South Carolina paycheck calculator for 2026
Type your pay before tax and how often it lands. See what federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and South Carolina take, and what's left, per paycheck and for the year.
Checked October 27, 2026
South Carolina taxes wages at 1.99% to 5.21%. On $60,000 a year, single, paid every two weeks, take-home in South Carolina comes to about $1,874 a paycheck, after $64 of South Carolina income tax. The calculator below works it out for your pay.
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Take-home pay
$2,016per paycheck
| Line | Per paycheck | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Pay before tax | $2,500 | $65,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$216 | −$5,620 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$155 | −$4,030 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$36 | −$943 |
| South Carolina income tax | −$77 | −$1,994 |
| Take-home | $2,016 | $52,413 |
An estimate for 2026: the year's income tax spread evenly over your paychecks, using the standard deduction. Your employer uses the IRS withholding tables and your W-4, so a real paycheck can be a little different. Credits (like the child tax credit), other income and local taxes aren't included.
How South Carolina taxes a paycheck
- For 2026, South Carolina has two brackets: 1.99% on taxable income up to $29,999, and 5.21% of taxable income minus $966 at $30,000 and above. That works out to 1.99% on the first $30,000 and 5.21% on the rest.
- Act 110 of 2026 replaced the federal standard deduction with the South Carolina Income Adjusted Deduction. The full amounts are $15,000 for single filers, $22,500 for head of household and $30,000 for married filing jointly.
- The deduction shrinks as federal adjusted gross income rises: a single filer's $15,000 falls by the fraction (income minus $40,000) over $55,000 and is gone at $95,000, a head of household's $22,500 falls from $60,000 and is gone at $142,500, and a joint filer's $30,000 falls from $80,000 and is gone at $190,000. The calculator applies that straight line; the Department rounds the reduction down to a multiple of $10, which changes the tax by under $1.
- The return now starts from federal adjusted gross income, so a traditional 401(k) deferral is left out of South Carolina wages.
- From 2027 the 5.21% rate can fall each year if state revenue projections reach the Board of Economic Advisors' threshold.
South Carolina has 2 tax brackets, from 1.99% up to 5.21%. A single filer gets a standard deduction of $15,000. Traditional 401(k) contributions come out of South Carolina taxable pay.
| Rate | Taxable income, single |
|---|---|
| 1.99% | $0 to $30,000 |
| 5.21% | $30,000 and up |
What else comes out of a South Carolina paycheck
Beyond federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and South Carolina income tax, the calculator takes nothing else out of a South Carolina paycheck, other than what you choose, like a 401(k) or health insurance.
How often South Carolina employers pay
South Carolina's wage payment law (S.C. Code 41-10-30) requires an employer to tell each new worker, at hire, the time and place of payment. Any change must be made in writing at least seven calendar days before it starts. The law doesn't name a frequency, so the schedule is the employer's.
More about South Carolina pay
Act 110 of 2026 replaced the federal standard deduction with the South Carolina Income Adjusted Deduction: $15,000 for a single filer, shrinking as federal adjusted gross income passes $40,000 and gone at $95,000.
From 2027 the 5.21% top rate can fall each year if state revenue projections reach the Board of Economic Advisors' threshold.
A worked example
$60,000 a year, single, paid every two weeks (26 paychecks of $2,307.69), with nothing taken out before tax:
| Line | Per paycheck | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Pay before tax | $2,308 | $60,000 |
| Federal income tax | $193 | $5,020 |
| Social Security | $143 | $3,720 |
| Medicare | $33 | $870 |
| South Carolina income tax | $64 | $1,663 |
| Take-home | $1,874 | $48,727 |
Other states
50 other states are in the paycheck tax calculator.
Questions people ask
How much is $60,000 a year after taxes in South Carolina?
About $48,727 a year, or $1,874 a paycheck paid every two weeks, for a single filer with no 401(k) or health insurance through work. Federal income tax is $5,020, Social Security $3,720, Medicare $870, and South Carolina income tax $1,663.
Does South Carolina have a state income tax?
Yes. South Carolina taxes wages at 1.99% to 5.21%.
Does a 401(k) lower South Carolina income tax?
Yes. South Carolina leaves traditional 401(k) contributions out of taxable wages, like the federal tax does. Putting $3,600 a year in (6% of $60,000) lowers South Carolina tax by about $239.
Is South Carolina's income tax really two brackets?
Yes. For 2026 it is 1.99% on the first $30,000 of taxable income and 5.21% above that.
Can a South Carolina employer change my payday?
Yes, but it must tell you in writing at least seven calendar days before the change takes effect.
Sources
9 sources · read October 27, 2026
Every number on this page comes from dor.sc.gov, scstatehouse.gov and irs.gov. If a source has changed since, the source is right.
- 1South Carolina Department of Revenue: Information Letter #26-20, Individual Income Tax Reformdor.sc.gov
- 2South Carolina Department of Revenue: Information about H. 4216dor.sc.gov
- 3South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 41, Chapter 10: Payment of Wagesscstatehouse.gov
- 4IRS: Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 tax brackets and standard deduction)irs.gov
- 5IRS: Topic 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates (2026 wage base $184,500)irs.gov
Wonderful gives general information. It isn't a financial or tax advisor.