin and Mississippi.
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Cite or share this comparison
Suggested citation: Clear Money Guide, “Wisconsin to Mississippi Retirement Taxes (2026),” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/wisconsin-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
- Wis. Stat. § 71.05(6)(b) as amended by 2025 Act 15
- WI DOR Wisconsin Tax Bulletin 230 (July 2025)
- WI DOR Publication 106 (Tax Information for Retirees)
- Miss. Code § 27-7-15(4)(k) (retirement income exclusion)
- HB 1 (2025), ‘Build Up Mississippi Act’
- Wis. Stat. §857.05(2)
- Wis. Stat. §867.03
- Wis. Stat. §814.66(1)(b)
- 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.