$15 an hour after taxes in North Carolina

$15 an hour is $31,200 a year before tax at 40 hours a week.

After 2026 federal, FICA and North Carolina taxes, you keep

$26,513 a year, estimated

Annual tax estimate averaged by pay period. Actual employer withholding depends on your W-4 and payroll. Excludes local income tax, dependents, credits and other income. Joint filing models one earner.

North Carolina has a flat 3.99% income tax.

Every two weeks
$1,020
Every month
$2,209
Effective tax rate
15%

Tax year 2026. Single filer, 40.0 hours per working week, 52 paid weeks. Sources and individual retrieval dates.

Try your own numbers

Pay
Filing status, weeks, overtime and benefits

Hourly overtime assumes time-and-a-half after 40 hours. Only FLSA-qualified premium is deductible; the reported amount is already part of your gross pay. Salary means total earnings for the year entered.

2026 employee 401(k) limits: $24,500 normally, $32,500 with age-50 catch-up, or $35,750 at ages 60–63 if the plan permits. Employer match is separate. Contributions elsewhere reduce the available limit; other employers' income and taxes are not included. Age here affects retirement limits only; age-related income-tax deductions are excluded.

Reset

Where $15 an hour goes in North Carolina

Estimated annual liability averaged by period for $15 an hour in North Carolina; single, one earner
LineEvery two weeksYear
Gross pay$1,200.00$31,200.00
Federal income tax−$60.15−$1,564.00
Social Security tax−$74.40−$1,934.40
Medicare tax−$17.40−$452.40
North Carolina income tax−$28.31−$736.16
Take-home pay$1,019.73$26,513.05
Where each $100 of gross pay goes
Take-home pay $84.98 Federal income tax $5.01 Social Security $6.20 Medicare $1.45 North Carolina income tax $2.36

$15 an hour per paycheck, month and day in North Carolina

$15 an hour in North Carolina: gross and take-home by pay period (2026, single filer)
PeriodGrossTaxes and deductionsTake-home
Year$31,200−$4,687$26,513
Month$2,600−$391$2,209
Every two weeks$1,200−$180$1,020
Twice a month$1,300−$195$1,105
Week$600−$90$510
Day$120−$18$102

Biweekly means 26 paychecks a year. A day is one of 260 working days (five a week). "Taxes and deductions" includes every line of the pay stub above.

If you work more or fewer hours

$15 an hour at different weekly hours in North Carolina. Hours over 40 are paid at $22.50 (1.5×).
Hours a weekWeekly grossYearly grossYearly take-homeBiweekly take-home
20$300$15,600$14,293$550
25$375$19,500$17,399$669
30$450$23,400$20,455$787
35$525$27,300$23,511$904
40$600$31,200$26,513$1,020
45 5 overtime$713$37,050$31,214$1,201
50 10 overtime$825$42,900$35,915$1,381

Eligible FLSA overtime premium may qualify for a 2025–2028 federal deduction, capped at $12,500 for single filers before the MAGI phaseout. These examples assume eligibility. Overtime is still wages; FICA and modeled state taxes apply, and employer withholding does not automatically disappear. Choose eligibility and paid weeks.

Example monthly budget

Rent at 30% of gross pay
$780 a month
Needs (50% of take-home)
$1,105 a month
Wants (30%)
$663 a month
Savings and debt (20%)
$442 a month

These are budgeting heuristics, not local rent data or a finding that a household can afford these costs. HUD's housing-burden benchmark includes housing costs and utilities, not rent alone. The 50/30/20 illustration uses $2,209 estimated monthly take-home; compare it with your actual bills and debts.

Enter your own bills and savings

How North Carolina compares

North Carolina taxes wages at a flat 3.99%. On $15 an hour ($31,200 a year) the state takes $736 in income tax (2.4% of gross), the 30th lowest of 51 jurisdictions.

$15 an hour, single filer. Selected state and nearby states first, followed by all remaining states. Periods are annual averages; local taxes and credits are excluded.
Compare
North Carolina Selected$736$26,513Compare North Carolina
Georgia$808$26,441Compare Georgia
South Carolina$322$26,927Compare South Carolina
Tennessee$0$27,249Compare Tennessee
Virginia$980$26,269Compare Virginia
CaliforniaProvisional parameters$652$26,598Compare California
Texas$0$27,249Compare Texas
Florida$0$27,249Compare Florida
Nevada$0$27,249Compare Nevada
New Hampshire$0$27,249Compare New Hampshire
North Dakota$0$27,249Compare North Dakota
South Dakota$0$27,249Compare South Dakota
Wyoming$0$27,249Compare Wyoming
Alaska$156$27,093Compare Alaska
New Mexico$363$26,886Compare New Mexico
Arizona$378$26,872Compare Arizona
Ohio$388$26,862Compare Ohio
Washington$433$26,816Compare Washington
MissouriProvisional parameters$511$26,739Compare Missouri
Mississippi$516$26,733Compare Mississippi
Iowa$534$26,715Compare Iowa
Louisiana$551$26,698Compare Louisiana
IdahoProvisional parameters$555$26,694Compare Idaho
NebraskaProvisional parameters$565$26,684Compare Nebraska
UtahProvisional parameters$585$26,664Compare Utah
VermontProvisional parameters$611$26,638Compare Vermont
Connecticut$640$26,610Compare Connecticut
WisconsinProvisional parameters$650$26,599Compare Wisconsin
ArkansasProvisional parameters$667$26,582Compare Arkansas
Montana$710$26,540Compare Montana
New Jersey$722$26,527Compare New Jersey
Hawaii$735$26,514Compare Hawaii
MaineProvisional parameters$751$26,499Compare Maine
West Virginia$765$26,484Compare West Virginia
District of ColumbiaProvisional parameters$772$26,477Compare District of Columbia
Colorado$802$26,448Compare Colorado
Oklahoma$859$26,391Compare Oklahoma
Indiana$891$26,358Compare Indiana
Rhode Island$896$26,353Compare Rhode Island
Kansas$959$26,291Compare Kansas
Kentucky$974$26,275Compare Kentucky
Pennsylvania$980$26,270Compare Pennsylvania
MinnesotaProvisional parameters$991$26,259Compare Minnesota
MichiganProvisional parameters$1,073$26,176Compare Michigan
MarylandProvisional parameters$1,116$26,133Compare Maryland
Delaware$1,180$26,070Compare Delaware
Alabama$1,231$26,019Compare Alabama
New York$1,254$25,995Compare New York
Massachusetts$1,384$25,866Compare Massachusetts
Illinois$1,400$25,850Compare Illinois
OregonProvisional parameters$1,997$25,252Compare Oregon

Use the heading buttons to sort with JavaScript. Every state link and all annual values remain available without it. Compare different salaries and benefits.

Questions people ask about $15 an hour in North Carolina

How much is $15 an hour a year after taxes in North Carolina?

Working 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, $15 an hour is $31,200 before tax. After $1,564 federal income tax, $2,387 Social Security and Medicare, and $736 in North Carolina state taxes, you take home $26,513 a year as a single filer in 2026.

How much is $15 an hour biweekly after taxes in North Carolina?

$15 an hour is $1,200 gross every two weeks. After taxes a biweekly paycheck comes to about $1,020.

$15 an hour is how much a month?

$15 an hour is $2,600 a month before tax and about $2,209 after tax in North Carolina, averaged over 12 months.

How much rent can I afford on $15 an hour?

The 30% rule puts rent at $780 a month on $2,600 gross. Budgeting from take-home pay with 50/30/20, all needs including rent get $1,105.

How much is $15 an hour with overtime in North Carolina?

At 50 hours a week (10 hours at $22.50), you earn $42,900 a year and keep $35,915. The 2026 federal overtime deduction takes $3,900 of overtime premium out of federal taxable income; Social Security and Medicare still apply.

How much North Carolina state tax comes out of $15 an hour?

$736 a year, or $28 per biweekly paycheck, in North Carolina income tax. Local income taxes, where they exist, are not included.

Sources and assumptions

Tax year 2026. Annual tax for one earner with no dependents, other income or credits; 52 paid weeks unless changed in the calculator. Hourly earnings assume time-and-a-half after 40 hours. The overtime deduction requires qualifying FLSA premium. Local income taxes are not included. How we calculate.