GetNetWage
Menu

$18 an hour after taxes in North Carolina

$18 an hour is $37,440 a year before tax at 40 hours a week.

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

$31,278 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
$1,203
Every month
$2,606
Effective tax rate
16.5%

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 $18 an hour goes in North Carolina

Estimated annual liability averaged by period for $18 an hour in North Carolina; single, one earner
LineEvery two weeksYear
Gross pay$1,440.00$37,440.00
Federal income tax−$88.95−$2,312.80
Social Security tax−$89.28−$2,321.28
Medicare tax−$20.88−$542.88
North Carolina income tax−$37.89−$985.13
Take-home pay$1,203.00$31,277.91
Where each $100 of gross pay goes
Take-home pay $83.54 Federal income tax $6.18 Social Security $6.20 Medicare $1.45 North Carolina income tax $2.63

$18 an hour per paycheck, month and day in North Carolina

$18 an hour in North Carolina: gross and take-home by pay period (2026, single filer)
PeriodGrossTaxes and deductionsTake-home
Year$37,440−$6,162$31,278
Month$3,120−$514$2,606
Every two weeks$1,440−$237$1,203
Twice a month$1,560−$257$1,303
Week$720−$119$601
Day$144−$24$120

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

$18 an hour at different weekly hours in North Carolina. Hours over 40 are paid at $27.00 (1.5×).
Hours a weekWeekly grossYearly grossYearly take-homeBiweekly take-home
20$360$18,720$16,788$646
25$450$23,400$20,455$787
30$540$28,080$24,122$928
35$630$32,760$27,704$1,066
40$720$37,440$31,278$1,203
45 5 overtime$855$44,460$36,919$1,420
50 10 overtime$990$51,480$42,560$1,637

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
$936 a month
Needs (50% of take-home)
$1,303 a month
Wants (30%)
$782 a month
Savings and debt (20%)
$521 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 $2,606 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 $18 an hour ($37,440 a year) the state takes $985 in income tax (2.6% of gross), the 28th lowest of 51 jurisdictions.

$18 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$985$31,278Compare North Carolina
Georgia$1,120$31,143Compare Georgia
South Carolina$447$31,816Compare South Carolina
Tennessee$0$32,263Compare Tennessee
Virginia$1,339$30,924Compare Virginia
CaliforniaProvisional parameters$967$31,296Compare California
Texas$0$32,263Compare Texas
Florida$0$32,263Compare Florida
Nevada$0$32,263Compare Nevada
New Hampshire$0$32,263Compare New Hampshire
North Dakota$0$32,263Compare North Dakota
South Dakota$0$32,263Compare South Dakota
Wyoming$0$32,263Compare Wyoming
Alaska$187$32,076Compare Alaska
Washington$519$31,744Compare Washington
Arizona$534$31,730Compare Arizona
Ohio$579$31,684Compare Ohio
New Mexico$643$31,620Compare New Mexico
Louisiana$738$31,525Compare Louisiana
Mississippi$766$31,497Compare Mississippi
Iowa$771$31,492Compare Iowa
MissouriProvisional parameters$795$31,468Compare Missouri
VermontProvisional parameters$820$31,443Compare Vermont
NebraskaProvisional parameters$824$31,439Compare Nebraska
IdahoProvisional parameters$886$31,377Compare Idaho
ArkansasProvisional parameters$898$31,365Compare Arkansas
New Jersey$909$31,354Compare New Jersey
UtahProvisional parameters$944$31,319Compare Utah
WisconsinProvisional parameters$958$31,305Compare Wisconsin
West Virginia$962$31,301Compare West Virginia
Montana$1,003$31,260Compare Montana
Indiana$1,075$31,188Compare Indiana
Colorado$1,104$31,159Compare Colorado
Oklahoma$1,139$31,124Compare Oklahoma
MaineProvisional parameters$1,144$31,119Compare Maine
District of ColumbiaProvisional parameters$1,146$31,117Compare District of Columbia
Hawaii$1,151$31,112Compare Hawaii
Pennsylvania$1,176$31,087Compare Pennsylvania
Kentucky$1,193$31,070Compare Kentucky
Connecticut$1,195$31,068Compare Connecticut
Rhode Island$1,199$31,064Compare Rhode Island
Kansas$1,289$30,974Compare Kansas
MichiganProvisional parameters$1,338$30,925Compare Michigan
MinnesotaProvisional parameters$1,352$30,911Compare Minnesota
MarylandProvisional parameters$1,412$30,851Compare Maryland
Alabama$1,516$30,747Compare Alabama
Delaware$1,551$30,712Compare Delaware
New York$1,618$30,645Compare New York
Illinois$1,708$30,555Compare Illinois
Massachusetts$1,724$30,539Compare Massachusetts
OregonProvisional parameters$2,522$29,741Compare 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 $18 an hour in North Carolina

How much is $18 an hour a year after taxes in North Carolina?

Working 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, $18 an hour is $37,440 before tax. After $2,313 federal income tax, $2,864 Social Security and Medicare, and $985 in North Carolina state taxes, you take home $31,278 a year as a single filer in 2026.

How much is $18 an hour biweekly after taxes in North Carolina?

$18 an hour is $1,440 gross every two weeks. After taxes a biweekly paycheck comes to about $1,203.

$18 an hour is how much a month?

$18 an hour is $3,120 a month before tax and about $2,606 after tax in North Carolina, averaged over 12 months.

How much rent can I afford on $18 an hour?

The 30% rule puts rent at $936 a month on $3,120 gross. Budgeting from take-home pay with 50/30/20, all needs including rent get $1,303.

How much is $18 an hour with overtime in North Carolina?

At 50 hours a week (10 hours at $27.00), you earn $51,480 a year and keep $42,560. The 2026 federal overtime deduction takes $4,680 of overtime premium out of federal taxable income; Social Security and Medicare still apply.

How much North Carolina state tax comes out of $18 an hour?

$985 a year, or $38 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.