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The 2021 tax rate schedules below are provided to help you determine your marginal tax bracket at the federal and state level. Locate your taxable income in the appropriate tax filing (single, joint, etc.) to estimate which marginal tax bracket you are in. It is important to know your marginal tax bracket to understand the tax consequences of additional income. For example, if your spouse and you earn $250,000 from your jobs and have
$40,000 of various deductions, your taxable income would be $210,000. As a “married filing jointly” couple in North Carolina, you would be in the 24% tax bracket at the federal level and 5.25% at the state level, for a combined tax rate of 29.25%. That means that any additional income would be taxed at 29.25%. Additional taxable income may come from interest from bank accounts and/or dividends and capital gains from taxable investments. In this scenario, if you
earned an additional $5,000 in interest and dividends, your additional tax liability would be approximately $1,462.50 ($5,000 * 29.25%) leaving you really with $3,537.50. With this knowledge, a few questions arise: Tax efficient investing is important to not only reduce your current tax liabilities, but to manage your future tax liabilities as well. It also helps generate better after-tax returns. Contact us to discuss further. 2021 Taxable Income Brackets & Rates Federal
Rate Single Married Filing Jointly Head of Household 10% $0 - $9,9950 $0 – $19,900 $0 - $14,200 12% $9,951 - $40,525 $19,901 - $81,050 $14,201 - $54,200 22% $40,526 - $86,375 $81,051 - $172,750 $54,201 - $86,350 24% $86,376 - $164,925 $172,751 - $329,850 $86,351 - $164,900 32% $164,926 - $209,425 $329,851 - $418,850 $164,901 - $209,400 35% $209,426 - $523,600 $418,851 - $628,300 $209,401 - $523,600 37% $523,601 + $628,301 + $523,601 + North Carolina 5.25% on taxable income. 2021 Taxable Income Rates on Long Term Capital GainsRate
Single
Married Filing Jointly
Heads of Household
0%
$0
$0
$0
15%
$40,400
$80,800
$54,100
20%
$445,850
$501,600
$473,750
Additional Net Investment Income Tax
3.8%
MAGI above
$200,000
MAGI above
$250,000
MAGI above
$200,000
Overview of North Carolina Taxes
The North Carolina state income tax is currently 5.75%. As of 2014, the state eliminated progressive income tax rates. All state taxpayers now face the 5.75% rate since 2015, which has remained constant in subsequent tax years. More on North Carolina taxes can be found in the tabbed pages below.
Personal income tax
North Carolina collects a flat income on its residents. Effective Jan. 1, 2015, that flat tax rate is 5.75%.
North Carolina individual income tax returns are due April 15 or the next business day if that date falls on a weekend or holiday.
Sales taxes
On July 1, 2011, the state sales tax dropped a percentage point to 4.75%.
Most taxable sales or purchases are subject to the state tax, as well as a local tax levied by all counties. The rate in most counties is 2%, but it is as much as 2.75% in certain counties.
The North Carolina Department of Revenue offers a complete list of tax rates for its counties.
North Carolina also has a use tax, which applies to all out-of-state purchases of tangible personal property that would be subject to the sales tax if purchased in North Carolina. In these cases, taxpayers should file Form E-554.
Personal and real property taxes
The property tax in North Carolina is a locally assessed tax collected by the counties. The state Department of Revenue does not send property tax bills or collect property taxes.
The 3 main elements of the property tax system in North Carolina are real property, personal property and motor vehicles.
For almost all the segments of the property tax, Jan. 1 is the tax lien date. In other words, an individual owning property as of that date is liable for property taxes in the county where the property is located.
Listings of the state’s property tax rates since 1998 are available on the North Carolina Department of Revenue website.
North Carolina offers various property tax exclusions, including tax breaks for the elderly, veterans and the disabled.
For further information regarding property tax, contact your local county assessor.
Inheritance and estate taxes
North Carolina does not collect an inheritance tax.
The North Carolina estate tax was repealed effective as of the 2013 tax year.
Other North Carolina tax facts
North Carolina taxpayers can check the status of their state returns online.
Taxpayers can have their state refund money directly deposited into a bank account (if the return was electronically filed), sent as a paper check, credited to their estimated income tax account or credited as a contribution to the state’s wildlife fund.
The North Carolina Department of Revenue publishes the names of individuals and businesses that owe delinquent state taxes.
For more information, visit the North Carolina Department of Revenue website.
To download tax forms on this site, you will need to install a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here for instructions.