State retirement taxes · 2026
Does Missouri tax retirement income?
Short answer: Partly. Missouri fully exempts Social Security for anyone 62 or older or on Social Security disability; younger recipients can be taxed. Public pensions are exempt up to $47,633 per person (2025); private pensions and IRAs get only $6,000, and only at low incomes.
What’s taxed in Missouri
2026 rules.
- Social SecurityPartly taxed
- Missouri fully exempts Social Security for anyone 62 or older or on Social Security disability; younger recipients can be taxed.
- PensionsPartly taxed
- Public pensions are exempt up to $47,633 per person (2025 cap); private pensions get at most $6,000, and only at lower incomes.
- IRA & 401(k) withdrawalsPartly taxed
- IRA and 401(k) withdrawals count as private pension income: up to $6,000 per person is exempt under the income limits; the rest is taxed.
- Military retirement payNot taxed
- Military retirement pay is 100% subtracted.
- Income tax rate4.7% top
- Eight brackets, the same for all filing statuses: 0% up to $1,348 of taxable income, rising in half-point steps to 4.7% above $9,436 (2026 withholding formula).
Does Missouri tax Social Security?
Missouri fully exempts Social Security for anyone 62 or older or on Social Security disability; younger recipients can be taxed.
Since 2024, 100% of taxable Social Security is deductible with no income limit — but only if you are 62 or older or receiving Social Security disability benefits. Filers 62–64 must check the “Age 62 through 64” box or the deduction is disallowed. A non-disabled recipient under 62 (for example, a survivor) doesn’t qualify.
Your federal return is a separate question — see how much of your benefit the IRS taxes with the taxable Social Security calculator.
Are pensions taxed in Missouri?
Public pensions are exempt up to $47,633 per person (2025 cap); private pensions get at most $6,000, and only at lower incomes.
Public pensions (federal, state or local): exempt up to the maximum Social Security benefit — $47,633 per person for 2025 — minus any Social Security or disability deduction you claim. Private pensions: up to $6,000 per person, but only if income (not counting taxable Social Security) is under $25,000 single or head of household, $32,000 joint or $16,000 separate; the exemption drops $1 for each $1 over. The 2026 public pension cap is not yet published.
Public vs. private pensions: Public pensions: up to $47,633 per person (2025). Private pensions: up to $6,000, income-limited.
Are IRA and 401(k) withdrawals taxed in Missouri?
IRA and 401(k) withdrawals count as private pension income: up to $6,000 per person is exempt under the income limits; the rest is taxed.
The limits are $25,000 single, $32,000 joint and $16,000 separate (not counting taxable Social Security), with the exemption reduced $1 for each $1 over.
Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are IRA and 401(k) withdrawals, so the same rules apply. Estimate your RMD.
Is military retirement pay taxed in Missouri?
Military retirement pay is 100% subtracted.
What is Missouri’s income tax rate?
8 brackets, topping out at 4.7%.
Eight brackets, the same for all filing statuses: 0% up to $1,348 of taxable income, rising in half-point steps to 4.7% above $9,436 (2026 withholding formula). Since 2025, 100% of capital gains can be subtracted.
2026 brackets. Each rate applies to taxable income above the amount shown.
| All filers | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 | 0% |
| $1,348 | 2% |
| $2,696 | 2.5% |
| $4,044 | 3% |
| $5,392 | 3.5% |
| $6,740 | 4% |
| $8,088 | 4.5% |
| $9,436 | 4.7% |
2026 thresholds come from the Department of Revenue’s 2026 withholding formula; the 2026 return tables are not yet published.
Standard deduction and exemptions
Missouri uses the federal standard deduction — $16,100 single, $32,200 joint and $24,150 head of household for 2026 — including the federal extra amount for 65+. The federal $6,000 senior deduction and the tips and overtime deductions can’t be claimed on the Missouri return. No personal exemption.
What tax breaks do seniors get in Missouri?
The Social Security deduction at 62+, the public and private pension exemptions and the federal 65+ standard deduction add-on. The Senior Property Tax Credit expands from 2026 with higher income limits and credit amounts, now indexed.
What changed for 2026?
SB 190 (2023) made the Social Security deduction 100% from 2024. HB 594 (2025): a 100% capital gains subtraction from 2025 and a bigger Senior Property Tax Credit from 2026. HB 754 (2025): a subtraction for gains on specie and legal tender from 2026. Amendment 5, which would have phased out the income tax, was rejected by voters on August 4, 2026.
2026 rates come from the Department of Revenue’s 2026 withholding formula; pension caps from the 2025 instructions.
What we couldn’t confirm
- Missouri’s 2026 public pension cap is not yet published; we show the 2025 cap. 2026 brackets come from the withholding formula, not a 2026 return.
How Missouri compares with its neighbors
Thinking of moving across the line? Here’s how each bordering state treats retirement income in 2026.
- MissouriThis pageFriendlySocial Security Partly taxedTop rate: 4.7% top
- ArkansasFriendlySocial Security Not taxedTop rate: 3.7% top
- IllinoisVery friendlySocial Security Not taxedTop rate: 4.95% flat
- IowaVery friendlySocial Security Not taxedTop rate: 3.8% flat
- KansasFriendlySocial Security Not taxedTop rate: 5.58% top
- KentuckyVery friendlySocial Security Not taxedTop rate: 3.5% flat
- NebraskaFriendlySocial Security Not taxedTop rate: 4.55% top
- OklahomaFriendlySocial Security Not taxedTop rate: 4.5% top
- TennesseeTax-free retirement incomeSocial Security Not taxedTop rate: None
State tax is half the picture — check the federal side
Missouri retirement tax questions
Is Missouri tax-friendly for retirees?
We rate Missouri “Friendly” for 2026. Missouri fully exempts Social Security for anyone 62 or older or on Social Security disability; younger recipients can be taxed. Public pensions are exempt up to $47,633 per person (2025); private pensions and IRAs get only $6,000, and only at low incomes. The top income tax rate is 4.7%.
Are required minimum distributions (RMDs) taxed in Missouri?
RMDs are withdrawals from IRAs and 401(k)-type plans, so they follow Missouri’s rules for those accounts. IRA and 401(k) withdrawals count as private pension income: up to $6,000 per person is exempt under the income limits; the rest is taxed.
Is military retirement pay taxed in Missouri?
No. Military retirement pay is 100% subtracted.
Why is Missouri listed among states that tax Social Security?
Only because of an age rule. Missouri deducts 100% of taxable benefits for anyone 62 or older or on Social Security disability, with no income limit. A non-disabled recipient under 62 — a survivor, for example — doesn’t qualify. Filers 62–64 must check the age box on the return.
Sources for Missouri
Primary sources only. We re-check them whenever an agency publishes new figures.
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