South Carolina Paycheck Calculator

How the South Carolina paycheck calculator works

It starts from your gross pay for the pay period (annual salary ÷ number of pay periods, or hourly rate × hours plus any overtime) and then subtracts:

• Pre-tax deductions you enter, such as 401(k) contributions or health insurance premiums
• Federal income tax, based on your Form W-4 and the IRS 2026 withholding method
• Social Security (6.2% of wages up to $184,500) and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000)
• South Carolina income tax

What is left is your estimated net (take-home) pay for the period, shown with a line-by-line breakdown.

South Carolina income tax in 2026

A single filer gets a $15,000 SC Income Adjusted Deduction (SCIAD) when federal AGI is $40,000 or less. Above that it shrinks steadily and disappears at $95,000. Taxable income under $30,000 is taxed at 1.99%; at $30,000 or more the tax is 5.21% of taxable income minus $966. The changes apply from 1 January 2026.

Updated SC withholding tables were not yet published when the law passed, so early-2026 paychecks used the old tables. Any difference is settled on your 2026 return. Employees use Form SC W-4.

Other South Carolina payroll deductions

South Carolina has no state disability, paid-leave or local income tax deductions.

Example: $60,000 salary in South Carolina (2026)

Assumptions: single filer, paid every two weeks, 2026 federal standard deduction ($16,100), no other income, no pre-tax deductions and no extra withholding. Figures are annual estimates of tax owed; your employer's withholding can differ slightly.

In this example about 18.8% of gross pay goes to taxes and payroll deductions. Enter your own numbers in the calculator for your estimate.

How to calculate your South Carolina paycheck by hand

You can check the calculator with a pen and paper. Here is the same $60,000 single-filer example worked through for one biweekly paycheck:

1. Gross pay per check: $60,000.00 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69.
2. Pre-tax deductions: none in this example (401(k) and health premiums would be subtracted here, before income tax).
3. Federal income tax: $60,000.00 − $16,100 standard deduction = $43,900.00 taxable; 10%/12% brackets give $5,020.00 a year, or $193.08 per check.
4. Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08.
5. Medicare: 1.45% × $2,307.69 = $33.46.
6. South Carolina income tax: $1,662.45 for the year (see the brackets below) = $63.94 per check.
7. Take-home pay: $2,307.69 − all of the above = $1,874.14 per check ($48,727.56 a year).

Your employer uses the IRS percentage method (Publication 15-T) on each paycheck, so withholding can differ from the annual tax by a few dollars a check; the difference is settled when you file your return.

South Carolina income tax brackets for 2026

South Carolina single-filer amounts for 2026: standard deduction $15,000. The $15,000 SC Income Adjusted Deduction shrinks between $40,000 and $95,000 of AGI. The official formula for $30,000+ is 5.21% of taxable income minus $966, which gives the same result as these marginal brackets.

Brackets are marginal: each rate only applies to the slice of income inside its band, so moving into a higher bracket never reduces your take-home pay.

South Carolina salary after taxes: take-home pay at common salaries

Estimated 2026 take-home pay in South Carolina for a single filer with the standard deduction and no pre-tax deductions:

Use these as quick reference points; the calculator above gives the figure for your exact pay, pay schedule and W-4.

Hourly wage after taxes in South Carolina

For hourly workers, this table converts common South Carolina wages into take-home pay for a full-time year (2,080 hours, no overtime):

How a 401(k) changes your South Carolina take-home pay

Pre-tax deductions lower your taxable wages before federal and South Carolina income tax is worked out. Social Security and Medicare are still charged on 401(k) deferrals.

Saving $3,600 only reduces take-home pay by about $2,929 – roughly $671 of the contribution is covered by lower income tax. Health, dental and vision premiums paid through a cafeteria (Section 125) plan usually reduce FICA as well, so they save even more; check how your state treats them.

Single vs married filing jointly

Filing status changes federal withholding a lot. With one earner, the married-filing-jointly brackets and the $32,200 standard deduction cut federal tax compared with single filing:

South Carolina also has its own rules for married couples; choose 'Married filing jointly' in the calculator to apply them. If both spouses work, tick Step 2 on the federal W-4 (or use the IRS Withholding Estimator) to avoid under-withholding.

How a bonus is taxed in South Carolina

Bonuses, commissions and other supplemental wages are usually withheld at a flat federal rate of 22% when they are paid separately from regular pay. On a $5,000 bonus that means:

22% is a withholding rate, not your final tax. If your real federal bracket is 12%, the extra comes back as a refund when you file; if it is 24% or higher, you may owe a little more.

Why your South Carolina paycheck may not match this estimate

• Your W-4 choices (dependents, other income, extra withholding) change federal withholding. South Carolina uses Form SC W-4 for state withholding – update it whenever your situation changes.
• Pre-tax benefits (401(k), HSA, health premiums) are taken out before tax and are not in the basic example.
• Bonuses and commissions are often withheld at the federal supplemental rate of 22%, so a bonus check can look heavily taxed even though the final tax is settled on your return.
• Social Security stops once your wages for the year pass $184,500; high earners see bigger checks late in the year.

Your South Carolina paycheck by pay frequency

Pay frequency changes the size of each check, not your yearly total. For the same $60,000 example:

Hourly pay, overtime and minimum wage in South Carolina

• South Carolina has no state minimum wage law; the federal $7.25 an hour applies.
• Overtime follows federal law: 1.5× pay after 40 hours a week.
• At $7.25 an hour, a 40-hour week is $290.00 gross ($15,080.00 a year before taxes); each overtime hour at 1.5× pays $10.88.

How the SC income-adjusted deduction works

At $60,000 of AGI the deduction is reduced by 15,000 × (60,000 − 40,000) ÷ 55,000 ≈ $5,450, leaving $9,550. Taxable income is $50,450, and the tax is 5.21% × $50,450 − $966 ≈ $1,662.

Sources

1. IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15t.pdf
2. Social Security Administration – Contribution and benefit base — ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html
3. SC Department of Revenue – Information Letter #26-20 (Act 110) via Ezel summary — ezel.ai/tax-rulings/sc/il-26-20-individual-income-tax-reform
4. EY Tax News – South Carolina lowers top rate (April 2026) — taxnews.ey.com/news/2026-0919
5. South Carolina Department of Revenue — dor.sc.gov
6. U.S. Department of Labor – State minimum wage laws — dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state