Bakken Royalty Estimator

1. Your numbers

Pick how you know your interest, then fill in what the well sold. We don't fill in any prices or volumes for you, because those come from your own statement.

3. How it's calculated

We use the same steps your statement does, with exact arithmetic. The decimal interest rounds to 8 places and every dollar line rounds to the nearest cent. Tax lines use the oil royalty dollars shown, so the lines add up exactly.

1. Decimal interest. Net mineral acres ÷ unit acres × royalty rate. If you already know your decimal interest, enter it and we skip this step. We round it to 8 places, the way statements show it.
2. Your share of the volumes. Decimal interest × the well's oil barrels, and × the well's gas mcf. Statements list 100% of the well's volumes.
3. Gross royalty. Your barrels × the oil price, plus your mcf × the gas price. Each dollar line is rounded to the nearest cent.
4. Production taxes. Oil gross production tax and oil extraction tax are each a percent of the oil royalty dollars. The gas tax is your mcf × the per-mcf rate.
5. Deductions. Your barrels × any per-barrel deduction, your mcf × any per-mcf deduction, plus any flat amount.
6. Estimated net. Gross royalty − taxes − deductions.

Worked example

These numbers are made up to show the math. They aren't a forecast or a typical result. 20 net mineral acres in a 1,280-acre unit with a 1/5 royalty. The well sold 10,000 barrels of oil at $55.00 and 20,000 mcf of gas at $2.00. Deductions are $2.00 a barrel and $0.30 an mcf. All three taxes are on.

You can load these same numbers into the calculator with the "Fill in an example" button.

4. What it leaves out

The estimate covers the basic math for a privately owned North Dakota mineral interest. These things can change a real check:

• Your lease. Royalty clauses can allow certain costs to come out of your share, set a different royalty on gas or on liquids, or use a different price. We can't see yours.
• Natural gas liquids and processing. Statements may report residue gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs) separately. We have no NGL line, so put any NGL money in the gas fields yourself or leave it out.
• Pooling, unit changes and tract splits. If your acreage is in more than one unit, or a unit changed, you need a separate estimate for each well. Tract participation and allocation can also change a decimal.
• Where the tax is figured. The taxes apply to the gross value at the well. That can differ from the price on your statement when transportation or processing is involved. We use your statement price as the value.
• The 6% trigger rule and other tax rules. We use the 5% extraction rate. We don't model the 6% rate that can apply on reservation and trust land, other exemption periods, credits or tax paid in other states.
• Minerals we aren't built for. State, federal and tribal royalties, working interests, overriding royalties and Montana wells.
• Timing and adjustments. Checks cover sales from earlier months, and operators post corrections later. One month's estimate won't match every check.
• Rounding. We round the decimal interest to 8 places and every dollar line to the cent. An operator's system may round in other places, so a penny or two of difference is normal.

5. Where the tax rates come from

Each rate below comes from North Dakota's statutes or the Tax Department. We checked them on October 25, 2026. The same data is in a file you can read: royalty-rates.json.

Oil gross production tax

Rate: 5% of the gross value at the well
Statute: NDCC 57-51-02
Valid through: No end date in the statute. We re-check after each legislative session.
Source: North Dakota Century Code

Oil extraction tax

Rate: 5% of the gross value at the well
Statute: NDCC 57-51.1-02
Valid through: No end date in the statute. We re-check after each legislative session.
Source: North Dakota Century Code
Exemptions: NDCC 57-51.1-03, and NDCC 57-51.1-03.1 for new wells, restimulations and similar projects. The estimator has a switch for this tax.

Gas gross production tax

Rate: $0.0655 per mcf
Statute: NDCC 57-51-02.2
Valid through: June 30, 2027 (the tax department resets the gas rate every July 1)
Source: ND Tax Department gas tax rate notice and its rate table

The oil rates are percents of the gross value at the well. We apply them to the oil royalty dollars. The gas tax is per mcf, so we apply it to your mcf.

6. Check your statement

These are North Dakota's rules for royalty statements and division orders. We word each one as the rule says it, without advice. Rules change, so read the current rule text and the current statutes. Tick items as you go. Nothing is saved.

Royalty statement

NDAC 43-02-06-01 says that whenever payment for oil or gas production is made to an interest owner, this information must be on the check stub or an attachment, unless it's otherwise provided on a regular monthly basis.

• The rule says the statement must include: The lease, property or well name or identification number.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 1
• The rule says the statement must include: The month and year in which the sales occurred.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 2
• The rule says the statement must include: 100% of the corrected volume of oil sold, in barrels, and 100% of the gas sold or removed for sale, in mcf, regardless of ownership.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 3In the estimator: Oil sold, Gas sold
• The rule says the statement must include: The weighted average oil price per barrel the producer received, as the net price after all deductions.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 4.aIn the estimator: Oil price
• The rule says the statement must include: The weighted average gas price per mcf, and natural gas liquids price per gallon, as net prices after all deductions.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 4.bIn the estimator: Gas price
• The rule says the statement must include: The total amount of state severance and other production taxes.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 5In the estimator: Taxes
• The rule says the statement must include: The producer's net value of total sales after taxes and deductions.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 6
• The rule says the statement must include: The amount and purpose of each owner deduction, identified as transportation, processing, compression or administrative costs.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 7In the estimator: Deductions
• The rule says the statement must include: The amount and purpose of each owner adjustment or correction.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 8
• The rule says the statement must include: The owner's interest in sales from the lease, property or well, expressed as a decimal.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 9In the estimator: Decimal interest
• The rule says the statement must include: The owner's share of the total value of sales before taxes, calculated before or after the owner's deductions if the statement clearly says which.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 10In the estimator: Gross royalty
• The rule says the statement must include: The owner's share of sales value less taxes and deductions.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 11In the estimator: Estimated net
• The rule says the statement must include: An address where more information may be obtained. The rule says an answer to a certified-mail request must be mailed by certified mail within 30 days of receipt.NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 12

Ownership statement, division orders and payment timing

• The rule says the operator or payor must send an ownership interest statement within 120 days after the end of the month of first sale, or of a change in the spacing unit or the decimal interest. It identifies the spacing unit, the effective date of any change, your net mineral acres, the gross mineral acres in the spacing unit and your decimal interest.NDAC 43-02-06-01.1
• The statute says a division order directs the purchaser to pay in the proportions set out in it, and that royalty payments may not be withheld because an interest owner has not signed one.NDCC 47-16-39.3
• The statute says a division order may not alter or amend the terms of the lease. One that varies the lease is invalid to the extent of the variance, and the lease terms take precedence.NDCC 47-16-39.3
• The statute says an operator that hasn't paid royalties within 150 days after production is marketed pays interest on the unpaid royalties at 18% a year, without a request from the owner.NDCC 47-16-39.1
• The statute says that if the total owed is under $50, the operator may remit semiannually the total of six months' royalties.NDCC 47-16-39.1
• The statute says the 150-day interest rule doesn't apply if the owner elects to take production in kind, if there's a dispute of title that affects distribution, or if the owner can't be located after reasonable inquiry. The operator still pays owners whose title isn't in dispute.NDCC 47-16-39.1

7. Where to find your numbers

• Net mineral acres. Your deed or title opinion. The ownership interest statement the operator sends also lists your net mineral acres (NDAC 43-02-06-01.1).
• Unit acres. The same ownership statement lists the gross mineral acres in the spacing unit. The NDIC spacing order for the well also has it. The ND Oil and Gas Division publishes well files and orders.
• Royalty rate. The royalty clause in your lease, or your lease's recorded memorandum.
• Decimal interest. Your division order and every royalty statement. The Division also has a mineral owner information page.
• Oil barrels, gas mcf and prices. Your royalty statement. North Dakota's rule has statements show 100% of the volumes sold and the weighted average price (NDAC 43-02-06-01, items 3 and 4).
• Deductions. The owner deductions line of your statement, identified as transportation, processing, compression or administrative costs (item 7).
• Tax rates. Section 5 of this page, or the Tax Department's gas tax rate table.

8. FAQ

What's a decimal interest?

It's your share of a well written as a decimal. For a mineral owner it's net mineral acres divided by the unit's acres, multiplied by your royalty rate. A 20-acre owner in a 1,280-acre unit with a 1/5 royalty has a decimal interest of 0.00312500. Statements usually show it to eight places.

Where do I find my decimal interest?

Look on your division order and on each royalty statement. North Dakota's royalty statement rule lists the owner's interest as a decimal among the items a statement must include (NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 9). Another rule says the operator or payor has to send an ownership interest statement within 120 days after the month of first sale, or after a change in the spacing unit or your decimal (NDAC 43-02-06-01.1).

Why doesn't the estimate match my check?

The most common reasons are lease terms we can't see, such as cost-sharing clauses, natural gas liquids and processing, a pooling or unit change, adjustments from earlier months, and taxes figured on a different value than the statement price. The “What it leaves out” section lists them. Your statement is the document that controls.

Are the taxes taken out of my royalty?

North Dakota's oil extraction tax statute says every owner of any part of the oil extracted, including a royalty owner, is deemed to be engaged in extracting it (NDCC 57-51.1-02). Statements show the total of state severance and other production taxes (NDAC 43-02-06-01, item 5), so you can compare the tax lines in the estimate with yours.

When does the operator have to pay royalties?

NDCC 47-16-39.1 says an operator that hasn't paid within 150 days after production is marketed owes interest on the unpaid royalties at 18% a year, without the owner having to ask. The statute lists exceptions, including a title dispute, an owner who can't be located after a reasonable search, and an owner who takes production in kind.

Does this work for Montana, or for state, federal or tribal minerals?

No. It's built for privately owned minerals in North Dakota. Montana has its own taxes, and state, federal and tribal royalties follow different rules. For wells on a reservation or trust land, North Dakota's extraction tax can rise from 5% to 6% when oil prices stay above a trigger price (NDCC 57-51.1-02), and the estimator doesn't model that.

Do you save or send what I type?

No. The calculator is one JavaScript file on our own site. It does the math in your browser, makes no outside calls, sets no cookies and stores nothing. Close the tab and your numbers are gone.

How current are the tax rates?

We checked them against the North Dakota Century Code and the Tax Department on October 25, 2026. The gas rate has a valid-through date of June 30, 2027, because the Tax Department resets it each July 1. The rates table below shows each rate, its statute and its date.

More answers are on our mineral rights FAQ.

Related pages

• Mineral rights FAQ
• Williams County mineral rights
• McKenzie County mineral rights
• Dunn County mineral rights
• Mountrail County mineral rights
• Divide County mineral rights
• Operator contacts for division order questions
• Mineral owner resources

← Mineral rights FAQResources →