From that date shoppers will have to pay at least 5p for each single use carrier bag they use.
According to the Department of Environment, the main aim of the charge is to help protect the environment by "reducing the unnecessary use of all single use carrier bags".
It defines single use carrier bags as plastic, paper or plant-based material bags.
Under the new rules, retailers are allowed to charge more than 5p if they wish. However, only 5p from the sale of each bag is payable to the Department of the Environment.
The NI Assembly said that the net proceeds of the 5p levy must be passed to the DoE to help fund environmental projects.
Some single use carrier bags are exempt from the levy including bags used to contain take-away hot food and hot drinks, certain types of small bags and specialist bags such as mail order dispatch and courier bags.
'No evidence'
Speaking about the issue earlier this year, Pafa chief executive Barry Turner said: "There is no evidence to support the frequent suggestions that introducing bag charges delivers overall environmental benefits or that in some way restricting the numbers of carrier bags in use will make consumers more environmentally-conscious in other areas of their lives.
"In fact, all that is needed is for consumers to follow best practice by re-using or recycling their bags once they have served their very useful first purpose of carrying food and shopping safely."
