Cost to Own
United States › South Carolina › Exemptions Programs 2 Avg effective rate 0.542%
Money that stays yours only if you claim it Most of these take a single filing with the county assessor. Homeowners who never file simply pay the full bill, every year, forever.

Statewide relief programs

Property Tax Exemptions in South Carolina

These are the major statewide programs. Counties and cities often layer their own on top, and dollar amounts change with legislation, so each entry tells you what the program is and who it is for, and the official South Carolina source carries the current numbers.

What you may be able to claim

Legal Residence 4% Assessment Who: Owner-occupied primary residences. Cuts the assessment ratio from 6% to 4% AND removes school operating tax, the single most important filing for a SC homeowner.
Homestead Exemption Who: 65+, blind or disabled. Exempts the first portion of the home's value.

Current amounts, income limits and forms: official South Carolina property tax site. Filing itself happens at your county assessor's office.

Common questions

What property tax exemptions does South Carolina offer?

South Carolina offers 2 major statewide relief programs: Legal Residence 4% Assessment; Homestead Exemption. Details and current amounts are on the official state site, and claims go through your county assessor.

Do property tax exemptions renew automatically?

Some do, many do not. Homestead-type filings usually persist once made, while income-tested programs typically require an annual application. The safe habit is one call to the county assessor each year.

How much can an exemption save?

It depends on the program, your home's value and the current statutory amounts, which change. On this site's data, the average South Carolina homeowner pays an effective 0.542% of home value in property tax each year, any exemption comes off that bill.

Keep going

Down payment help in South Carolina · Every South Carolina county's full ownership cost · The state's lowest-tax counties