80-315: Re-forestation Tax Credit (2025)
Mississippi · Mississippi DOR · Used for tax years 2025
Mississippi Form 80-315 calculates the 2025 Reforestation Tax Credit, the amount used this year, and any credit carried forward. It includes a cost worksheet for reforestation practices and a forester’s certification.
Who files this form
The 2025 Form 80-315 is used to calculate Mississippi's Reforestation Tax Credit (RTC) for qualifying expenditures on eligible lands. It includes entries for individuals, corporations, fiduciaries, pass-through entities, and investors receiving credits from pass-through entities.
The form requires a forester's certification that the reforestation practices were completed and the reforestation prescription or plan was followed. The supplied text does not give full eligibility rules.
What you'll need
- Your taxpayer name and SSN or FEIN.
- Your total 2025 expenditures for the listed reforestation activities, including seedlings, seed/acorns, seeding, planting, site preparation, and post-planting site preparation.
- Information to complete the cost worksheet, including practices performed, acres, and county names and/or county codes. The form says county codes are in your income tax instruction booklet.
- Your immediately prior-year Form 80-315, which must be attached if you enter a credit carryover on line 5a.
- K-1 forms showing any current-year RTC passed through to you as an investor.
- Income tax due and other available credit amounts from your applicable return, plus prior-year RTC amounts used or passed through.
- A completed forester certification, including the forester's signature, title, date, business address, and identifying number.
- Information about whether you elected a federal investment tax credit or reforestation amortization for qualifying expenditures on the same eligible lands.
How to file
Complete the cost worksheet on page 2 and enter its Column C total on page 1, Part I, line 2. Complete the applicable credit calculations and the forester certification.
The form directs pass-through entities to enter the line 6 amount on Form 84-401 and skip Parts II and III. Line 10 directs filers to enter the credit amount on Form 80-401 or 83-401.
A copy of the completed cost worksheet must be furnished to:
Mississippi Forestry Commission
660 North St. Suite 300
Jackson, MS 39202
The supplied text does not state how to submit Form 80-315 itself, provide an income tax return mailing address, or give e-file instructions.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the prior-year attachment: Line 5a requires the immediately prior-year Form 80-315 when reporting a carryover.
- Including tax payments as other credits: Line 8 says not to include withholding or estimated tax payments.
- Exceeding the lifetime balance on line 6: The form says not to enter more than the amount on Part IV, line 16.
- Completing Parts II and III for a pass-through entity: The line 6 directions tell pass-through entities to skip those parts.
- Forgetting the Forestry Commission copy: The notice requires a copy of the cost worksheet to be furnished to the Commission.
- Overlooking the joint-filer note: When married taxpayers file jointly and each spouse qualifies as an eligible owner, the form says to consult the instructions for lines 7 and 8. Those instructions were not supplied here.
Questions people ask
How is the credit earned for 2025 calculated?
Line 3 uses the smaller of your actual expenditures on line 1 or the approved-practice costs on line 2. Line 4 then takes 50% of line 3 or $10,000, whichever is less.
Is there a lifetime credit allowance?
Yes. Line 14 lists a $75,000 lifetime RTC allowance. Line 16 subtracts prior-year credits used from that allowance. For pass-through entities, it is the remaining allowance available to pass through to investors.
Can unused credit be carried forward?
The form provides for a carryforward. Line 13 subtracts the credit used this year on line 12 from the credit available on line 11 to determine the amount available for succeeding tax years.
Who can certify the reforestation work?
Part V identifies a graduate forester from a college, school, or university accredited by the Society of American Foresters, or a registered forester under the Foresters Registration Law of 1977. The certification confirms that the practices were completed and the prescription or plan was followed.
Do I need to report related federal tax elections?
Yes. The form asks whether you elected an investment tax credit or reforestation amortization on your federal return for qualifying expenditures on the same eligible lands. It provides a Yes or No response for each.