South Carolina
South Carolina paycheck calculator
South Carolina is modeled at 0%, then 3%, then 6%, after a smaller pre-OBBBA standard deduction ($8,350 single / $16,700 joint) and a $4,930 dependent deduction when entered. The 6% top rate was a temporary cut through a FY2026 budget window and was scheduled to drift back toward 6.2% — treat the top rate as an estimate for the whole calendar year.
If South Carolina conforms to the higher federal standard deduction, this state line runs high. Charleston and Columbia do not add a city wage tax here. A traditional 401(k) reduces the South Carolina base; FICA does not.
Coastal relocation pitches that compare South Carolina only with North Carolina should run both calculators: North Carolina’s flat 3.99% after a larger deduction is a different shape than this graduated temporary-top schedule.
Example take-home
| Salary | Federal | FICA | State | Payroll | Local | Net / year | Net / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000.00 | $2,620.00 | $3,060.00 | $1,242.90 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $33,077.10 | $1,272.20 |
| $60,000.00 | $5,020.00 | $4,590.00 | $2,442.90 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $47,947.10 | $1,844.11 |
| $80,000.00 | $8,770.00 | $6,120.00 | $3,642.90 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $61,467.10 | $2,364.11 |
| $100,000.00 | $13,170.00 | $7,650.00 | $4,842.90 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $74,337.10 | $2,859.11 |
| $150,000.00 | $24,734.00 | $11,475.00 | $7,842.90 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $105,948.10 | $4,074.93 |
Loading the 2026 calculator…
What this page includes
- Federal income tax using the 2026 standard deduction and Rev. Proc. 2025-32 brackets
- Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%, plus Additional Medicare when wages clear the filing-status threshold)
- South Carolina: graduated state income tax (top 6%)
- No employee state disability / paid-leave premium modeled for this state yet
- Local wage tax only if you select a city/county or enter a custom percent
Local tax
South Carolina does not have a local wage tax in this file. City costs show up in rent and sales tax, not as a second income-tax line on the stub.
What is not included
Credits, itemized deductions, multi-state credits, property tax, sales tax, and unsourced local rates are not included. Employer payroll tables can differ from this annualized estimate. This South Carolina page does not invent taxes that are missing from the 2026 data files.
Questions
What South Carolina rates does this page use?
0%, then 3%, then 6% after the modeled deduction — with the 6% top treated as a temporary FY2026 figure.
Why is South Carolina marked estimated?
The temporary top-rate window and federal-conformity deduction amount can both differ from a full-year return.
Should I add a Charleston local percent by default?
No. South Carolina cities are not modeled as wage-tax jurisdictions here. Leave local off unless your stub shows a real local percent.
Nearby
Compare · Bonus · Hourly · All states · Local taxes
Sources
- IRS newsroom, tax year 2026 inflation adjustments (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
- Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (PDF)
- Tax Foundation, 2026 federal income tax brackets
- IRS Publication 15-T, Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods
- SSA, Contribution and benefit base
- IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide
- IRS, Questions and answers for the Additional Medicare Tax
- Tax Foundation, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026
- IRS, state government websites index
See a rate that looks wrong? The sources and the gaps are public.