Mississippi Code

Miss. Code Ann. § 27-7-53 (2026)

Delinquent taxes; failure to file return

✓ current as of July 2026

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(1)
- (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, if a return is timely filed by the taxpayer but the tax due is not paid, the commissioner shall make his assessment of tax due by mail or by personal delivery of the assessment to the taxpayer, which assessment shall constitute notice and demand for payment. The taxpayer shall be given a period of sixty (60) days from the date the commissioner mailed or hand delivered the notice in which to pay the tax due, including penalty and interest as hereinafter provided, and if the sum is not paid within the period of sixty (60) days, the commissioner shall proceed to collect it under the provisions of Sections 27-7-55 through 27-7-67 of this article; provided that within the period of sixty (60) days the taxpayer may appeal to the Board of Review as provided by law.
- (b)
  - (i) If an individual return is timely filed by the taxpayer and the amount of tax liability (determined without regard to interest, penalties, additions to the tax and additional amounts) of the taxpayer exceeds Seventy-five Dollars ($75.00) but does not exceed Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00), the taxpayer may request to pay the tax liability through an installment agreement.
  - (ii) If an individual return is timely filed by the taxpayer and the amount of tax liability (determined without regard to interest, penalties, additions to the tax and additional amounts) of the taxpayer exceeds Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00) and the taxpayer has entered into an installment agreement with the Internal Revenue Service to pay federal income taxes on income earned during the same taxable year during which the state income tax liability was incurred, the taxpayer may request to pay the tax liability through an installment agreement.
  - (iii) The taxpayer must file such a request with the return and must provide all information required by the commissioner.
  - (iv) If the commissioner determines a taxpayer is financially unable to pay the tax liability, the commissioner may enter into an agreement to accept payment of the tax liability in installments if:
    - 1. The taxpayer (and the taxpayer's spouse if the tax liability relates to a joint return), during any of the preceding five (5) years, has not:
      - a. Failed to file any return required by this chapter,
      - b. Failed to pay any tax required by this chapter, or
      - c. Entered into an installment agreement under this paragraph (b);
    - 2. The agreement requires full payment of the tax liability in equal installments within twelve (12) months from the date the return was filed if the tax liability falls within the provisions of subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, or within sixty (60) months from the date the return was filed if the tax liability falls within the provisions of subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph; and
    - 3. The taxpayer agrees to comply with the terms of the agreement.
  - (v) Payments made through an installment agreement shall be subject to the interest provisions of subsection (3) of this section.
  - (vi) The commissioner may terminate an installment agreement entered into under this paragraph (b) if he determines the taxpayer provided inaccurate or incomplete information before the agreement was entered into or he believes the collection of the tax to which the agreement relates is in jeopardy.
  - (vii) The commissioner may modify or terminate an installment agreement entered into under this paragraph (b) if the taxpayer fails to:
    - 1. Pay any installment due under the agreement;
    - 2. Pay any other tax liability due under this chapter when the liability is due; or
    - 3. Provide a statement of financial condition required by the commissioner.

(2) If no return is made by a taxpayer required by this chapter to make a return, the commissioner shall determine the taxpayer's liability from the best information available, which determination shall be prima facie correct for the purpose of this article, and the commissioner shall forthwith make an assessment of the tax so determined to be due by mail or by personal delivery of the assessment to the taxpayer, which assessment shall constitute notice and demand for payment. The taxpayer shall be given a period of sixty (60) days from the date the commissioner mailed or hand delivered the notice in which to pay the tax due, including penalty and interest as hereinafter provided, and if the sum is not paid within the period of sixty (60) days, the commissioner shall proceed to collect it under the provisions of Sections 27-7-55 through 27-7-67 of this article; provided that within the period of sixty (60) days the taxpayer may appeal to the Board of Review as provided by law.

(3)
- (a) Interest at the rate of one percent (1%) per month, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, from the due date of the return may be added or assessed in addition to the tax due as provided in subsections (1) and (2) of this section.
- (b) For taxes assessed by the commissioner on or after January 1, 2015, the rate of any interest assessed under this section shall be:
  - (i) Nine-tenths of one percent (9/1₀ of 1%) per month for such taxes assessed on or after January 1, 2015, and before January 1, 2016;
  - (ii) Eight-tenths of one percent (8/1₀ of 1%) per month for such taxes assessed on or after January 1, 2016, and before January 1, 2017;
  - (iii) Seven-tenths of one percent (7/1₀ of 1%) per month for such taxes assessed on or after January 1, 2017, and before January 1, 2018;
  - (iv) Six-tenths of one percent (6/1₀ of 1%) per month for such taxes assessed on or after January 1, 2018, and before January 1, 2019; and
  - (v) One-half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) per month for such taxes assessed on or after January 1, 2019.

(4) In case of failure to file a return as required by this chapter, there may be added to the amount required to be shown as tax on the return a penalty of five percent (5%) of the total amount of the deficiency or delinquency of the tax if the failure is for not more than one (1) month, with an additional five percent (5%) for each additional month or fraction thereof during which the failure continues, not to exceed twenty-five percent (25%) in the aggregate. The failure to file a return penalty shall not be less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00).

(5) In case of failure to pay the amount shown as tax on any return specified in subsections (1) and (2) of this section on or before the date prescribed for payment of the tax, determined with regard to any extension of time for payment or installment agreement, or both, there may be added to the amount shown as tax on the return one-half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) of the total amount of the deficiency or delinquency of the tax if the failure is for not more than one (1) month, with an additional one-half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) for each additional month or fraction thereof during which the failure continues, not to exceed twenty-five percent (25%) in the aggregate.

Codes, 1942, § 9220-26; Laws, 1934, ch. 120; Laws, 1938, ch. 116; Laws, 1942, ch. 134; Laws, 1944, ch. 123, § 1; Laws, 1948, ch. 438, § 1; Laws, 1952, ch. 402, § 25; Laws, 1958, ch. 554, § 8; Laws, 1966, ch. 632, § 2; Laws, 1971, ch. 512, § 3; Laws, 1978, ch. 341, § 2; Laws, 1979, ch. 427, § 6; Laws, 1986, ch. 393, § 7; Laws, 1991, ch. 524, § 8; Laws, 1992, ch. 407, § 2; Laws, 1995, ch. 346, § 3; Laws, 2002, ch. 414, § 2; Laws, 2005, ch. 414, § 2; Laws, 2005, ch. 499, § 13; Laws, 2009, ch. 492, § 44; Laws, 2010, ch. 387, § 1, eff. 7/1/2010.

Amended by Laws, 2014, ch. 476, HB 799, 5, eff. 1/1/2015.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 6 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1999–2025 · leading case: Robert L Williams, Jr. v. Ed Morgan, 201 So. 3d 1073 (Miss. Ct. App. 2016).

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Robert L Williams, Jr. v. Ed Morgan, 201 So. 3d 1073 (Miss. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 4× “” Miss. Code Ann. § 27-7-53 (1) (Rev. 1991).”

Blalock v. Mississippi Dep't of Revenue (In re Blalock), 537 B.R. 284 (Bankr. S.D. Miss. 2015). · cites it 2× “The Debtor was audited for these income tax periods and issued the Income Tax Assessments pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. § 27-7-53 (2) which states, in pertinent part: If no return is made by a taxpayer required by this chapter to make a return, the commissioner shall determine the…”

Mississippi State Tax Comm'n v. Lambert (In Re Lambert), 194 F.3d 679 (5th Cir. 1999). “13 Applying these considerations to the case at bar, it is abundantly manifest that Mississippi’s fixed 12% annual rate required by Miss.Code Ann. § 27-7-53(3) is not the appropriate rate of interest for deferred taxes under 11 U.”

Watson v. Mississippi Dep't of Revenue (In re Watson), 556 B.R. 757 (Bankr. S.D. Miss. 2016). “” 15 Miss. Code Ann. §§ 27-7-53 (1)(a), 27-7-53(2) (2015).”

Billy G. Parrott Jr., Santa's Tree Land & Wholesale Fireworks, LLC, & Karen Parrott & Billy Parrott Jr., Individually v. Herb Frierson, In His Off. Capacity as The Comm'r of the Mississippi Dep't of Revenue & Mississippi Dep't of Revenue (Miss. Ct. App. 2025). “Miss. Code Ann. § 27-7-53 (5) (Rev. 2017) (emphasis added).”

Mississippi State Tax Comm'n v. Lambert, 194 F.3d 679 (5th Cir. 1999). “As applied in the instant ease, the question is whether Lambert must pay post-petition interest at the 12% annual rate required by Miss.Code Ann. § 27-7-53(3), or the recognized market rate.”

— Miss. Code Ann. § 27-7-53(3) — 2 cases

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