How to Form a Corporation in Mississippi

What you file in Mississippi

This page covers the state filing and the charges that follow it. For the procedural side — name availability, registered agent, bylaws and the federal EIN — see the formation guide and how to get an EIN, both of which apply to corporations as well as LLCs.

What it costs to incorporate and stay filed

State filing charges only. Corporate income tax and franchise tax are excluded — both depend on income or net worth, so no flat figure would be true for every corporation.

Mississippi is the 3rd cheapest of 49 states on the incorporation filing fee alone. Nationally the fee runs from $35 in Montana to $300 in Texas, averaging $113.06. It is a one-off charge, so over five years it is usually outweighed by the recurring report fee and any annual franchise or minimum tax.

States that are cheaper to incorporate in

A cheaper filing fee elsewhere rarely saves money if you actually operate in Mississippi. Every state sets its own threshold for what counts as transacting business, and where that threshold is met an out-of-state corporation is generally required to register as a foreign corporation — which would mean fees in both states rather than one. Whether it applies to you depends on facts this page cannot see, so check foreign qualification in Mississippi before incorporating elsewhere to save on the filing fee.

Mississippi corporation vs Mississippi LLC

State filing charges only. Corporate income tax and franchise tax are excluded because both depend on income or net worth, so no flat figure exists for either entity.

Both entities cost $50 to file in Mississippi, so the filing fee is not a reason to pick one over the other.

Full Mississippi LLC cost breakdown · LLC vs C-corp explained · LLC vs S-corp explained

State taxes a Mississippi corporation pays

Franchise or gross-receipts tax

Mississippi still imposes a corporate franchise tax, but it is mid-phase-out. It is computed on capital, capital surplus, undivided profits and true reserves employed in Mississippi in excess of $100,000 (or the assessed property value in the state, whichever is greater), at $0.50 per $1,000 for tax years beginning in 2026 and $0.25 per $1,000 for 2027, with a minimum tax of $25. The franchise tax is repealed effective January 1, 2028 (SB 2858, 2016; Miss. Code Ann. ss. 27-13-1, 27-13-5, 27-13-7, 27-13-67). There is no statutory maximum.

What these totals leave out: the filing-charge figures on this page are what you pay the business filing office. They exclude corporate income tax and any franchise or gross-receipts tax, because both depend on income, net worth or receipts. The section above sets out what Mississippilevies — or that it levies neither. Where a state's franchise tax carries a flat minimum, that minimum is an unavoidable annual cost these totals do not include, and over five years it can be the larger number.

C-corp return: Form 83-105, Mississippi Corporate Income and Franchise Tax Return (due the 15th day of the 4th month after the close of the accounting year)

Electing S-corporation status in Mississippi

Mississippi follows the federal S election. Full Mississippi S-corporation election guide.

Where these numbers come from