North Carolina Payroll Taxes (2026)
What comes out of a North Carolina paycheck, what the employer pays on top, and the wage bases and rates that apply for the 2026 tax year. Written for whoever has to reconcile the numbers — employee or employer.
Tax year 2026 · Updated 2026-08-29 · North Carolina tax authority
Employee-side taxes in North Carolina
| Tax | Rate | 2026 limit |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | Publication 15-T percentage method from Form W-4 | Varies |
| Social Security | 6.2% of wages | $184,500 wage base |
| Medicare | 1.45% of all wages | No cap |
| Additional Medicare Tax | 0.9% above $200,000 of wages | Employee only |
| North Carolina income tax | Flat 3.99% of taxable income | Withheld each pay period |
On a $60,000 salary, a single filer in North Carolina has about $11,495 withheld across the year and takes home $48,505. The North Carolina paycheck calculator breaks it down per paycheck.
Employer-side taxes in North Carolina
| Tax | Rate | Wage base | Cost on a $60,000 employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Security (employer match) | 6.2% | $184,500 | $3,720 |
| Medicare (employer match) | 1.45% | No cap | $870 |
| FUTA (federal unemployment) | 0.6% effective after the 5.4% credit | $7,000 | $42 |
| NC SUI (new employer rate) | 1% | $33,000 | $330 |
Employing someone on $60,000 in North Carolina therefore costs roughly $4,962 above salary in payroll tax alone — about 8.3% of pay — before benefits, workers' compensation or equipment. Experience rating means an established employer's SUI rate can be well above or below the new-employer figure shown here.
Unemployment insurance in North Carolina
The North Carolina taxable wage base for 2026 is $33,000 per employee, and the new-employer rate is 1%. That is one of the higher wage bases in the country, so unemployment tax is a larger share of payroll cost here than in states that stop at the federal $7,000 floor.
Employers in a federal credit reduction state lose part of the 5.4% FUTA credit and pay more than the standard 0.6%. The list is published with Form 940 Schedule A after year end and changes annually.
North Carolina minimum wage and pay rules
The North Carolina minimum wage for 2026 is $7.25 an hour. North Carolina tracks the federal minimum wage. Overtime follows the federal rule of one and a half times the regular rate after forty hours in a workweek.
Registration and filing
An employer with staff in North Carolina generally needs a state withholding account, a state unemployment insurance account, and must report new hires to the state directory within the statutory window — twenty days under federal law, shorter in several states. Deposit schedules for state withholding depend on the size of your liability and are set by the state; federal deposit schedules are monthly or semi-weekly based on your lookback period.
Details and forms are on the North Carolina revenue authority site. Nothing here is a substitute for their current publication — rates and thresholds change, sometimes mid-year.
Frequently asked questions
What payroll taxes do employers pay in North Carolina?
The employer half of Social Security and Medicare at 7.65%, FUTA at an effective 0.6% on the first $7,000 of wages, and North Carolina unemployment insurance on the first $33,000 of each employee's wages at an experience-rated percentage.
What is the North Carolina SUI wage base for 2026?
$33,000 per employee. The new-employer rate is 1%; established employers are experience rated.
Does North Carolina have a state income tax to withhold?
Yes. North Carolina's flat rate reached 3.99% in 2026, the last scheduled step.
How much does an employee really cost in North Carolina?
Payroll taxes alone add about 8.3% to a $60,000 salary. Benefits, workers' compensation, equipment and space typically take the full loaded cost to 1.25 to 1.4 times salary.
Related
For the employee view, the North Carolina paycheck calculator shows every line on a North Carolina paycheck. The employer payroll tax calculator covers the employer side generally.