How does South Carolina work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?

The Department of Revenue's WH-1603F formula has your employer turn the paycheck into a year of pay, subtract $5,000 for each allowance on your SC W-4, and, once you claim any allowance, a standard deduction of 10% of pay up to $7,500. The rest is taxed at 0% under $3,640, 3% to $18,230 and 6% above, and the year's tax is divided back across the paychecks. For a $60,000 salary with 2 allowances, that is $60,000 less $10,000 less $6,000, $44,000 of taxable income, $1,983.90 of tax and $76.30 a paycheck.

How much is $60,000 a year after tax in South Carolina?

For a single employee with 2 allowances on the SC W-4, paid every two weeks, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,861.77 a paycheck, or $48,406.08 a year. The year's taxes are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $1,983.80 of South Carolina income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security and $869.96 of Medicare.

How much is $20 an hour after tax in South Carolina?

At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $665.68 take-home a week for a single employee with 2 allowances. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $19.04 of South Carolina income tax, $49.60 of Social Security and $11.60 of Medicare. Switch to hourly in the calculator to type your own hours, including overtime.

How many allowances do I claim on the South Carolina SC W-4?

The Personal Allowances Worksheet on page 3 adds up: 1 for yourself (A), 1 if you will file as married filing jointly (B), 1 if you will file as head of household (C), 1 if you are single or filing separately with one job, or married with one job and a spouse who does not work (D), 1 for each dependent you claim on your federal return (E) and 1 more for each of those under 6 at the end of the year (F). A single employee with one job counts 2. On the $60,000 example, 2 allowances withhold $76.30 a paycheck, against $87.84 with 1 and $113.23 with none. An employee who hands in no SC W-4 is withheld as if claiming zero.

Why does the first allowance save more than the others?

Claiming any allowance also switches on the standard deduction of 10% of your pay, up to $7,500. On the $60,000 example the first allowance lowers the tax by $25.39 a paycheck because it takes $5,000 and the $6,000 standard deduction off, and each one after it by $11.54. At $100,000 the deduction stops at $7,500 instead of 10%, and 2 allowances withhold $165.15 a paycheck.

How does South Carolina tax a bonus?

South Carolina publishes no separate method for a bonus: the formula runs on the pay that includes it, with the same allowances and the same 3% and 6% steps. This calculator treats all pay as regular pay, and the bonus tax calculator works out the bonus case.

What if I live in another state but work in South Carolina?

An employee working in South Carolina is taxed by South Carolina on the income earned there, wherever the employee lives. A South Carolina resident working in a state that has no income tax has South Carolina tax withheld, and one working in a state that does has that state's tax withheld instead.

What does a 401(k), an HSA or a health plan do to my South Carolina paycheck?

The Department's formula starts from your gross wages and lists no deductions of its own, and it ties South Carolina withholding to the employer's duty to withhold federal tax. This calculator therefore takes a 401(k) deferral, health premiums through a cafeteria plan and HSA contributions through one out of the pay before it applies the formula. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts South Carolina withholding by $7.47 and take-home pay by only $114.37. A $100 HSA contribution a paycheck cuts South Carolina withholding by $5.40.

Who pays unemployment tax in South Carolina, and how much is it?

The employer does, to the Department of Employment and Workforce, and nothing comes out of your paycheck for it. Taxable wages are the first $14,000 of each employee's pay. A new employer pays 1% in 2026, or the rate of tax class 12 if that is higher, which is $140.00 a year per employee, plus a 0.06% contingency assessment on the same pay, $8.40. South Carolina is not on the Labor Department's list of states with a 2026 federal credit reduction.

South Carolina Paycheck Calculator

Last updated October 22, 2026FreeNo signupFormula shown

Enter your pay, how often you are paid, the answers on your Form W-4 and South Carolina Form SC W-4, and this South Carolina paycheck calculator shows your 2026 take-home pay. It follows the Department of Revenue's formula, 0%, 3% and 6% on what is left after your allowances and a standard deduction, and works out the employer's side of the bill under it.

State

South Carolina

Another state? Pick any of the 50 states and DC.

I'm paid

Yearly salary (USD)

Pay frequency

Filing status on Form W-4

South Carolina withholding

Allowances on Form SC W-4

1 for you (A), 1 if you are single with one job (D), 1 for married filing jointly (B), 1 for head of household (C), 1 for each dependent (E) and 1 more for each under 6 (F); each takes $5,000 a year off, and claiming any adds a standard deduction of 10% of pay, up to $7,500.

Form W-4 steps 2 to 4

Step 2 box is checked

Two jobs with similar pay, or both spouses work.

Children under 17

Step 3: $2,200 each.

Other dependents

Step 3: $500 each.

Other income per year

Step 4(a).

Deductions per year

Step 4(b).

Extra withholding each paycheck (USD)

Step 4(c).

401(k), % of pay

2026 limit $24,500.

Health premiums per paycheck

Pre-tax.

HSA per paycheck

2026 limit $8,750.

Take-home pay per paycheck

$1,861.77

$2,307.69 gross · $445.92 withheld (19.3%)

Where this paycheck goes

Gross pay: $2,307.69
Federal income tax: - $193.08
Social Security6.2%: - $143.08
Medicare1.45%: - $33.46
Additional Medicare0.9%: - $0.00
South Carolina income tax: - $76.30
401(k): - $0.00
Health premiums: - $0.00
HSA: - $0.00

Take-home pay$1,861.77

Over the year, 26 paychecks

Gross pay: $60,000
Taxes: - $11,594
Pre-tax deductions: - $0
Share kept: 80.7%

Take-home pay$48,406

Of every $100 of gross pay, $81 is take-home.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
South Carolina income tax$1,984 · 3.3%
Take-home pay$48,406 · 80.7%

Take-home pay rises with every extra dollar of salary.

Gross payTake-home pay

This pay costs the employer $64,780 a year, $2,491.55 each pay period.

What the employer adds, per year

Employer Social Security6.2% to $184,500: $3,720
Employer Medicare1.45%: $870
Federal unemployment (FUTA)0.6% of the first $7,000: $42
South Carolina unemployment1% of the first $14,000: $140
South Carolina contingency assessment0.06% of the first $14,000: $8

Employer taxes$4,780

Total cost of the employee

Gross pay: $60,000
Employer taxes: + $4,780
Per pay period: $2,491.55

Per year$64,780

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South Carolina withholds 0%, 3% and 6% of a year's pay, after $5,000 for each allowance and a standard deduction.

The Department of Revenue's formula has four steps. Your employer turns the paycheck into a year of pay, takes $5,000 off for each allowance on your SC W-4, takes 10% of pay off as a standard deduction (up to $7,500) if you claim any allowance at all, and taxes the rest: nothing under $3,640, 3% from there to $18,230 and 6% above. The year's tax is divided back across the paychecks. There is no filing status in the formula, only the allowances.

A $60,000 South Carolina salary takes home $1,861.77 every two weeks.

The calculator opens on this case: a single employee with 2 allowances on the SC W-4, which is what its worksheet gives one job and one person, a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions.

Gross pay: $60,000 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69
Federal income tax: $193.08
South Carolina income tax: $60,000 − $10,000 (2 allowances) − $6,000 (10% standard deduction) = $44,000; 6% × $44,000 − $656.10 = $1,983.90; ÷ 26 = $76.30
Social Security: 6.2% × $2,307.69 = $143.08; Medicare: 1.45% = $33.46
Take-home pay: $1,861.77 a paycheck, $48,406.08 a year

Of $60,000 gross, $48,406 reaches the bank account.

Federal income tax$5,020 · 8.4%
Social Security$3,720 · 6.2%
Medicare$870 · 1.4%
South Carolina income tax$1,984 · 3.3%
Take-home pay$48,406 · 80.7%

Each paycheck: $1,861.77Kept: 80.7%

A single employee on a $60,000 salary, paid every two weeks, with 2 allowances on the SC W-4. Invented example. Each tax is rounded to the cent in every paycheck, as payroll does.

The first allowance saves $25.39 a paycheck and each one after it $11.54.

An allowance is worth $5,000 of pay a year, which at the 6% step is $11.54 across 26 paychecks. Claiming the first one also switches on the standard deduction, $6,000 here, and that is why it saves more than twice as much. The worksheet counts 1 for yourself, 1 more if you are single with one job, 1 if you will file jointly, 1 if you will file as head of household, and 1 for each dependent plus 1 for each of them under 6.

Zero allowances withhold $113.23 of South Carolina tax from a biweekly paycheck and five withhold $41.69.

0 allowances$113.23
1 allowance$87.84
2 allowances$76.30
3 allowances$64.77
5 allowances$41.69

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. Each allowance is $5,000 of pay a year, and the first one also adds the 10% standard deduction.

Claiming no allowance gives up the standard deduction too, which costs $25.39 a paycheck.

An employee who hands in no SC W-4 is withheld as if claiming zero allowances, and then the formula takes neither the $5,000 nor the standard deduction. On the $60,000 example that is $113.23 a paycheck against $76.30 with 2, and $64.77 with 3. Line 6 of the form lets an employee ask for an extra amount to be withheld from each paycheck.

South Carolina withholds on gross wages, so a 401(k) lowers the tax.

The formula starts from gross wages and lists no deductions of its own, and the Department ties South Carolina withholding to the employer's duty to withhold federal tax. A 401(k) deferral of 6% on the $60,000 example is $138.46 a paycheck, and it lowers South Carolina withholding by $7.47. Social Security and Medicare still apply to a 401(k) deferral, but not to health premiums or an HSA contribution made through a cafeteria plan.

A 6% 401(k) lowers federal tax by $16.62 and South Carolina tax by $7.47 a paycheck.

Federal tax, no 401(k)$193.08
Federal tax, 6% 401(k)$176.46
South Carolina tax, no 401(k)$76.30
South Carolina tax, 6% 401(k)$68.83

Invented example: a $60,000 salary, single, paid every two weeks. 6% of pay is $138.46 a paycheck.

Hiring that employee costs $64,780 a year in South Carolina.

On top of the $60,000, the employer matches Social Security and Medicare at 6.2% and 1.45%, which is $4,590. It pays federal unemployment tax of 0.6% on the first $7,000, which is $42; South Carolina is not on the Labor Department's list of states with a 2026 credit reduction. A new South Carolina employer pays unemployment tax at 1% on the first $14,000 of pay, which is $140.00 a year per employee, plus a 0.06% contingency assessment of $8.40. The employee pays nothing toward it.

On $60,000 of pay, the employer owes $4,780 more in taxes.

Employer Social Security$3,720
Employer Medicare$870
South Carolina unemployment$140
South Carolina contingency assessment$8
Federal unemployment (FUTA)$42

An employee on a $60,000 salary. South Carolina unemployment is the 2026 new-employer rate of 1% on the first $14,000.

Take-home pay in South Carolina runs from $33,416 on $40,000 to $106,497 on $150,000.

For a single employee with 2 allowances, paid every two weeks. For the neighbor to the north, see the North Carolina paycheck calculator.

Take-home pay in South Carolina for a single employee on a standard Form W-4, paid every two weeks, with no pre-tax deductions. South Carolina taxes are its income tax.
Salary	Federal tax	Social Security and Medicare	South Carolina taxes	Take-home a year	Every two weeks
$40,000	$2,620	$3,060	$904	$33,416	$1,285.23
$50,000	$3,820	$3,825	$1,444	$40,911	$1,573.52
$60,000	$5,020	$4,590	$1,984	$48,406	$1,861.77
$75,000	$7,670	$5,738	$2,794	$58,798	$2,261.48
$100,000	$13,170	$7,650	$4,294	$74,886	$2,880.23
$150,000	$24,734	$11,475	$7,294	$106,497	$4,096.05

Methodology & sources

The formula this calculator uses is shown in full above, and every assumption is an input you control. There are no hidden industry presets. All math runs in your browser; nothing you enter is stored or sent to a server. For the reasoning behind the formula and its edge cases, see:

Frequently asked questions

How does South Carolina work out the income tax taken from my paycheck?: The Department of Revenue's WH-1603F formula has your employer turn the paycheck into a year of pay, subtract $5,000 for each allowance on your SC W-4, and, once you claim any allowance, a standard deduction of 10% of pay up to $7,500. The rest is taxed at 0% under $3,640, 3% to $18,230 and 6% above, and the year's tax is divided back across the paychecks. For a $60,000 salary with 2 allowances, that is $60,000 less $10,000 less $6,000, $44,000 of taxable income, $1,983.90 of tax and $76.30 a paycheck.
How much is $60,000 a year after tax in South Carolina?: For a single employee with 2 allowances on the SC W-4, paid every two weeks, a $60,000 salary takes home $1,861.77 a paycheck, or $48,406.08 a year. The year's taxes are $5,020.08 of federal income tax, $1,983.80 of South Carolina income tax, $3,720.08 of Social Security and $869.96 of Medicare.
How much is $20 an hour after tax in South Carolina?: At 40 hours a week and weekly pay, $20 an hour is $800.00 gross and $665.68 take-home a week for a single employee with 2 allowances. That is $54.08 of federal income tax, $19.04 of South Carolina income tax, $49.60 of Social Security and $11.60 of Medicare. Switch to hourly in the calculator to type your own hours, including overtime.
How many allowances do I claim on the South Carolina SC W-4?: The Personal Allowances Worksheet on page 3 adds up: 1 for yourself (A), 1 if you will file as married filing jointly (B), 1 if you will file as head of household (C), 1 if you are single or filing separately with one job, or married with one job and a spouse who does not work (D), 1 for each dependent you claim on your federal return (E) and 1 more for each of those under 6 at the end of the year (F). A single employee with one job counts 2. On the $60,000 example, 2 allowances withhold $76.30 a paycheck, against $87.84 with 1 and $113.23 with none. An employee who hands in no SC W-4 is withheld as if claiming zero.
Why does the first allowance save more than the others?: Claiming any allowance also switches on the standard deduction of 10% of your pay, up to $7,500. On the $60,000 example the first allowance lowers the tax by $25.39 a paycheck because it takes $5,000 and the $6,000 standard deduction off, and each one after it by $11.54. At $100,000 the deduction stops at $7,500 instead of 10%, and 2 allowances withhold $165.15 a paycheck.
How does South Carolina tax a bonus?: South Carolina publishes no separate method for a bonus: the formula runs on the pay that includes it, with the same allowances and the same 3% and 6% steps. This calculator treats all pay as regular pay, and the bonus tax calculator works out the bonus case.
What if I live in another state but work in South Carolina?: An employee working in South Carolina is taxed by South Carolina on the income earned there, wherever the employee lives. A South Carolina resident working in a state that has no income tax has South Carolina tax withheld, and one working in a state that does has that state's tax withheld instead.
What does a 401(k), an HSA or a health plan do to my South Carolina paycheck?: The Department's formula starts from your gross wages and lists no deductions of its own, and it ties South Carolina withholding to the employer's duty to withhold federal tax. This calculator therefore takes a 401(k) deferral, health premiums through a cafeteria plan and HSA contributions through one out of the pay before it applies the formula. Putting 6% of a $60,000 salary into a 401(k) ($138.46 a paycheck) cuts South Carolina withholding by $7.47 and take-home pay by only $114.37. A $100 HSA contribution a paycheck cuts South Carolina withholding by $5.40.
Who pays unemployment tax in South Carolina, and how much is it?: The employer does, to the Department of Employment and Workforce, and nothing comes out of your paycheck for it. Taxable wages are the first $14,000 of each employee's pay. A new employer pays 1% in 2026, or the rate of tax class 12 if that is higher, which is $140.00 a year per employee, plus a 0.06% contingency assessment on the same pay, $8.40. South Carolina is not on the Labor Department's list of states with a 2026 federal credit reduction.

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