North Carolina Paycheck Calculator
Estimate your North Carolina take-home pay after federal, state, and FICA taxes.
North Carolina taxes wages at a flat rate that keeps falling. The statutory rate is 3.99% for 2026, though your employer withholds at a slightly higher 4.09% so you're less likely to owe at tax time. There are no local wage income taxes to worry about.
Enter your hourly or salary pay below and the calculator gives you your North Carolina take-home pay, with federal tax, FICA, and the state's flat income tax already taken out at 2026 rates.
How North Carolina paycheck tax works
North Carolina's statutory individual income tax is a flat 3.99% for 2026, but the official withholding formula uses 4.09% to reduce under-withholding. Withholding subtracts a standard deduction of $12,750 (single/married/surviving spouse) or $19,125 (head of household), plus $2,500 per allowance. There is no local wage income tax in North Carolina.
The calculator annualizes your pay and applies North Carolina's 2026 flat-rate withholding on top of federal income tax and FICA. Treat the result as a close estimate; your employer may withhold from per-period tables that differ slightly.
Frequently asked questions
What is North Carolina's income tax rate?
North Carolina has a flat 3.99% income tax for 2026 (down from 4.25% in 2025); paycheck withholding uses 4.09% to avoid under-withholding.
Why is NC withholding 4.09% when the rate is 3.99%?
The statutory flat rate is 3.99%, but the official withholding formula applies 4.09% so employees are less likely to owe at tax time.
What is North Carolina's standard deduction for 2026?
$12,750 for single, married, and surviving-spouse filers, and $19,125 for head of household, plus $2,500 per allowance.
Does North Carolina have local income taxes?
No North Carolina city or county levies a wage income tax.
Source: North Carolina Dept. of Revenue, NC-30 (2026).