State · LIHTC 2026
LIHTC in North Carolina: 2026 allocations, QAP and data
North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) allocates North Carolina's housing tax credits. The population-based part of North Carolina's 2026 9% credit ceiling, before carryforwards and returned credits, is $38,252,259. That is $3.416 times 11,197,968 residents. Its 2026 private activity bond cap, which 4% deals compete for, is $1,511,725,680 ($135 per person).
Agency and qualified allocation plan
| Allocating agency | North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) |
|---|---|
| Tax credit program page | NCHFA LIHTC page |
| Current QAP | 2026 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) (2026) |
| QAP status | Final 2026 QAP governs the 2026 round. First Draft 2027 QAP is posted: nchfa.com link |
Agency and QAP links checked 2026-10-30.
2026 credit ceiling and bond cap
| Item | 2026 | Per resident |
|---|---|---|
| Population (IRS Notice 2026-22) | 11,197,968 | 9th of 52 |
| 9% ceiling, population amount | $38,252,259 | $3.42 |
| Formula | greater of $3.416 × pop or $3,953,600 | per-capita applies |
| Private activity bond cap | $1,511,725,680 | $135.00 |
| Formula | greater of $135 × pop or $397,625,000 | per-capita applies |
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 secs. 4.08 and 4.19 (the 9% amounts already include the 12% increase from Pub. L. 119-21 sec. 70422); IRS Notice 2026-22 (2026-15 I.R.B.). Computed by us and rounded to the dollar; agencies may round differently.
Only the population amount is shown. The full 2026 ceiling adds credits unused from 2025, credits returned by projects and any share of the national pool, which the agency reports in its allocation materials. See every state side by side on the 2026 ceilings and bond caps table.
Basis boost areas: 2027 QCTs and DDAs
HUD's 2027 lists, which apply from January 1, 2027, put 456 North Carolina census tracts in qualified census tracts, spread across 79 counties. 9 nonmetropolitan counties are difficult development areas. In metro areas, 36 ZIP code areas (ZCTAs) are Small Area DDAs. A building in either can take 130% of eligible basis. Check an address with the QCT and DDA lookup.
| County | 2027 QCT tracts |
|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County | 53 |
| Guilford County | 30 |
| Gaston County | 27 |
| Wake County | 26 |
| Forsyth County | 25 |
Nonmetro DDA counties: Bertie County, Chowan County, Craven County, Dare County, Haywood County, Lee County, Pasquotank County, Transylvania County, Watauga County.
Metro areas with Small Area DDAs: Asheville, NC MSA; Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HUD Metro FMR Area; Gates County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area; Goldsboro, NC MSA; Greensboro-High Point, NC HUD Metro FMR Area; Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA; Hoke County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area; Iredell County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area; Jacksonville, NC MSA; Pender County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area; Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC MSA; Rockingham County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area; Wilmington, NC HUD Metro FMR Area; Winston-Salem, NC HUD Metro FMR Area.
Every North Carolina qualified census tract, with its population, poverty rate and median income, is on the North Carolina QCT list by county.
Source: HUD 2027 QCT and DDA designations, FR Doc. 2026-20390 (91 FR 63573, Oct. 6, 2026).
Tax credit properties in North Carolina
HUD's database lists 1,517 North Carolina properties financed with housing tax credits that the allocating agency still monitors, with 98,646 income-restricted units. The largest city totals are below; see all cities on the North Carolina apartments page.
| City | Properties | Restricted units |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 142 | 14,598 |
| Raleigh | 110 | 9,342 |
| Durham | 57 | 5,328 |
| Greensboro | 62 | 3,854 |
| Winston Salem | 38 | 3,063 |
| Fayetteville | 41 | 3,038 |
| Wilmington | 29 | 2,539 |
| Asheville | 34 | 2,473 |
| Gastonia | 21 | 1,921 |
| High Point | 23 | 1,639 |
| County | Properties | Restricted units |
|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County | 150 | 15,402 |
| Wake County | 162 | 12,481 |
| Guilford County | 85 | 5,493 |
| Durham County | 57 | 5,440 |
| Forsyth County | 46 | 3,663 |
| Cumberland County | 51 | 3,550 |
| Buncombe County | 43 | 3,218 |
| Gaston County | 39 | 3,056 |
| New Hanover County | 30 | 2,607 |
| Cabarrus County | 25 | 2,129 |
For buyers and lenders: the North Carolina Year 15 and Year 30 list shows which of these properties reach the end of the compliance period or the 30-year extended use minimum from 2022 to 2034, by county.
Source: HUD's national LIHTC database (LIHTCPUB, revised May 28, 2026; projects placed in service through 2024). City pages cover cities with at least five properties; county links go to that county's 2026 income and rent limits.
Financing a LIHTC deal in North Carolina
A 9% deal in North Carolina competes for NCHFA's 2026 ceiling of $38,252,259 (population amount) under the 2026 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP). A 4% deal needs an award from the state's $1,511,725,680 private activity bond cap: tax-exempt bonds must finance 50% of the aggregate basis of the building and land, or at least 25% if one or more of those bonds, from an issue dated after December 31, 2025, together finance at least 5% of that basis (the 25% bond test, for buildings placed in service in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025). Sites in North Carolina's 456 qualified census tracts for 2027 can take the 130% basis boost.
On HUD's records for the 1,174 North Carolina properties on this site's city pages, 6% of those reporting the field were financed with tax-exempt bonds and 76% took 9% (70% present value) credits; 418 received allocations in 2015 or later.
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32; HUD 2027 QCT list; HUD's national LIHTC database (LIHTCPUB, revised May 28, 2026; projects placed in service through 2024), bond and credit-type fields. What to read in a QAP: state LIHTC programs. Sizing a North Carolina deal: get a financing quote.
State housing tax credit
No state LIHTC found. NC state LIHTC (G.S. 105-129.40 et seq.) sunset for developments allocated federal credits on or after Jan 1, 2015; NCHFA now uses the Workforce Housing Loan Program. (primary source)
More North Carolina data
- North Carolina 2026 income and rent limitsby county
- North Carolina tax credit apartmentsby city
- North Carolina QCTs and DDAs2027 lists by county
- Year 15 and Year 30 propertiesby county
- QCT and DDA lookupby address
- Monthly credit ratesIRS
- LIHTC in New Yorkprevious
- LIHTC in North Dakotanext
- All statescompare
Questions people ask
How much 9% LIHTC does North Carolina get in 2026?
The population part of North Carolina's 2026 housing credit ceiling is $38,252,259: the greater of $3.416 per resident or $3,953,600, applied to the 11,197,968 population in IRS Notice 2026-22. The agency's actual 2026 authority also adds unused and returned credits and any national pool share, so its own published figure can be higher.
Who allocates housing tax credits in North Carolina?
North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA). It awards 9% credits under its qualified allocation plan (2026 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP), 2026) and sets the rules 4% bond deals must meet to receive credits.
Does North Carolina have a state low-income housing tax credit?
Not a state LIHTC as of October 2026. NC state LIHTC (G.S. 105-129.40 et seq.) sunset for developments allocated federal credits on or after Jan 1, 2015; NCHFA now uses the Workforce Housing Loan Program.
Financing a North Carolina tax credit deal?
Construction, bond, bridge-to-equity and permanent debt for North Carolina 4% and 9% deals.