North Carolina charges 3.99% flat state income tax. Use the tax refund estimator pre-loaded with North Carolina rates.
Open Tax Refund Estimator →In North Carolina, you may receive refunds at both the federal and state level. Your state refund depends on how your employer's flat 3.99% withholding compared to your actual North Carolina tax liability. Common reasons for a state refund include credits, deductions, or withholding calibrated for a higher income than you actually earned. Use this estimator to project both your federal and North Carolina state refund amounts.
North Carolina levies a flat 3.99% state income tax on all taxable income regardless of how much you earn. This makes tax planning straightforward: for every additional dollar you earn, 3.99 cents goes to North Carolina. North Carolina does not impose local income taxes, so the 3.99% flat rate is the only state-level income tax you owe.
The table below shows what you actually keep at five salary levels in North Carolina, accounting for federal tax, FICA, and North Carolina's flat 3.99% state tax.
See how North Carolina compares to other South states. Each link takes you to the tax refund estimator landing page for that state.
For a comprehensive breakdown of North Carolina’s tax structure, salary comparisons, cost-of-living analysis, and more, visit the full North Carolina take-home pay page.