North Carolina·Updated for 2026·Figures in USD · North Carolina income tax included
North Carolina Paycheck Calculator (2026)
North Carolina withholds 4.09% of every paycheck, after a standard deduction and your NC-4 allowances, on top of federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Enter your salary or hourly wage to see your take-home pay, worked out with the IRS's and North Carolina's own 2026 methods.
Your pay
$
Before taxes
North Carolina withholding (NC-4)
Blank follows your federal status
Blank uses 0
W-4 details (optional)
$2,200 each
$500 each
$
$
Including the overtime or tips deduction you expect
$
Pre-tax deductions (optional)
Traditional, not Roth
%
$
Pre-tax premiums through your employer
Enter your salary. Your take-home pay appears here as you type — there is no button to press.
Calculating
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Federal income tax follows IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A, for a W-4 from 2020 or later. Your employer may round to whole dollars.
Figures last verified October 30, 2026. Withholding follows IRS Publication 15-T for 2026; Social Security and Medicare follow Publication 15 for 2026; North Carolina tax follows the Department of Revenue's 2026 NC-30 withholding tables and instructions.
North Carolina take-home pay by salary
Single, paid every two weeks, with a standard W-4, no NC-4 allowances and no pre-tax deductions:
Salary
Gross per paycheck
Federal income tax
Social Security + Medicare
NC tax
Take-home per paycheck
Take-home per year
$40,000
$1,538.46
$100.77
$117.69
$43.00
$1,277.00
$33,201.94
$50,000
$1,923.08
$146.92
$147.11
$59.00
$1,570.05
$40,821.16
$60,000
$2,307.69
$193.08
$176.54
$74.00
$1,864.07
$48,465.86
$75,000
$2,884.62
$295.00
$220.68
$98.00
$2,270.94
$59,044.61
$100,000
$3,846.15
$506.54
$294.23
$137.00
$2,908.38
$75,617.87
Hourly pay in North Carolina
40 hours a week, paid weekly, single:
Hourly wage
Gross per week
Taxes per week
Take-home per week
Take-home per year
$15.00
$600.00
$90.98
$509.02
$26,469.04
$20.00
$800.00
$138.28
$661.72
$34,409.44
$25.00
$1,000.00
$185.58
$814.42
$42,349.84
Minimum wage in North Carolina
North Carolina's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal minimum wage. Working 40 hours a week at $7.25, single and paid weekly, you earn $290.00 a week and take home $265.81 after taxes, or $13,822.38 a year.
Minimum wage
Hourly
Gross per week
Taxes per week
Take-home per week
Take-home per year
North Carolina
$7.25
$290.00
$24.19
$265.81
$13,822.38
Minimum wage as last verified on October 30, 2026. Taxes per week include everything this calculator withholds in North Carolina.
A worked example
$60,000 a year, single, paid every two weeks. Each paycheck is $2,307.69. For federal income tax, the employer multiplies it by 26 ($59,999.94), subtracts the $8,600 standard adjustment ($51,399.94), and applies the IRS table: $1,240.00 plus 12% of the amount over $19,900, or $5,019.99 a year. Divided by 26, that is $193.08. Social Security is $143.08 and Medicare $33.46. For North Carolina, the employer subtracts the $490.38 bi-weekly standard deduction ($1,817.31 left) and takes 4.09%, rounded to the dollar: $74.00. That leaves $1,864.07.
Married filing jointly on $100,000 with two children under 17, paid every two weeks, takes home $3,290.31 a paycheck, with $124.61 of federal income tax.
What North Carolina takes from a paycheck
North Carolina's tax is flat: every dollar above the standard deduction and your allowances is withheld at the same 4.09%, whatever you earn. On $60,000 paid every two weeks, single with no allowances, that is $74.00 a paycheck. Each NC-4 allowance takes $2,500 off your taxable pay for the year, about $102.25 less withholding a year.
How much is taken out of a paycheck in North Carolina?
Federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%) and North Carolina income tax, withheld at 4.09% of your pay after a standard deduction and your NC-4 allowances. On a $60,000 salary paid every two weeks, single with no allowances, North Carolina takes $74.00 and you keep $1,864.07 a paycheck.
How is North Carolina income tax withholding worked out?
With the Department of Revenue's percentage method. Your employer subtracts the standard deduction for the pay period ($490.38 every two weeks, or $735.58 for heads of household) and $96.15 for each NC-4 allowance, multiplies the rest by 4.09%, and rounds to the nearest whole dollar.
Why 4.09% when the rate is 3.99%?
North Carolina's income tax rate for 2026 is 3.99%. The Department of Revenue's withholding tables and formulas add 0.1%, so employers withhold at 4.09%.
Is the standard deduction different for married couples?
Not in withholding. Single and married filers, and surviving spouses, use the same standard deduction ($12,750 a year); heads of household use $19,125. Each NC-4 allowance is worth $2,500 a year.
What if I never filled out Form NC-4?
The Department of Revenue tells employers to withhold as if you are single with no allowances, which is what this calculator uses unless you enter your own.
Why is my North Carolina withholding a round number?
The percentage method rounds the tax for each paycheck to the nearest whole dollar.
How is federal income tax withholding worked out?
Your employer annualizes each paycheck, subtracts a standard adjustment ($8,600, or $12,900 if married filing jointly, unless you checked the Step 2 box), applies the IRS withholding table, then divides by your number of paychecks and subtracts any dependent credits. This calculator follows the same IRS worksheet.
When does Social Security stop being taken out?
Once your pay for the year reaches $184,500, the 2026 wage base. Medicare has no cap, and an extra 0.9% applies to pay over $200,000.
Do 401(k) contributions lower my taxes?
A traditional 401(k) contribution lowers your federal income tax withholding, but Social Security and Medicare are still taken from it. Pre-tax health premiums through a cafeteria plan lower all three.
What about no tax on overtime or tips?
The overtime and tips deductions are claimed on your tax return, but you can ask your employer to withhold less now by adding the deduction you expect to Step 4(b) of a new W-4. Enter it under W-4 details to see the effect.
