Frequently Asked Questions

Please make checks payable to County of Carteret. Mail payments to:

PO Box 96264
Charlotte, NC 28296-6264

Carteret County Tax Administration office is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday except for County holidays.

North Carolina General Statutes (Chapter 105) are all laws associated with taxation for the state of North Carolina.

The last day to pay your taxes on real and personal property (not registered motor vehicles) is January 5. Taxes paid after January 5 are delinquent and subject to interest. If January 5 falls on a weekend, the next business day is the last day to pay before interest accrues.

A list of tax rates within Carteret County can be found by clicking here.

Carteret County Tax Administration Office is located on the ground floor of the Court Services Administrative Building at 302 Courthouse Square, Beaufort, NC 28516.

Change of address requests must be made in writing and must specify the account number and name. Click here to submit your change of address request electronically. Requests can also be emailed to taxhelp@carteretcountync.gov or mailed to our office at 302 Courthouse Square, Beaufort, NC 28516.

We recently installed new software and it did create this change.  The software is an asset-based system without the ability to tie this directly to your real property.  We have discussed with the new software options in the future they may be able to do this.  You however do not need to write two checks to pay when mailing in your payment.  You can include both bottom coupons with one check in one envelope.  

Our office began utilizing a service through our local bank that allows for processing our mail payments.  This ensures the county can process your tax payments more efficiently using a service that specializes in high-speed processing equipment.  This also ensures that we can utilize our staff differently by assisting citizens who need face-to-face or telephone assistance with fewer wait times. 

You should see a property key that is either your listing number or parcel number to use for payment.  This new process ensures that we are processing payments in our office, check payments processed electronically, or those who wish to pay via our website using a credit card that your payment is posted to the asset you have attempted to pay.

There is no longer a tax rate charged for the water district, however, that is the official name of the district.  The only taxes you have been charged are for county, fire, and rescue. 

If you live within city/town limits you will receive a tax bill for both the city/town taxes and County taxes. The County collects for the following towns: Beaufort, Bogue, Cedar Point, Peletier, Cape Carteret, Emerald Isle, and Morehead City. If you live in one of the towns the County collects for, then you will receive one tax bill including both city/town and County taxes. If you live in a town/city that the County does not collect for, then you will receive two separate bills; one from Carteret County for County taxes and one from the town/city in which you live for their taxes.

July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, and represent what is owned as of January 1, 2025.

Visit www.carteretcountync.gov/1076/Forms-and-Publications and click on Personal Property Appeal Link.

Based on the timing of when this approval was made, and for what year the approval was granted, this can occur and will require the appraisal technician to review and resolve. 

If your personal property was sold after January 1, 2025, you are still responsible for the full 2025 tax bill.

Visit www.carteretcountync.gov/1076/Forms-and-Publications and click on Personal Property Appeal Link.

Visit our website at www.carteretcountync.gov/1076/Forms-and-Publications and click on Personal Property Appeal Link. You have 30 days from the date of the bill to appeal the value. Once you have submitted your appeal someone from our office will be in contact.

The tax assessor is required to assess personal property at 100% market value annually.  If you feel your property has not been assessed at market value we encourage you to complete the appeal form. You must complete the appeal form within 30 days of the date of the notice. Visit our website at www.carteretcountync.gov/1076/Forms-and-Publications and click on Personal Property Appeal Link. Once you have submitted your appeal someone from our office will be in contact.

Any evidence you have that would help support the value you feel is market value of your personal property, should be submitted along with the appeal form.  If the appraiser needs additional information in the review process they will make contact with you during their review.

The bill format provides limited space and without the ability to provide the entire list of the assets listed, the Department of Revenue recommendation is to use a generic description to ensure there is no misrepresentation of the value listed on the bill to a partial list of assets.

If you provide your email address, the County can email you a copy of what we have listed in your name.

The 2025 tax bill due date is September 1, 2025 however, interest and penalties do not apply until January 6, 2026.

No, there is no discount for paying county taxes early.

No, not if the tax bill is paid on or before January 5, 2026. Interest begins on January 6, 2026, with a 2% interest rate for the first month and ¾ % for every month thereafter until paid.

Tax bills are sent to the taxpayer and not the mortgage company.  It is the taxpayer’s responsibility to notify their mortgage company.

Mortgage companies usually send their payments in November and December.  You can call our office to verify payment has been received or check our website at www.carteretcountytax.com/taxes to see if your bill has been paid.

Yes, if you pay by credit card, you will pay a convenience fee.  The amount of the fee is 2.5% plus a .30 per transaction fee.  To avoid convenience fees, you may send a check by mail or pay with a check or cash in person. Please do not mail cash to our office.

The statutes of NC do not allow the tax collector to accept less than the face value of the bill.  Most citizens do not realize the acceptance of credit cards involves an agreement to have this fee removed from the amount and then submitted.  Therefore this would violate the statutes.

Yes, a flat fee of $1.50.

No, the coupons are voluntary, not mandatory. They are included to help taxpayers who wish to make payments over a period of time rather than pay the entire tax bill all at once. You have the option to make payments or pay the bill in full with one payment.

You will be refunded any overages unless you want them applied to your 2026 bill as a prepayment.

Please make checks payable to County of Carteret. Mail payments to:

PO Box 96264
Charlotte, NC 28296-6264