On Monday, Jan. 26, along with the Internal Revenue Service, the N.C. Department of Revenue officially opened the 2026 individual income tax filing season and began accepting 2025 returns. Taxpayers who file state returns electronically will receive acknowledgements.

For calendar year taxpayers, the due date to file income tax returns is Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Eligible taxpayers are encouraged to file and pay electronically; it is more secure, convenient, and faster than paper filing. Free and low-cost online filing options for qualified taxpayers are available at ncdor.gov/filing. 

Although NCDOR begins accepting returns today, before we can begin issuing refunds, the Department must process tax returns to identify potential identity theft and refund fraud. Once processing begins, the “Where’s My Refund” application will be available on NCDOR.gov for taxpayers to check their refund status. We will provide further updates in March.