Live in Mississippi, Work in North Carolina: Which State Taxes Your Paycheck?
Answer
North Carolina withholds and Mississippi credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in North Carolina by a Mississippi resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Mississippi resident return, which is why the North Carolina return has to be completed first.
Last verified
Without an agreement between Mississippi and North Carolina, the overlap is handled after the fact rather than prevented. That is why the filing order matters: the North Carolina figure is an input to the Mississippi return, so completing Mississippi first means doing it twice.
A Mississippi resident taxed by another state on the same income claims the credit for taxes paid to other states on Form 80-160. The credit is capped at the Mississippi tax on that income, so it removes the double tax but never refunds the excess when the other state charges more.
What you file
- 1Nonresident return · North CarolinaForm D-400 with Schedule PN
File the North Carolina nonresident return FIRST — you need the North Carolina tax figure before you can complete Mississippi.
- 2Resident return · MississippiForm 80-160
File a Mississippi resident return reporting all income, then claim the credit for tax paid to North Carolina. The credit is capped at what Mississippi would have charged on that same income, so if North Carolina taxes it at a higher rate the difference is not refunded.
The two states, side by side
| Mississippi | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes wages | Yes — flat | Yes — flat |
| Reciprocity partners | None | None |
| Convenience rule | No | No |
| Nonresident return | Form 80-205 | Form D-400 with Schedule PN |
| Credit for other-state tax | Form 80-160 | Form D-400TC |
| Nonresident safe harbour | None published | None published |
| Local income tax | No | No |
| Revenue department | Mississippi Department of Revenue | North Carolina Department of Revenue |
| Last verified |
The other direction
Reversing the commute does not always reverse the answer. Living in North Carolina and working in Mississippi gives:Both states — credit offsets the double tax.
Same two states, different situation
The withholding answer turns on how you are paid and where the work happens, not only on which two states are involved.
- Remote worker: Mississippi → North CarolinaHome state only
- 1099 contractor: Mississippi → North CarolinaHome state, plus the client state if you work there
- Moved mid-year: Mississippi → North CarolinaTwo part-year returns
Other Mississippi pairs
Questions people actually ask
I live in Mississippi and work in North Carolina. Which state takes the tax out of my paycheck?
North Carolina withholds and Mississippi credits. Without an agreement between them, both states are entitled to tax income earned in North Carolina by a Mississippi resident. The mechanism that stops you paying twice is the credit on the Mississippi resident return, which is why the North Carolina return has to be completed first.
Which state should my employer be withholding for?
North Carolina. The wages are sourced to North Carolina, so North Carolina withholding is correct and there is no Mississippi withholding to set up.
Will I end up paying tax twice on the same income?
Not twice over, but you will pay the higher of the two rates. Mississippi gives residents a credit for tax paid to North Carolina on the same income, claimed on Form 80-160. The credit is capped at the Mississippi tax on that income, so if North Carolina taxes it more heavily the excess is not refunded by either state.
How current is this?
The Mississippi and North Carolina rules on this page were last checked against Mississippi Department of Revenue and North Carolina Department of Revenue on 2026-08-07. We re-check the full grid every December after state legislative sessions close, and re-check the convenience-of-the-employer states quarterly because that is where the rules move fastest.
Sources
Every fact above comes from the revenue department that publishes the rule. We do not cite secondary summaries, and we do not restate a figure we could not find at source.
- Mississippi Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07
- North Carolina Department of Revenue — individual income taxaccessed 2026-08-07