Reset NCID Password or Unlock Account

You can use your mobile or desktop device to reset your NCID password or unlock your NCID account at any time. Please note, however, that all NCID accounts that are locked automatically unlock after 30 minutes.

  1. Go to https://ncid.nc.gov/.
  2. Select the link beneath the NCID login that you need: 
  3. Enter your username and follow the prompts.

For more details about managing your NCID password, see the frequently asked questions below or the Self-Service Password Reset Quick Start Guide.

Still Need Help?

If you need to contact the NCDIT Service Desk, keep in mind:

  • Service Desk specialists can unlock any state employee's NCID account but can only reset NCID passwords only for N.C. Department of Information Technology employees.
  • If you are a state employee at another agency and need help resetting your password, you should contact your agency’s NCID administrator.
  • If you are using NCID as a private resident or business owner, call the NCDIT Service Desk at 800-722-3946 for direct assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tab/Accordion Items

NCID passwords cannot be used more than once. Passwords must:

  • Be case sensitive (note which characters you capitalize)
  • Be between 8 and 35 characters
  • Not include part of your name or username
  • Have at least four types of the following characters:
    • Uppercase letters (A-Z)
    • Lowercase letters (a-z)
    • Numbers (0-9)
    • Symbols (!, #, $, etc.)
    • Other language characters

  • NCID administrators can unlock accounts and passwords for state and local government employees but not for the general public. Employees are notified when administrators do so.
  • Service desk administrators and NCID administrators may do so for all users in their organizations.
  • NCID administrators' accounts can be changed only by another NCID administrator.

Federal regulations require all users to wait and use their new password for at least three days before changing it online. State and local government employees, however, can contact their NCID administrator to reset it before then.

Passwords for the general public will not expire. State and local government employees' passwords expire after 90 days. That includes employees on medical leave.

To change your password at any time, login to the NCID web portal, and click on the "Change My Password" tab.

If you are a government employee, you can check your password expiration date on your profile. You will also see an alert when logging directly into NCID.

As a convenience, state employees will get an email reminder 10 days before your password expires. Check your junk mail folder if you don't see it.

NCID administrators can see the password expiration dates for their users in the CSV reports generated by the NCID system.

The general public will always set their passwords themselves and will never have a temporary password.

State and local government employees are sometimes given temporary passwords by their NCID administrators. This happens when administrators create accounts or reset passwords for employees.

Employees must login to the NCID web portal and change their temporary password before using any other application (e.g., BEACON, Exchange). Temporary passwords expire within 90 days.

The system allows this, but for security, a different password should be used for each password reset. Agency policies should address this security risk.

Approximately 5 minutes.