Tag & Tax System
North Carolina’s Tag & Tax System has been designed as a convenient way to pay annual vehicle tag renewals and vehicle property taxes directly to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. If your address is current with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles, you will receive a Tag & Tax Notice listing both vehicle registration fees and taxes due. Just as in the past, vehicle owners will receive the notice about 60 days prior to their vehicle’s registration expiration.
Your vehicle tax will be due at the same time you renew your vehicle. North Carolina law requires that your vehicle property tax be paid in order to renew the vehicle registration. The due date will be printed on the notice that you receive in the mail.
No. You cannot renew your vehicle’s registration, whether it is leased or owned, unless the total taxes and registration fees on the vehicle are paid.
Taxes due on this notice are for the coming year, covering the same period as the vehicle registration.
No. Vehicle property taxes on leased motor vehicles must be paid in full at the time of renewal. A copy of the combined tag and tax notice is not sent to the leasing company.
Yes. State law requires that interest be charged on late vehicle property tax payments and on late registration renewals.
Your property tax will be included on the notice with your county and municipality tax rates and other applicable taxes due.
No. If you have paid your vehicle property tax for the year and then transfer the license plate to another vehicle, you will not be eligible for a refund of the taxes paid. The registered motor vehicle to which the plates are transferred will not be taxed until its current registration is renewed.
An owner can apply for a refund of taxes paid when a motor vehicle is sold or registered out of state. The refund will be calculated on any full calendar months remaining in the registration period after the license plate is surrendered to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. Within one year of surrendering the license plates, the owner must present the following to the county tax office: (1) Proof of plate surrender to N.C. DMV (DMV Form FS20); and (2) Copy of the Bill of Sale or the new state’s registration.
Active duty non-resident military personnel may be exempt from North Carolina motor vehicle property tax. To qualify for an exemption, you must present a copy of your Leave & Earnings Statement to the county tax office. The statement should be for the month and year in which you register the vehicle and must include your Estimated Time of Separation (ETS) date and home of record.