NCFollows the federal floor
North Carolina minimum wage 2026
The North Carolina minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, in effect as at 2026-07-01 per US DOL. The tipped cash wage is $2.13 with a tip credit of $5.12. [NC labor dept.][DOL WHD]
Standard minimum
NC$7.25
In effect as at 2026-07-01 per US DOL.
Verified 2026-09-06
Tipped cash wage
$2.13
Tip credit ceiling $5.12.
Verified 2026-09-06
vs federal $7.25
matches
State mirrors the FLSA federal floor.
Verified 2009-07-24
Next scheduled step
None
No further increase scheduled in statute.
Verified 2026-09-06
Tip-credit split
Cash $2.13Credit $5.12Combined $7.25
Take-home at the North Carolina minimum
Estimated take-home at $7.25 per hour
20 hours/week
$145.00
~$128/wk after tax
$7,540 annual gross
30 hours/week
$217.50
~$192/wk after tax
$11,310 annual gross
40 hours/week
$290.00
~$256/wk after tax
$15,080 annual gross
Estimate uses 2026 federal brackets (single filer), FICA 7.65 percent, and a flat state effective rate. Actual withholding varies by W-4 and credits.
Statute and indexing
No scheduled increase is recorded. This row was taken from the DOL tables only and the state's own site was not checked in this pass, so a scheduled increase may exist and simply not be captured here.
Companion page
North Carolina tipped wage
Tool
Take-home calculator
Reference
Federal vs state delta