South Carolina charges 0-6.4% state income tax. Use the tax refund estimator pre-loaded with South Carolina rates.
Open Tax Refund Estimator →In South Carolina, you may receive refunds at both the federal and state level. Your state refund depends on how your employer's graduated withholding compared to your actual South Carolina tax liability. Common reasons for a state refund include credits, deductions, or withholding calibrated for a higher income than you actually earned. Use this estimator to project both your federal and South Carolina state refund amounts.
South Carolina uses a graduated income tax with brackets ranging from 0-6.4%. Lower income is taxed at lower rates, with the 6.4% top rate applying only to income in the highest bracket. This progressive structure means your effective state tax rate is always lower than the top marginal rate. South Carolina does not have local income taxes, so the state graduated rate is the total state-level income tax burden.
The table below shows what you actually keep at five salary levels in South Carolina, accounting for federal tax, FICA, and South Carolina's graduated (0-6.4%) state tax.
See how South Carolina compares to other South states. Each link takes you to the tax refund estimator landing page for that state.
For a comprehensive breakdown of South Carolina’s tax structure, salary comparisons, cost-of-living analysis, and more, visit the full South Carolina take-home pay page.