South Carolina Salary & Paycheck Calculator 2026
South Carolina rebuilt its income tax for tax year 2026 under H.4216. The old 0% / 3% / 6% three-bracket schedule is gone, replaced by two rates: 1.99% on the first $30,000 of taxable income and 5.21% above. The state also stopped conforming to the federal standard deduction — filers now take the SC Income Adjusted Deduction instead ($15,000 single / $30,000 MFJ / $22,500 HOH), which phases out as income rises and reaches zero at $95,000 single / $190,000 MFJ. No local income tax, no state-level extra payroll taxes — SC paychecks are state + federal + FICA only.
Your Paycheck Inputs
Showing all 50 states + DC — every jurisdiction has a dedicated paycheck page; picking another navigates there. Use the home calculator →
Common: 100% up to 4%, or 50% up to 6%. For tiered formulas, switch to Tiered.Match dollars don't change your take-home (they go to the 401(k), not your paycheck) — but they show up below as "Total comp".
All calculations happen in your browser. No data stored or shared.
Annual Take-Home
$58,668
≈ $4,889/mo · $2,256/biweekly · effective rate 16.78%
+ $3,000/yr employer 401(k) match → $78,000 total compensation
🏖️ Plan ahead with this take-home
Tax Breakdown
Run your numbers through the right calculator
Salaried, freelance, bonus, overtime, or tips — pick the tool that matches your event.
Salary Calculator
Annual gross to take-home: federal + state + FICA + 401(k)/HSA modeling for all 50 states.
Calculate take-homeNo Tax on Tips Calculator
Apply the 2025 OBBBA tip deduction (up to $25,000) for servers, drivers, stylists, and other tipped workers.
Calculate tip take-homeOvertime Calculator
Apply the 2025 OBBBA 'No Tax on Overtime' deduction (up to $12,500) and see real savings.
Calculate OT take-home1099 Tax Calculator
1099, sole prop, or LLC: self-employment tax (15.3%) plus quarterly estimates.
Calculate SE taxSouth Carolina State Tax Facts (2026)
Tax Structure
Two brackets (1.99% / 5.21%)
Top Rate
5.21% (over $30,000)
Standard Deduction
SC Income Adjusted Deduction (SCIAD): $15,000 single / $30,000 MFJ / $22,500 HOH, phased out as AGI rises
Other State Payroll
None at state level
Notable South Carolina payroll feature
South Carolina rebuilt its income tax for 2026. H.4216 replaced the old three-bracket 0% / 3% / 6% schedule with just two rates — 1.99% on the first $30,000 of taxable income and 5.21% above — and decoupled the state from the federal standard deduction, substituting the SC Income Adjusted Deduction (SCIAD). The SCIAD starts at $15,000 single / $30,000 MFJ but phases out as income rises, so it is worth the most to lower- and middle-income filers and nothing at all to higher earners. No local income tax.
How a South Carolina paycheck actually works
Withholding on a South Carolina paycheck flows through Form SC W-4, the state withholding allowance certificate. The structure changed substantially for 2026: H.4216 collapsed the old 0% / 3% / 6% schedule into two brackets — 1.99% on the first $30,000 of taxable income, 5.21% above. SC DOR expresses the upper tier as "5.21% minus $966"; that constant is simply $30,000 × (5.21% − 1.99%), so the flat form and the two-bracket form give identical results. Because the law was signed in March and applies to the full 2026 tax year, filers who did not revisit their SC W-4 may be withholding on the old schedule. South Carolina has no local income tax anywhere — Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head all run pure state + federal + FICA paychecks.
Take-home math at three tiers, South Carolina single filer 2026: $60,000 → about $5,020 federal + $4,590 FICA + $1,663 SC state (SCIAD partially phased out to $9,545) = $11,273 deductions, take-home $48,727 (81%). $100,000 → $13,170 federal + $7,650 FICA + $4,244 SC (SCIAD fully phased out) = $25,064, take-home $74,936 (75%). $150,000 → $24,734 federal + $11,475 FICA + $6,849 SC = $43,058, take-home $106,942 (71%). The SCIAD phase-out is the dominant variable in the middle of the range — between $40,000 and $95,000 of AGI a single filer loses roughly 27 cents of deduction per extra dollar earned, which pushes the effective marginal rate above the headline 5.21% inside that band.
South Carolina's headline rates are now among the more competitive in the Southeast, but the comparison depends on income. A middle-income filer benefits twice — the lower rate and a substantial SCIAD — while a higher earner gets the rate cut only, since the deduction has fully phased out by $95,000 single / $190,000 MFJ. The state offers a $10,000 retirement-income exclusion for ages 65+ (each spouse separately for MFJ) plus full Social Security exemption, and exempts up to 44% of long-term capital gains from state tax. H.4216 also capped the state Earned Income Tax Credit at $200 per filer, replacing the prior 125%-of-federal formula — a meaningful reduction for low-income working families that partly offsets the rate cut for that group. Property tax averages just 0.55% effective — among the lowest in the US. No estate tax, no inheritance tax.
The single highest-leverage tactic for South Carolina W-2 earners is the long-term capital gains exclusion (44% of LTCG excluded from state tax) — RSU sales, business-sale proceeds, and concentrated-stock divestitures all benefit. A $500,000 LTCG event has $220,000 excluded, leaving $280,000 taxed at 5.21% (about $14,588 SC tax) versus roughly $26,000 if the full amount were taxed at that rate. For filers inside the SCIAD phase-out band, pre-tax 401(k) and HSA contributions do double duty: they cut taxable income and simultaneously restore phased-out deduction, so the effective saving per dollar deferred is larger than the headline rate implies. Retirees age 65+ should claim the $10,000 retirement-income exclusion — $20,000/year for an MFJ couple both 65+.
South Carolina tax quirks worth knowing
- •H.4216 (Act 110), signed March 2026, rebuilt the tax for tax year 2026: two brackets (1.99% up to $30,000, 5.21% above) replacing the old 0% / 3% / 6% schedule.
- •South Carolina no longer conforms to the federal standard or itemized deduction. The SCIAD replaces it — $15,000 single / $22,500 HOH / $30,000 MFJ, phasing out from $40,000 / $60,000 / $80,000 of AGI and reaching zero at $95,000 / $142,500 / $190,000. Not inflation-indexed.
- •The SCIAD phase-out creates a higher effective marginal rate inside the phase-out band than the 5.21% headline suggests.
- •The state EITC is now capped at $200 per filer (previously 125% of the federal credit with no dollar cap).
- •No local income tax in SC — paychecks deduct only state + federal + FICA.
Sources: federal brackets + standard deduction from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32; retirement contribution limits ($24,500 401(k), $4,400 HSA, $7,500 IRA) from IRS Notice 2025-67; FICA limits from the SSA 2026 Fact Sheet;South Carolina state brackets verified against the Tax Foundation 2026 State Income Tax Rates compilation and the official Individual income tax rates and filing information (SC Department of Revenue). Recent South Carolina reforms referenced: SC H.4216 / Act 110 (signed 3/30/2026) — replaced the 0% / 3% / 6% schedule with two brackets (1.99% / 5.21%), decoupled from the federal deduction, and created the SCIAD. First applies to tax year 2026.. Always cross-check with your state DOR before relying on any number for filing.
Federal payroll tax reference
Above-the-state-line, every South Carolina paycheck owes federal income tax + FICA (Social Security + Medicare). The breakdowns: