ASHEBORO, N.C. – In light of the coronavirus, the government moved the income tax deadline from April 15 to July 15.

If you owe the state of North Carolina money, you should pay sooner rather than later, if you can. 

North Carolina law requires interest on state payments after the regular April deadline. That means if you file your taxes after April 15 and owe the state, you'll accrue interest on the amount you owe. The state can – and is – waiving late fees, but the law mandates it charge interest.

Ryan Dodson, the owner of Liberty Tax in Asheboro, says it will come as a surprise to taxpayers who wait until July. 

"They'll file on the 15th, and about a month or two later the state of North Carolina will end up sending them out a nice little letter that says 'by the way, you owe us interest from April 15 up until this date,' and it's going to be a surprise to a lot of taxpayers," Dodson said. 

In order to change this, the North Carolina General Assembly would have to change the law. The interest rate is 5 percent and does not apply to your federal taxes.