Using our free South Carolina paycheck calculator, you can determine your net pay or take-home pay by inputting your period or annual income along with the required federal, state, and local W4 data. The state of South Carolina has a progressive income tax system. Tax rates vary widely, with a peak rate of 7% and a lowest one of 0%.
South Carolina, also referred to as the Palmetto State, is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States famous for its shoreline of marsh-like Sea Islands and subtropical beaches. With a rich history, favorable weather, diverse culture, slower way of life, and natural beauty, South Carolina offers tons of opportunities and attractions to enjoy.
The Palmetto State shares its borders with North Carolina on the north, with the Atlantic Ocean on the southeast, and with Georgia on the southwest. Moreover, the state is 23rd most populous, and the 40th most extensive among 50 states of U.S. Columbia is the state's Capital. At the same time, Charleston is the largest city, and Greenville is the largest metro of South Carolina.
Have you got a fantastic job offer or business idea to implement in South Carolina? Or planning to start your new life in this fantastic State? No matter what your reasons for relocation are, our "South Carolina" Guide will help you in either way. Our Finance and travel experts have joined hand to bring you a one-of-its-kind guide that would help you in the following topics:
We hope these topics would answer most of your queries and prevent you from regretting your decision later. So let's get started!
Before you grab and pack your stuff for moving to South Carolina, there are several factors that you should consider about the Palmetto State:
Living in South Carolina is affordable overall. The housing cost is significantly lower than the national average, while health and utilities are relatively expensive. The cost of living index for SC is 88.5 points, whereas the national index is 100 points.
Owning and renting a house in South Carolina is quite affordable. The median home value in South Carolina is $170,100 compared to a national average of around $231,200. Moreover, the median rent price in the state for a single bedroom is $780, and for a double bedroom is $936. However, cost varies depending on the city and location. The cheapest places to live in South Carolina include Dillon, Fountain Inn, Bennettsville, and Mauldin.
Unfortunately, statistics for quality education in South Carolina aren't satisfying. The state has the 4th worst eighth-grade reading scores in the nation and ranks at 42nd position among 50 states for overall education.
Some of the highly respected public school districts and colleges in South Carolina include The Citadel (Charleston), Coker College (Hartsville), University of South Carolina – Aiken (Aiken), Fort Mill School District (Fort Mill), Lexington-Richland School District No. 5 (Irmo) and Spartanburg County School District No. 6 (Roebuck).
The State experiences a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters. Moreover, the state also hits by natural disasters like tornados during spring as well as thunderstorms and Tropical cyclones during summer months.
Due to the extensive coastline and favorable weather, the tourism and hospitality industries rule South Carolina. These industries bring in many jobs to the coastal region every year. Moreover, industries like Aerospace, Agribusiness, Automotive, Advanced Manufacturing, and Advanced Materials are also flourishing and producing truckloads of opportunities for entrepreneurs and job seekers.
South Carolina provides endless ways to explore and enjoy the natural outdoor majesties that awaits, including numerous beaches, swimming holes, creeks, lakes, and much more. The fun doesn't end here! You can enjoy delicious Food & Drink at DeSano Pizza Bakery and Captain George's Seafood Restaurant, OR spend quality time in Games & Entertainment Centers like Escape Plan Columbia and Craft Axe Throwing (Greenville and Columbia), Nature & Parks like The Center for Birds of Prey and Falls Park on the Reedy, Museums like Myrtle Beach Pinball Museum, Pat Conroy Literary Center, OR explore Sights & Landmarks like Liberty Bridge and Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.
The State also has numerous Nightlife and Cultural & Theme Tour Opportunities, Water & Amusement Parks, and Spas & Wellness to make your holidays and vacation memorable.
While there are a lot of reasons to fall in love with South Carolina, there are cons of the state too. Here are a few of them:
As we are done with relocation to South Carolina and its payroll facts, now it's time to calculate paycheck.
The very first step to calculating the paycheck amount is to determine Gross Pay. It is a wage that an employee earned in the last pay period.
Gross Pay is calculated differently for both hourly and salary-based employees, which is discussed in detail as follow:
Hourly Employees are paid at a mutually agreed pay rate for each hour they work in a pay period. Usually, Pay periods for Hourly employees are Hourly, Daily, Weekly, and Bi-Weekly. However, the Federal, State, and Local Wage law requires the employers to set the pay rate equals to or more than the defined Minimum Wage Law for the non-exempted employees.
Hourly employees are also entitled to receive overtime, for each excess hour worked after regular hours in a workday or a workweek. Remember, like Minimum wage, the employers are also required to follow Overtime wage law provided by the federal, state, and local authorities.
To calculate gross wage for an hourly employee:
Salaried Employees are paid at the flat amount rather than on an hourly basis. The amount is usually mutually agreed as an Annual Salary, which is then paid in Semi-monthly or Monthly Pay periods.
Salaried employees are mostly exempted from overtime law. However, their salaries must be according to Federal and State Minimum Wage law.
To calculate Gross Pay for Salaried Employees:
Don't forget that Supplemental Wages like Bonuses, commissions, tips, paid leaves, fringe benefits, or other taxable wages earned by the employee must be added into the Gross wages.
Once you are done with Gross Wages, it's time to subtract any Pre-Tax deductions from the gross wage to get taxable wages as Pre-tax deductions are not taxable for federal payroll taxes.
Pre-tax deductions are offered to the employees as benefits like fringe benefits, HSA plans, etc., to reduce their taxable income, hence, increasing their take-home pay amount. Remember, not all benefits are exempted from taxes, so choose the pre-tax deductions wisely.
Some of the common pre-tax deductible benefits are:
Many Taxpayers find it hard to itemize their deductions to calculate taxable wages, for which they go for standard deductions, that varies according to the filing status, as shown in the table below:
Filing Status | Standard Deduction Amount |
---|---|
Single Filers | $12,200 |
Married, Filing Jointly | $24,400 |
Married, Filing Separately | $12,200 |
Head of Household | $18,350 |
Once you have determined the taxable wages, it's time to deduct Federal Income taxes for the Taxable wages.
IRS requires the employers to withhold federal income tax from the employee's paycheck, according to the details provided by the employee on Form W-4. The employee fills this form at the start of the job. The form includes all the necessary information, including income, number of allowances to claim, number of dependents, amount of additional taxes to deduct, and much more.
The employees are required to keep their Form W-4 up to date with all their current information, especially marriage, divorce, or child's birth.
The federal income tax is charged according to the tax brackets in which the taxpayer's income falls. The latest income tax brackets and rates are as follow:
Taxable Income | Rate |
---|---|
$0 - $9,700 | 10% |
$9,700 - $39,475 | 12% |
$39,475 - $84,200 | 22% |
$84,200 - $160,725 | 24% |
$160,725 - $204,100 | 32% |
$204,100 - $510,300 | 35% |
$510,300+ | 37% |
Taxable Income | Rate |
---|---|
$0 - $19,400 | 10% |
$19,400 - $78,950 | 12% |
$78,950 - $168,400 | 22% |
$168,400 - $321,450 | 24% |
$321,450 - $408,200 | 32% |
$408,200 - $612,350 | 35% |
$612,350+ | 37% |
Taxable Income | Rate |
---|---|
$0 - $9,700 | 10% |
$9,700 - $39,475 | 12% |
$39,475 - $84,200 | 22% |
$84,200 - $160,725 | 24% |
$160,725 - $204,100 | 32% |
$204,100 - $306,175 | 35% |
$306,175+ | 37% |
Taxable Income | Rate |
---|---|
$0 - $13,850 | 10% |
$13,850 - $52,850 | 12% |
$52,850 - $84,200 | 22% |
$84,200 - $160,700 | 24% |
$160,700 - $204,100 | 32% |
$204,100 - $510,300 | 35% |
$510,300+ | 37% |
Besides, Federal Income Tax, the IRS also requires the employer to withhold FICA tax (15.3%) for the employee's paycheck and also requires the employer to pay an equal amount for each employee.
Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) Taxes comprises of two types of taxes which are as follow:
A total of 12.4% of social security tax is charged from which 6.2% is withheld from the employee's gross, and the employer pays the matching 6.2%. However, Social Security is only charged on the maximum taxable earnings of $137,700 for 2025.
A total of 2.9% of Medicare is charged, from which 1.45% is withheld from the employee's gross, and the employer pays the matching 1.45%. Unlike Social Security, there is no maximum table earning limit for this tax. However, an additional surtax of 0.9% is charged as Additional Medicare Surtax on the employees having income over the specified level along with filing status, which is as follow:
Income Over | Filing Status |
---|---|
$250,000 | Married Filing Jointly |
$125,000 | Married Filing Separately |
$200,000 | Single |
IRS requires the employer to pay another tax, known as The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) Tax. This tax is paid at the rate of 6% on the first $7000 earned by each employee in a year. However, the IRS doesn't require the employees to contribute to it.
The employers who pay State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) tax in full and on time are given relieving FUTA tax credit of up to 5.4%, which saves a whopping 90% from FUTA Tax.
Post-tax deductions (after-tax deductions) is an amount the employer takes out from the employee's paycheck after taxes. Therefore, it does not affect taxable wages and the amount of tax payable.
Here are some of the types of post-tax deductions that employee may voluntarily choose:
As you are done with Federal Payroll Taxes, now it's time to discuss State Payroll Taxes. The South Carolina State charges State Income Tax on the employees. Moreover, employers are required to pay State Unemployment Insurance Tax.
South Carolina follows a progressive income tax system, having six tax brackets dependent on income level and regardless of filing status and a rate ranging from 0.00% to 7.00%. Moreover, Supplemental Wages and Bonuses can be charged at a flat rate of 7.00%.
The employer withholds this tax from the employee's paycheck according to the details provided by the employee in the Form W-4. This form is filled by the employee while joining the job. Employees are required to keep the form updated with any significant life events like marriage, child's birth, and divorce.
All Filers | |
South Carolina Taxable Income | Rate |
---|---|
$0 - $3,030 | 0.00% |
$3,030 - $6,060 | 3.00% |
$6,060 - $9,090 | 4.00% |
$9,090 - $12,120 | 5.00% |
$12,120 - $15,160 | 6.00% |
$15,160+ | 7.00% |
The State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Tax is an employer-funded program that provides temporary income to unemployed workers who have lost their job without fault of their own.
The state doesn't charge in South Carolina State Disability Insurance (SDI) tax on employers. However, it does require the employers to pay South Carolina State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) tax, at the rate ranging from 0.06% to 5.46% on a first $14,000 earned in wages by each employee in a year. However, new employers are given relief as they only have to pay a flat rate of 0.55%.
No city or county in South Carolina levies Local Income Tax
Now that you are done with all payroll taxes and calculated the net take-home pay of an employee, it's time to cut the paycheck. Moreover, you, as an employer, must pay your portion of FICA tax along with FUTA and SUI tax in full and on time regularly.
Answer: Following taxes are taken out of employee's paycheck in South Carolina:
Answer: Following are the Payroll taxes that an employer and employee pay in South Carolina:
Answer: South Carolina follows the progressive income tax system, having six tax brackets dependent on income level, but regardless of filing status. The rates are as follow:
Answer: South Carolina doesn't regulate Minimum Wages. So the Federal Minimum Wage rate of $7.25 is applied for employees unless or otherwise exempted. Moreover, Tipped employees are paid a cash minimum wage rate of $2.13, with a maximum tip credit of $5.12.