How to use the South Carolina paycheck calculator
- 1 Enter your pay and choose whether it is a yearly salary or an hourly wage (with hours a week).
- 2 Choose how often you are paid and your filing status.
- 3 Enter your children under 17 and your 401(k) contribution.
- 4 Read your take-home pay per paycheck and every deduction.
Worked example
A single South Carolina worker earning $60,000 a year, paid every two weeks, with 5% to a 401(k). From each $2,307.69 check: $115.38 of 401(k), $179.23 of federal income tax and $176.54 of Social Security and Medicare, and $56.30 of South Carolina tax: the SCIAD is partly phased out to $10,364, leaving $46,636 of taxable income. Take-home pay is $1,780.24.
Getting more from a South Carolina paycheck
- Check your pay stub against the calculator once a year.
- Raise your 401(k) to cut federal and state tax.
- Update your W-4 after marriage, a child or a raise.
- Expect a refund if 2026 withholding used the old 6% rate.
Compare with the North Carolina Paycheck Calculator, the Georgia Paycheck Calculator and check withholding with the W-4 Withholding Calculator.
Features
Act 110 rates
1.99% and 5.21% for 2026.
SCIAD
Phases out between income limits.
Salary or hourly
Enter a yearly salary or an hourly wage.
When to use it
Charleston and Greenville jobs
Compare offers by take-home pay. Convert hourly pay with the Hourly to Salary Calculator.
Moving from North Carolina
Compare with the North Carolina Paycheck Calculator.
Families
See the federal child tax credit with the Child Tax Credit Calculator.
Withholding check
Check your W-4 with the W-4 Withholding Calculator.
Related Pay and Salary tasks
Frequently asked questions
How much is taken out of a South Carolina paycheck?
On a $60,000 salary paid every two weeks with 5% to a 401(k), about $56 of South Carolina tax comes out of each check, plus $179 of federal tax and $177 of Social Security and Medicare.
What is the South Carolina income tax rate for 2026?
Taxable income under $30,000 is taxed at 1.99%. From $30,000, the tax is 5.21% of taxable income minus $966, which works out the same as 1.99% on the first $30,000 and 5.21% above it.
What is the SCIAD?
The South Carolina Income Adjusted Deduction, which replaced the federal standard deduction in 2026: $15,000 for single filers, $22,500 for heads of household and $30,000 for joint filers.
How does the SCIAD phase out?
For single filers it starts shrinking above $40,000 of federal adjusted gross income and is gone at $95,000. For heads of household the range is $60,000 to $142,500, and for joint filers $80,000 to $190,000.
Why might my withholding be higher than this?
South Carolina's 2026 withholding tables were published in November 2025, before Act 110 lowered the rates, so many workers have more withheld than they owe and will get the difference back as a refund.
Does South Carolina still have a dependent exemption?
Yes. The calculator uses the latest published amount, $4,930 per dependent for 2025, as the 2026 figure had not been released when this page was written.
Does South Carolina have local income taxes?
No. South Carolina cities and counties do not tax wages.
What else changed under Act 110?
The state earned income tax credit is capped at $200, and the tax return now starts from federal adjusted gross income instead of federal taxable income.
Do 401(k) contributions lower South Carolina tax?
Yes. Traditional 401(k) contributions are excluded from South Carolina taxable wages as well as federal. They do not reduce Social Security or Medicare.
How is federal tax worked out here?
Your yearly pay minus 401(k) contributions and the $16,100 federal standard deduction ($32,200 joint) is taxed at the 2026 brackets, then $2,200 is subtracted for each child under 17.
Is this my exact paycheck?
It is a close estimate. Employers use official withholding tables, and other deductions such as health insurance, HSA or union dues change your check.
Results are estimates based on the official rates linked above. Confirm important figures with the issuing authority or a qualified adviser before you act on them.
Built and reviewed by Hamza Farooq, founder and lead developer
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