Updated October 2026. N.C. General Statutes Article 8E, Chapter 45A, Perquimans County’s land transfer tax page and NC Form 2-T checked on October 31, 2026.
North Carolina’s real estate excise tax is $1 for every $500 of the sale price, or 0.2%, and state law puts it on the seller. On a $300,000 home that’s $600 (October 2026). Seven counties add a local land transfer tax: Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Pasquotank, Perquimans and Washington.
Jump to: 🧮 The math · 🙋 Who pays · 🏖️ The seven counties · 🚫 Exemptions · 🏛️ How it’s paid · ❓ FAQ
Key takeaways
- Any part of a $500 counts as a full $500, so the tax rounds up to the next dollar.
- The statute names the transferor, the seller, as the one who pays. That’s law, not just custom.
- In the seven northeastern counties, add roughly 1% more. In Perquimans, a $300,000 sale owes $3,600 in total.
- Gifts, inheritances and transfers with no payment are exempt.
What is the North Carolina excise tax on real estate?
It’s a tax on the deed, set by G.S. 105-228.30. The law levies it on “each instrument by which any interest in real property is conveyed to another person.” You’ll also hear “revenue stamps.” North Carolina’s Good Funds Settlement Act uses that name too: “excise tax (revenue stamps).”
The tax applies to every person conveying North Carolina real estate, except governments, under G.S. 105-228.28. It also reaches timber deeds and contracts to sell standing timber. Some people call it a transfer tax. In the statute, it’s an excise tax.
How do you calculate North Carolina excise tax?
Divide the price by 500 and round any fraction up. The statute charges $1 “on each five hundred dollars ($500.00) or fractional part thereof.” So $300,000 is exactly 600 units, or $600. But $300,100 is 600.2 units, which rounds up to 601, or $601.
| Sale price | $500 units (rounded up) | State excise tax | Plus 1% local tax in the seven counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200,000 | 400 | $400 | $2,400 total |
| $300,000 | 600 | $600 | $3,600 total |
| $332,250 | 665 | $665 | $3,988 total |
| $450,000 | 900 | $900 | $5,400 total |
| $750,000 | 1,500 | $1,500 | $9,000 total |
The local column uses Perquimans County’s published method, $1 per $100 or fraction, which is 1% rounded up to the next dollar. Check your own county’s rate before you rely on it.
Who pays the excise tax in North Carolina, the buyer or the seller?
The seller. In many states the split is just a habit people negotiate. In North Carolina it’s written into the law: “The transferor must pay the tax to the register of deeds of the county in which the real estate is located before recording the instrument of conveyance.”
The standard contract agrees. NC’s Offer to Purchase and Contract (Form 2-T), jointly approved by the North Carolina Bar Association’s Real Property Section and NC REALTORS, says the seller pays for “state and county excise taxes,” plus deed preparation and any deferred or rollback taxes. Buyer and seller can still agree to shift costs through a seller credit, but the default is clear.
For the other line items on a North Carolina settlement statement, see who pays closing costs.
Which North Carolina counties charge an extra land transfer tax?
Seven, all in the northeast and along the Outer Banks. Perquimans County says it is “one of only seven counties in North Carolina” that levy a local excise tax on real estate transfers. The others it names are Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Pasquotank and Washington.
Perquimans charges $1.00 per $100.00 of the price or value, on deeds and certain long-term leases. Its tax department certifies the amount on the document, and the tax is paid to the Register of Deeds at recording. Its exemptions are close to the state’s: transfers with no consideration, by operation of law, by will, by intestacy, and by merger or consolidation, among others.
Selling in one of these counties? The local tax dwarfs the state’s. At a 1% local rate like Perquimans’, a $500,000 sale owes $5,000 local on top of $1,000 state. Confirm your county’s rate before closing.
Which transfers are exempt from North Carolina excise tax?
G.S. 105-228.29 lists eight exemptions. The tax doesn’t apply to a transfer:
- By operation of law.
- By a lease for a term of years.
- Under a will.
- By intestacy, when someone dies without a will.
- By gift.
- When the buyer pays nothing, in property or money.
- By merger, conversion or consolidation of a business.
- By a document securing a debt, such as a deed of trust.
A normal sale to an unrelated buyer is taxed. So is a sale to a relative if they pay you something; the exemption is for gifts and transfers with no consideration, not for family as such.
How and when is the excise tax paid at a North Carolina closing?
Before the deed records. In practice, the settlement agent, usually the closing attorney, pays it from the trust account and lists it as a seller charge on your settlement statement. You’ll rarely write a separate check.
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Buy a home →North Carolina’s Good Funds Settlement Act, G.S. 45A-4, explains the order. The settlement agent may pay recording costs, “including excise tax (revenue stamps) and recording fees,” before the deed is recorded. Other money, including your sale proceeds, can’t go out until the deed and loan papers are on record. That’s why North Carolina sellers usually get paid after recording, not at the signing table.
Where does the North Carolina excise tax money go?
The county Register of Deeds collects it and passes it to the county finance officer. Under G.S. 105-228.30(b), half goes to the county’s general fund. The other half, less refunds and the county’s collection allowance, goes to the state Department of Revenue for the General Fund. A county may keep 2% of the state’s half for its cost of collecting.
How does excise tax change your net in North Carolina?
On a $300,000 sale outside the seven counties, the excise tax is $600. Add the closing attorney’s fee for your deed, any loan payoff, property tax proration and HOA fees, and subtract from the price. Our cost of selling calculator does the rest. For your parcel number, see our North Carolina property tax ID guide.
Your listing cost matters as much as the tax. Beycome puts your home on the major home search sites and the MLS for $99 in North Carolina, with $0 at closing. For disclosures, contracts and closing with an attorney, read our guide to selling your North Carolina home without a realtor.
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North Carolina excise tax questions
What is the excise tax rate in North Carolina?
$1 for each $500 of the price or value, or part of $500. That’s 0.2%, so $600 on a $300,000 sale.
Who pays the excise tax when selling a house in North Carolina?
The seller. G.S. 105-228.30 says the transferor must pay it to the register of deeds before the deed is recorded, and Form 2-T matches that.
Does North Carolina have a transfer tax?
Yes, called an excise tax on conveyances: $1 per $500. Seven counties, including Dare and Currituck, add a local land transfer tax.
Which NC counties have a land transfer tax?
Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Pasquotank, Perquimans and Washington, according to Perquimans County. Perquimans charges 1%.
How much is excise tax on a $400,000 house in NC?
$800 in state excise tax. In one of the seven counties with a 1% local tax, add $4,000, for $4,800.
Is a gift of a house exempt from NC excise tax?
Yes. Gifts, transfers by will or intestacy, and transfers with no consideration paid are exempt under G.S. 105-228.29.
When is the excise tax paid in North Carolina?
Before the deed is recorded. The closing attorney usually pays it from the trust account and shows it on the seller’s settlement statement.
Reviewed by Beycome Brokerage Realty LLC, licensed real estate brokerage (NC #C32682). Licenses: beycome.com/faq/how-to/are-you-a-licensed-broker/.
Prices were read on beycome.com on October 31, 2026 and may change. In North Carolina, Basic is $99 and Enhanced is $399. Concierge is $999 until November 2, 2026 at 9 a.m. ET, then $1,399 (its list price). “$0 at closing” means no Beycome fee at closing. Taxes, title and attorney charges, other closing costs and any buyer’s agent pay you agree to still apply.
Tax figures are examples on the prices shown, calculated from G.S. 105-228.30 and Perquimans County’s published local rate, read October 31, 2026. Local land transfer tax rates are set county by county; confirm yours with the county tax office or Register of Deeds.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and local practice varies, so check with your closing attorney for your situation in North Carolina.
Sources
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-228.30, imposition of excise tax; distribution of proceeds: ncleg.gov, read October 31, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-228.29, exemptions: ncleg.gov, read October 31, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 105-228.28, scope: ncleg.gov, read October 31, 2026.
- Perquimans County, Land Transfer Tax, read October 31, 2026.
- N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 45A, Good Funds Settlement Act (§ 45A-4): ncleg.gov, read October 31, 2026.
- NC REALTORS and North Carolina Bar Association Real Property Section, Offer to Purchase and Contract, Form 2-T (marked-up 2026 revision), paragraph on deed, taxes and fees, read October 31, 2026.
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