Closing Costs in Mississippi 2026: Buyer & Seller Guide
Mississippi levies no state tax on a deed or a mortgage. What state law does fix, for every county, is the chancery clerk’s recording fee: $25 for the first five pages of a deed or deed of trust, then $1 a page (Miss. Code § 25-7-9).
No deed or mortgage tax in the Mississippi code
The Department of Revenue’s list of the taxes it administers, covering income, sales and use, property, petroleum, alcohol, tobacco, gaming, estate, privilege and severance taxes, has no tax on deeds, real estate sales or mortgages. The chancery clerk’s statewide schedule in § 25-7-9 charges recording fees only.
A city’s general home-rule power doesn’t create one either. Section 21-17-5(2) reads: “Unless such actions are specifically authorized by another statute or law of the State of Mississippi, this section shall not authorize the governing authorities of municipalities to (a) levy taxes of any kind.”
What the chancery clerk charges under § 25-7-9
The chancery clerk records deeds, deeds of trust and releases. The fee comes from one statewide schedule in § 25-7-9(1)(b), last amended by Senate Bill 2792 of the 2024 session, in force from July 1, 2024:
| Document | Statutory fee |
|---|---|
| Deed, deed of trust, release, lien, lease or any other document: first five pages | $25.00 |
| Each page after the fifth | $1.00 |
| Certifying a copy of a filed document | $1.00 per document |
| Recording a document that doesn’t meet the format rules in § 89-5-24 | $10.00 extra per document |
A worked example: a three-page warranty deed costs $25. A twelve-page deed of trust costs $25 plus seven extra pages at $1, or $32. Together that comes to $57 in clerk’s fees. The legislature has already enacted the version of the section that takes over on January 1, 2028, and it keeps the same $25 and $1 figures.
The statute doesn’t say whether buyer or seller pays. What it does say is this: “No person shall be required to pay such fees until same have been so itemized, but those fees may be demanded before the document is recorded.” The clerk has to write an itemized fee bill on the original document. Look at the fee clause in your purchase contract to see who is charged.
The three-inch margin and the $10 format fee
Section 89-5-24 sets the paper rules for documents presented to a chancery clerk for recording. The first page needs a blank top margin of at least three inches for the clerk’s use. Pages are one-sided, in type no smaller than ten-point. Certain items, if the document has them, must sit on the first page below that margin: the preparer’s name, business address and phone number; the name, mailing address and phone number of every grantor, grantee, borrower, beneficiary and trustee; a return address; the title of the document; and the legal description or indexing instruction.
The clerk still records a document that doesn’t substantially conform, but charges $10 more for it. That surcharge applies only to documents dated on or after July 1, 2009, and never to the exempt categories in subsection (3), such as court-certified copies. Subsection (5) says a formatting miss “does not affect the validity or enforceability of the document or instrument.”
Who may write the deed and certify title under § 73-3-55
Under Mississippi’s unauthorized-practice statute, anyone who, “for fee or reward,” writes “any bill of sale, deed of conveyance, deed of trust, mortgage, contract,” or who certifies an abstract of title to real estate other than their own, “shall be held to be engaged in the practice of law.” Only licensed persons may do that. The Mississippi Bar reproduces § 73-3-55 on its unauthorized-practice page.
There are two exceptions for title work. A title guaranty company incorporated in Mississippi may make abstracts or certify titles “where it acts through some person as agent, authorized under the laws of the State of Mississippi to practice law.” An abstract company chartered in Mississippi with at least $50,000 in paid-up capital may certify abstracts through its president, secretary or another principal officer. The Bar adds that the courts decide what counts as practicing law, citing In re Williamson, 838 So. 2d 226 (Miss. 2002).
Closing dates and the January homestead cutoffs
The Department of Revenue says property taxes “are due on or before February 1 for property assessed the preceding year.” For a closing between February 2 and December 31, the tax on that year’s assessment isn’t due until the next February 1. Read how your contract prorates it.
The homestead exemption turns on January dates. To claim it for a given year, ownership must be established before January 1, and you must own and occupy the home as your primary residence on January 1. The deed also has to be filed with the chancery clerk before January 7. You then apply at the county tax assessor’s office between January 1 and April 1. Those date rules sit alongside others, such as the “Head of Family” definition in § 27-33-13.
Mississippi Home Corporation second mortgages
Mississippi Home Corporation (MHC) lists three products built this way (read September 24, 2026). Each one pairs a 30-year fixed-rate first mortgage with a second mortgage. They are loans, not grants.
- Smart7: a $7,000 second mortgage at 0% interest, with principal due on sale, loan repayment or loan maturity.
- Easy8: an $8,000 second mortgage at 0% interest, with principal due on sale, refinance, non-owner-occupied status or loan maturity.
- Trusty10: a $10,000 second mortgage at 2% interest, paid back over 15 years.
MHC also lists Housing Assistance for Teachers: “Grant funds up to $6,000 to assist with mortgages for Mississippi-certified public school teachers in select areas of the state.” MHC says a participating lender checks you against its income limits and, if applicable, first-time homebuyer status for the county where you buy. See mortgage pre-approval, the down payment calculator and the affordability calculator.
More Mississippi and neighbor-state pages
- Closing costs by state
- Mississippi real estate guide
- Homeowner insurance guide for Mississippi
- Mortgage payment calculator
- Refinance guide
- Closing Costs in Alabama 2026
- Closing Costs in Louisiana 2026
- Closing Costs in Tennessee 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mississippi tax the sale of a house?
Not at the state level: the Department of Revenue’s list of the taxes it administers includes no deed, transfer or mortgage tax, and the clerk’s § 25-7-9 schedule charges only recording fees. Section 21-17-5(2) says a city’s general-powers section does not let it “levy taxes of any kind” unless another statute or law specifically authorizes the tax.
How much will the clerk charge to record my deed of trust?
$25 for the first five pages and $1 for each page after that, under § 25-7-9(1)(b). A document that doesn’t substantially conform to § 89-5-24 costs $10 more.
Can a non-lawyer prepare my deed for a fee?
No. Section 73-3-55 treats writing a deed of conveyance or deed of trust “for fee or reward” as the practice of law, and practicing law without a license is a misdemeanor. The title-company exception covers abstracts and title certificates made through an agent licensed to practice law; it says nothing about drafting deeds.
I close on December 20. Can I get the homestead exemption for next year?
You can, as far as the dates go. The deed must be filed with the chancery clerk before January 7, you must own and live in the home on January 1, and you apply at the county tax assessor between January 1 and April 1. The other eligibility rules still apply.
Does Mississippi Home Corporation give closing-cost grants?
Its Smart7, Easy8 and Trusty10 products provide second mortgages of $7,000, $8,000 and $10,000, which are loans that have to be repaid. On MHC’s product page, only Housing Assistance for Teachers is described as grant funds: up to $6,000, for certified public school teachers in select areas.