Tax season is upon us. Where to file your federal + state returns for free in NC

Evan Moore
·2 min read

Tax season is officially here, which means it’s time to start thinking about filing your federal and state returns in North Carolina ahead of the April 15 deadline.

If your adjusted gross income (AGI), or your total income minus deductions, was $79,000 or less in 2023, you may be able to file your federal and state taxes for free, according to the IRS.

Some platforms offer free federal tax filing, but charge a fee for filing state returns, the IRS says.

Here are some websites you can use to file your returns in North Carolina.

Where to file your federal and state taxes for free in NC

Here’s where you can file your federal and state taxes for free in North Carolina, according to the IRS:

  • FreeTaxUSA.com: Offers free federal and state returns for North Carolina residents with an AGI of $45,000 or less.

  • 1040.com: Offers free federal and state returns for North Carolina residents with an AGI between $17,000 and $79,000.

  • OLT.com: Offers free federal and state returns for North Carolina residents with an AGI of $45,000 or less.

  • TaxSlayer.com: Offers free federal and state returns for North Carolina residents with an AGI of $44,000 or less.

Where to file your federal taxes for free in NC

Some platforms offer free federal tax filing for North Carolina residents, but charge a fee for, according to the IRS:

  • 1040Now.net: Offers free federal returns for North Carolina residents with an AGI of $68,000 or less, but state returns come with a $17.95 fee.

  • ezTaxReturn.com: Offers free federal returns for North Carolina residents with an AGI of $79,000 or less, but state returns come with a $24.99 fee.

  • FileYourTaxes.com: Offers free federal returns for North Carolina residents aged 64 or younger with an AGI between $8,500 and $79,000, but state returns come with a $40 fee.

  • TaxAct.com: Offers free federal returns for North Carolina residents between the ages of 20 and 58 with an AGI of $79,000 or less, but state returns come with a $39.95 fee.

How to calculate your AGI

Your AGI is your gross income minus adjustments, according to the IRS.

Your gross income includes money earned during the year from all your sources of income, and adjustments are “expenses the taxpayer paid for with income that the government deems should not be taxed,” the IRS says.

For example, if you earned a salary of $50,000 in 2023, along with $8,500 in wages from a part-time gig, then your gross income would be $58,500.

But if you paid educator expenses and student loan interest, which include deductions of $250 and $2,500 respectively, you would subtract $2,750 from your gross income, making your AGI 55,750.

Already filed your taxes in NC? Here’s when to expect your refund in 2024