South Carolina paycheck calculator
On a $78,000 salary filing single — $2,856 a year, 3.66% of gross pay, before federal withholding and FICA.
- Top rate
- 5.21%
- Rate on your last dollar
- 5.21%
- State taxable income
- $73,364
- Tax for the year
- $2,856
South Carolina's income tax is graduated: 2 brackets running from 1.99% to 5.21%, the 21st-highest top rate of the 51 jurisdictions. The top rate applies to a single filer's taxable income above $30,000. Married couples filing jointly are taxed on exactly the same bracket widths as a single filer, so a two-earner couple hits the top rate at the same income one person would — the schedule itself carries a marriage penalty. A single filer subtracts a $15,000 standard deduction before the rates are applied, and that deduction shrinks as income rises and reaches zero at $95,000.
South Carolina 2026 tax brackets
South Carolina publishes one schedule that every filing status shares. Rates apply to state taxable income — income after the deductions in the next table, not your gross salary.
Single · Married filing jointly · Head of household
| State taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $30,000 | 1.99% |
| $30,000 and above | 5.21% |
South Carolina deductions and exemptions
| Amount | Single | Married filing jointly | Head of household |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard deductionFalls by $27.27 for every $100 of income above $40,000 (single), reaching zero at $95,000. | $15,000 | $30,000 | $22,500 |
Work out your own South Carolina paycheck
Already set to South Carolina, filing single, paid every two weeks, with no 401(k) or health premium so the tax lines stand alone. Change any of it.
Before any deductions. Use the salary calculator to convert an annual figure.
Traditional (pre-tax) deferrals reduce income-tax withholding but not Social Security or Medicare.
Pre-tax (Section 125) premiums, which reduce both income tax and FICA wages.
Uses that state's own rate schedule and standard deduction on your annualized wages. Pick the last option to type a flat rate instead.
Only used when State is set to “Not listed”. A flat estimate applied to taxable wages.
- Annual take-home pay
- $60,847
- Federal income tax withheld
- $320.38
- Social Security (6.2%)
- $186.00
- Medicare (1.45%)
- $43.50
- State income tax
- $109.86From the selected state's rate schedule, or your flat rate.
- Pre-tax deductions (401(k) + health)
- $0.00
- Total taxes as % of gross
- 22%
Assumptions
- 2026 Publication 15-T percentage-method tables (automated payroll systems) with a 2020-or-later Form W-4 and no Step 4(a)/4(b) entries.
- Social Security at 6.2% up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500 and Medicare at 1.45% plus 0.9% over $200,000 (IRS Topic 560), both averaged evenly across the year.
- State tax uses each state's published rate schedule, standard deduction and personal exemption for the tax year shown with the results — annualized, then divided by your pay periods rather than run through that state's own withholding formula. The source URL, year and per-state simplifications are printed above the results.
- No local or city income taxes, state disability insurance, HSA/FSA deductions or supplemental-wage withholding. A state that isn't listed falls back to the flat rate you enter.
- Take-home$2,34078%
- Federal income tax$32011%
- Social Security$1866%
- Medicare$441%
- State tax$1104%
| Item | Per two weeks | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $3,000.00 | $78,000 |
| 401(k) (pre-tax) | -$0.00 | -$0 |
| Health premium (pre-tax) | -$0.00 | -$0 |
| Federal income tax | -$320.38 | -$8,330 |
| Social Security | -$186.00 | -$4,836 |
| Medicare | -$43.50 | -$1,131 |
| State income tax | -$109.86 | -$2,856 |
| Take-home pay | $2,340.26 | $60,847 |
Take-home pay in South Carolina by salary
| Salary | Gross / paycheck | Federal | FICA | South Carolina | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,538.46 | $100.77 | $117.69 | $19.13 | $1,300.87 |
| $60,000 | $2,307.69 | $193.08 | $176.54 | $63.95 | $1,874.13 |
| $78,000 | $3,000.00 | $320.38 | $229.50 | $109.86 | $2,340.26 |
| $100,000 | $3,846.15 | $506.54 | $294.23 | $163.23 | $2,882.15 |
| $150,000 | $5,769.23 | $951.31 | $441.35 | $263.42 | $4,113.15 |
| $250,000 | $9,615.38 | $1,973.23 | $596.69 | $463.81 | $6,581.65 |
Per biweekly paycheck, filing single, no 401(k) and no pre-tax premiums. South Carolina tax is the annual liability from its 2026 schedule spread evenly across 26 paychecks.
How the neighbours compare
South Carolina borders 2 other jurisdictions. Moving across a state line is the one way most people can actually change which of these schedules applies to them, so here is the same income run through each of them.
| State | Rate structure | Per paycheck | A year |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 1.99% – 5.21% | $109.86 | $2,856 |
| Georgia | Flat 4.99% | $120.91 | $3,144 |
| North Carolina | Flat 3.99% | $100.13 | $2,603 |
State income tax on a single filer, after each state’s own deductions. Federal tax is identical wherever you live, so the difference between these rows is the whole difference.
What these South Carolina figures leave out
Recorded against South Carolina in the data rather than glossed over, because they change real bills.
- Act 110 of 2026 rewrote South Carolina's income tax for tax years beginning after 2025: one schedule for all filing statuses, and a new South Carolina Income Adjusted Deduction in place of the federal standard deduction. South Carolina now starts from federal AGI.
- The deduction phases out linearly — to zero at $95,000 (single), $142,500 (head of household) and $190,000 (joint) of AGI — and that phase-out is modelled here. South Carolina rounds each reduction down to the nearest $10, which this does not, so results can differ by a dollar or two.
- The top rate is scheduled to fall further from 2027 if revenue triggers are met.
Frequently asked questions
▸Does South Carolina withhold state income tax from your paycheck?
Yes. On a $78,000 salary paid every two weeks, roughly $109.86 a paycheck goes to South Carolina income tax — about $2,856 over a year — on top of federal withholding and FICA.
▸What is taken out of a paycheck in South Carolina?
Federal income tax withheld under the IRS Publication 15-T tables, Social Security at 6.2% up to the annual wage base, and Medicare at 1.45%, plus South Carolina income tax from its 2026 schedule. Pre-tax 401(k) and health premiums come out before the income-tax lines are worked out.
▸How is South Carolina withholding calculated here?
Your pay is annualised, run through South Carolina's 2026 schedule — 2 brackets from 1.99% to 5.21% — with its own standard deduction, and the resulting annual liability is spread evenly over your pay periods. That is the annual tax you actually owe; a real South Carolina withholding table can differ by a few dollars a period and squares up when you file.
Source
South Carolina Department of Revenue — Information Letter #26-20, Individual Income Tax Reform
Tax year 2026 figures, last checked against the source on 2026-09-09.
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South Carolina paycheck calculator: South Carolina tax withheld per biweekly paycheck is $109.86. Source: https://www.calculateitnow.dev/south-carolina-paycheck-calculator