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SB2867 • 2026

Income tax credit; revise for employers providing dependent child care or child care stipends.

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 57-73-23, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO MODIFY THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH CERTAIN EMPLOYERS PROVIDING CHILD CARE STIPENDS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN INCOME TAX CREDIT UNDER THE SECTION; TO PROVIDE THAT THE CREDIT ALLOWED MAY NOT EXCEED $3,000.00 PER YEAR FOR EACH CHILD OF A PARTICIPATING EMPLOYEE; TO REVISE CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS EMPLOYERS MUST MEET; TO PROVIDE AN ANNUAL AGGREGATE CAP OF $1,000,000.00 ON CREDITS THAT MAY BE ALLOCATED UNDER THIS SECTION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Children Labor Taxes
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Boyd
Last action
2026-04-08
Official status
Law
Effective date
July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify whether the law updates certification requirements for direct provision of child care services by employers.

Income Tax Credit for Child Care Stipends

This law changes the conditions under which employers can get a tax credit when they provide child care stipends to their employees.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the maximum income tax credit an employer can receive from $2,000 to $3,000 per year for each child of a participating employee.
  • Requires employers providing child care stipends to certify certain information to the Department of Revenue, including names and amounts paid to employees and details about licensed or registered entities receiving the stipend.
  • Limits the total amount of tax credits that can be given out in one year to $1,000,000.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Employers providing child care stipends or dependent care services to their employees.
  • Employees receiving child care stipends from their employers.

Terms To Know

Income tax credit
A reduction in the amount of income tax an employer has to pay based on certain expenses, like providing child care services.
Child care stipend
Money given by employers to employees or directly to licensed providers for child care during work hours.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify how the $1,000,000 annual cap will be enforced.
  • It is unclear if all types of dependent care services are covered under this new legislation.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    04/08 Approved by Governor

  2. 2026-04-02 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    04/02 (H) Enrolled Bill Signed

  3. 2026-04-02 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    04/02 (S) Enrolled Bill Signed

  4. 2026-03-29 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/29 (S) Conference Report Adopted

  5. 2026-03-29 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/29 (H) Conference Report Adopted

  6. 2026-03-27 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/27 (H) Conference Report Filed

  7. 2026-03-27 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/27 (S) Conference Report Filed

  8. 2026-03-25 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/25 (H) Conferees Named Lamar,Steverson,Bell (21st)

  9. 2026-03-24 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/24 (S) Conferees Named Harkins,Sparks,Boyd

  10. 2026-03-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/19 (S) Decline to Concur/Invite Conf

  11. 2026-03-18 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/18 (H) Returned For Concurrence

  12. 2026-03-17 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/17 (H) Passed As Amended

  13. 2026-03-17 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/17 (H) Amended

  14. 2026-03-16 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/16 (H) Title Suff Do Pass As Amended

  15. 2026-02-26 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/26 (H) Referred To Ways and Means

  16. 2026-02-26 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/26 (S) Transmitted To House

  17. 2026-02-25 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/25 (S) Passed

  18. 2026-02-25 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/25 (S) Committee Substitute Adopted

  19. 2026-02-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/19 (S) Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

  20. 2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/19 (S) Referred To Finance

Official Summary Text

Income tax credit; revise for employers providing dependent child care or child care stipends.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
S. B. No. 2867 *SS26/R773CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~ R3/5
26/SS26/R773CS
PAGE 1

To: Finance
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Boyd

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 2867

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 57-73-23, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO MODIFY THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH CERTAIN EMPLOYERS PROVIDING 2
CHILD CARE STIPENDS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN INCOME TAX CREDIT UNDER 3
THE SECTION; TO PROVIDE THAT THE CREDIT ALLOWED MAY NOT EXCEED 4
$3,000.00 PER YEAR FOR EACH CHILD OF A PARTICIPATING EMPLOYEE; TO 5
REVISE CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS EMPLOYERS MUST MEET; TO PROVIDE 6
AN ANNUAL AGGREGATE CAP OF $1,000,000.00 ON CREDITS THAT MAY BE 7
ALLOCATED UNDER THIS SECTION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 9
SECTION 1. Section 57-73-23, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 10
amended as follows: 11
57-73-23. (1) A fifty percent (50%) income tax credit shall 12
be granted to any employer providing dependent care for employees 13
during the employee's work hours, and to any employer who provides 14
a child care stipend of at least * * * Two Thousand Dollars 15
($2,000.00) per child for direct payments made to a licensed or 16
registered entity providing dependent child care in the State of 17
Mississippi for an employee's children during the employee's work 18
hours. The credit allowed may not exceed Three Thousand Dollars 19
($3,000.00) per year for each child of a participating employee. 20
S. B. No. 2867 *SS26/R773CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS26/R773CS
PAGE 2

(2) In order for an employer who provides a child care 21
stipend under this section to be eligible for the tax credit, the 22
employer shall certify to the Department of Revenue: 23
(a) The names of the employees on whose behalf the 24
stipend is paid; * * * 25
(b) The amount of the stipend paid on behalf of each of 26
those employees; 27
(c) The licensed or registered entity receiving the 28
child care stipend from the employer on behalf of the employee, 29
including the entity's federal identification number and license 30
and registration number as listed on the State Department of 31
Health Registry; and 32
(d) Such other information as may be required by the 33
Department of Revenue to ensure that credits under this section 34
are granted only to employers who provide stipends to a licensed 35
or registered entity providing dependent care in the State of 36
Mississippi for an employee's children during the employee's work 37
hours. 38
(3) For an employer contracting with a licensed or 39
registered entity to provide dependent care for its employees 40
during the employee's work hours, the credit is applied to the net 41
cost of any contract executed by the employer for another entity 42
to provide dependent care; or, if the employer elects to provide 43
dependent care itself, the credit is applied to expenses of 44
dependent care staff, learning and recreational materials and 45
S. B. No. 2867 *SS26/R773CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS26/R773CS
PAGE 3

equipment, and the construction and maintenance of a facility; or, 46
if the employer elects to provide a child care stipend to a 47
licensed or registered entity providing dependent care in the 48
State of Mississippi for the employee's children during the 49
employee's work hours, the credit is applied to the amount of the 50
stipend provided. Additional eligible expenses include net costs 51
assumed by the employer which increase the quality, availability 52
and affordability of dependent care in the community used by 53
employees during the employee's work hours. This cost is net of 54
any reimbursement. A deduction shall not be allowed for any 55
expenses which serve as the basis for an income tax credit. The 56
credits allowed under this section shall not be used by any 57
business enterprise or corporation other than the business 58
enterprise actually qualifying for the credits. 59
Credit may be carried forward for the five (5) successive 60
years if the amount allowable as credit exceeds income tax 61
liability in a tax year; however, thereafter, if the amount 62
allowable as a credit exceeds the tax liability, the amount of 63
excess shall not be refundable or carried forward to any other 64
taxable year. 65
The facility must have an average daily enrollment for the 66
taxable year of no less than six (6) children who are twelve (12) 67
years of age or less and be licensed according to the regulations 68
governing licensure of child care facilities in Mississippi; or 69
must serve five (5) or fewer children and/or elderly adults in a 70
S. B. No. 2867 *SS26/R773CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS26/R773CS
PAGE 4
ST: Income tax credit; revise for employers
providing dependent child care or child care
stipends.
family child care/elder care home approved by the Department of 71
Health for participation in the United States Department of 72
Agriculture child and adult nutrition program; or must serve 73
children over twelve (12) years of age but less than eighteen (18) 74
years of age in either a community-based facility or a facility at 75
the employment site; or must serve adult relatives of employees in 76
either a community-based elder care facility or a facility at the 77
employment site; or must serve children or adult dependents having 78
physical, emotional or mental disabilities in either a 79
community-based facility or a facility at the employment site. 80
Employers * * * shall be certified as eligible for the tax 81
credit * * * if the facility is licensed or registered with the 82
State Department of Health for programs serving children twelve 83
(12) years of age or younger and for programs serving elderly 84
adults and by the Department of Revenue for programs serving other 85
dependents older than twelve (12) years of age at the time of the 86
direct payment to the facility. 87
(4) The aggregate amount of credits that may be allocated by 88
the Department of Revenue under this section during a calendar 89
year shall not exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00). 90
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 91
and after July 1, 2026. 92