North Carolina sales tax

What is the North Carolina sales tax rate in 2026?

To put the numbers in a sentence: the North Carolina state rate is 4.75%, the average local rate is 2.25%, and the typical combined rate is 7%.

Do local jurisdictions add their own sales tax in North Carolina?

Yes. The 2.25% figure above is a statewide average, which means it is wrong for almost every specific address. Two shops a few miles apart can charge different totals on the same item because they sit in different taxing jurisdictions. If you are collecting tax, or checking a receipt, the average is a sanity check and not an answer. Use the official lookup below.

What is the sales tax rate in my county in North Carolina?

Every one of North Carolina's counties has its own page with the rate, its components, and what the rate does not cover: North Carolina sales tax by county. That is where the question is usually settled, because a statewide average is wrong for almost every specific address.

What is unusual about sales tax in North Carolina?

Groceries are exempt from the general state/local rate, but a separate uniform 2% local tax still applies to qualifying food purchases statewide.

How do I calculate sales tax on a purchase in North Carolina?

Multiply the taxable price by the combined rate. On a $100 purchase at the typical North Carolina combined rate of 7%, the tax is $7.00, for a total of $107.00. On a $1,000 purchase the tax is $70.00.

Two things change that arithmetic. Your actual local rate may differ from the statewide average, and not everything is taxable: most states exempt some combination of groceries, prescription drugs and certain services. Use the sales tax calculator to run a different amount or a different state.

When does a business have to collect North Carolina sales tax?

A business with a physical presence in North Carolina has always had to register and collect. Since the Supreme Court's 2018 Wayfair decision, a remote seller with no physical presence also has to collect once it crosses the state's economic nexus threshold.

In North Carolina that threshold is $100,000 in sales, with no transaction-count test, measured over the current or previous calendar year. Note that exempt sales count toward the threshold in North Carolina, so you can cross it on revenue you never charged tax on.

House Bill 228 repealed North Carolina's 200-transaction threshold effective July 1, 2024 (Sales and Use Tax Directive 24-1); the sole test is now $100,000 in gross sales sourced to the state.

You can check your own numbers against every state with the economic nexus checker.

How do I find the exact sales tax rate for an address in North Carolina?

Use the state's own lookup rather than an average. North Carolina publishes an official rate finder at https://www.ncdor.gov/taxes-forms/sales-and-use-tax/sales-and-use-tax-rates/current-sales-and-use-tax-rates, which returns the combined rate for a specific address. That is the figure that governs what you charge or what you should have been charged.

The flat truth on North Carolina sales tax

The number worth remembering is 7%, the typical combined rate, but treat it as an estimate. It is a statewide average, and your address decides the real figure.

See also: North Carolina property tax by county and state income tax rates.