Free North Carolina Tax Calculator

North Carolina charges a flat 4.5% income tax rate for 2026. One rate, no brackets, no surprises. The state has been steadily reducing its flat rate over the past few years, dropping from 5.25% down to the current 4.5%. North Carolina offers a standard deduction of $12,750 for single filers and $25,500 for married filing jointly — that's one of the highest state standard deductions in the country, which softens the impact of the flat rate considerably.

Let's run the numbers. A single person earning $75,000: after the $12,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $62,250. North Carolina tax comes to $2,801.25. Add federal tax and FICA, and you're looking at roughly $58,500 take-home. That's competitive with most flat-tax states, and the generous standard deduction means lower-income earners pay very little state tax.

North Carolina doesn't tax Social Security benefits at the state level, which is good news for retirees. Property taxes average about 0.82% — quite reasonable. The combined state and local sales tax averages around 7.1%. Compared to Georgia's 5.49% or Illinois' 4.95%, North Carolina's 4.5% rate is actually the lowest among neighboring flat-tax states. Run the relocation calculator to compare for your specific salary.