South Carolina income tax, by filing status
Tax year 2026
Tax on a $75,000 salary
$2,657
3.54% of pay, single filer
Against other states
26 of 51
1 takes the most
Top rate
5.21%
on the highest incomes only
Tax-free first
$15,000
of income, single filer
What filing status changes in South Carolina
- South Carolina does not widen its tax bands for married couples. All 2 stay exactly the same whether you file alone or jointly, so two incomes stack straight into them.
- Head of household gets no special schedule in South Carolina — it uses the same bands as a single filer. The federal return may treat you differently, but the state one will not.
- South Carolina lets a single filer keep $15,000 before tax starts, and doubles that to $30,000 for a couple. Straightforward, and not something every state does.
- The South Carolina schedule does not double, or otherwise widen, for married-filing-jointly: all 2 thresholds are shared with the single schedule and the top rate remains about 5.21%. Whether this is deliberate policy or legislative inertia varies by state; the effect on a dual-income household is the same either way.
- South Carolina applies the single-filer schedule to head-of-household returns rather than publishing a separate table. The status can still matter federally, and can still affect the state's own deduction, but it moves no bracket threshold here. Assuming the federal treatment carries across is a common and costly inference.
- South Carolina's standard deduction is $15,000 for single filers and exactly double at $30,000 for joint filers. Exact doubling makes the deduction marriage-neutral; states that widen it by less than double impose a penalty at the very bottom of the schedule, where it is least visible and proportionally largest.
Where the money goes
A $75,000 salary
- Federal income tax$7,670
- Social Security and Medicare$5,738
- State income tax$2,657
- Yours$58,935
| Federal income tax10.23% | $7,670 |
|---|---|
| Social Security and Medicare7.65% | $5,738 |
| State income tax3.54% | $2,657 |
| Yours78.58% | $58,935 |
Your next $1,000
A $75,000 salary
| Federal, on the next dollar | 22% |
|---|---|
| Social Security and Medicare | 7.65% |
| State, on the next dollar | 5.21% |
| Taken from the next $1,000 | $363 |
Rates shown are federal, Social Security and Medicare, and state. Any local tax is inside the kept amount.
How this state ranks, at this income
A $75,000 salary
| Take-home in South Carolina | $58,935 |
|---|---|
| Rank once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | 23rd of 51 |
| Most take-home at this income | South Dakota · $61,593 |
| Best once prices are leveled | South Dakota |
State income tax only — no city or county income tax is applied to any state here.
Your two tax rates
A $75,000 salary
- Next dollar36.27%
- All your pay21.42%
| On the next dollar | 36.27% |
|---|---|
| Across all your pay | 21.42% |
| The gap | 14.85% |
| Tax this year | $16,065 |
The outer ring shows tax on your next dollar. The inner ring shows tax as a share of all your pay.
Which rung you are on
A $75,000 salary
| This rung starts at | $66,500 |
|---|---|
| Next rung starts at | $121,800 |
| Room before it | $46,800 |
Federal only, measured on gross pay — so the first rung is what the standard deduction covers.
South Carolina's ladder
A $75,000 salary
| Rungs in this state | 3 |
|---|---|
| Top rate begins | $45,000 |
Measured on gross pay, so any state standard deduction shows as a 0% first rung.
What filing status is worth
A $75,000 salary
| Single | $58,935 |
|---|---|
| Married filing jointly | $63,244 |
| Married filing separately | $58,935 |
| Head of household | $61,532 |
What each status computes to at this income. Which one you may use depends on your household.
The part never taxed
A $75,000 salary
- Never taxed$16,100
- Taxable$58,900
| Share of your pay | 21.47% |
|---|---|
| Taxable after it | $58,900 |
Federal income tax only. Social Security and Medicare start at the first dollar you earn.
The tax with a ceiling
A $75,000 salary
| Wage base | $184,500 |
|---|---|
| Social Security rate | 6.2% |
| Medicare surtax begins | $200,000 |
Social Security stops at the wage base. Medicare does not, and gains a surtax higher up.
What no income tax costs instead
A $75,000 salary
- Income
- Sales
- Property
| Income tax saved | $2,657 |
|---|---|
| Sales and property added | $1,134 |
| States with none | 9 |
Against the average of the states with no income tax. Stated assumptions: 30% spent taxably, a $300,000 home.
Tax brackets — every filing status
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | 1.99% |
| Over $30,000 | 5.21% |
What you'd actually owe, by filing status
Same gross income, four filing statuses. The gap between columns is entirely South Carolina's own schedule and deduction — federal tax and FICA are not included here.
| Gross income | Single | Married filing jointly | Head of household | Married filing separately |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $999 | $398 | $547 | $999 |
| $75,000 | $2,657 | $1,379 | $1,982 | $2,657 |
| $100,000 | $4,244 | $2,965 | $3,640 | $4,244 |
Questions people ask
If I earn more, does the higher rate apply to everything?
No. Each band charges only the money inside it, so income is taxed in slices. That is why the share actually leaving at a typical income is about 3.54% rather than the top rate of about 5.21%.
Is there an amount this state does not tax at all?
The schedule does not start at the first dollar. $15,000 is sheltered for a single filer before any rate applies.
Do the brackets change at all when we file together?
No — the thresholds are the same either way. Because the bands do not widen for a couple, combining two incomes on one return reaches each rate at exactly the point a single filer would.
Does the tax-free allowance double when we file together?
Two filers get two allowances. $15,000 becomes $30,000, an exact doubling, independently of what the bands do.
How do this state's marginal rates apply across income?
South Carolina applies each marginal rate only to income within its bracket. The top marginal rate is about 5.21%; measured effective liability at this project's representative income is about 3.54%. Crossing a threshold cannot reduce net income.
Where does state income tax liability begin here?
Liability commences above $15,000 for a single filer, comprising the standard deduction and any zero-rate opening bracket. Filers below that threshold owe no state income tax, though a return may still be required.
Why are joint and single thresholds identical here?
South Carolina applies identical bracket thresholds to single and joint filers. Combined income therefore reaches each marginal rate at the single-filer threshold, which is the strongest form of marriage penalty a graduated schedule can produce.
How does the standard deduction scale for joint filers here?
The standard deduction doubles exactly for joint filers — $15,000 to $30,000 — so the deduction component is marriage-neutral. Bracket thresholds scale independently and may not be.