South Carolina Hourly Paycheck Calculator
Your hourly rate and hours in, your take-home pay out. Overtime is paid at 1.5× your rate; tips you report are taxed like wages.
| Per paycheck | Amount | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $1,600.00 | $41,600.00 |
| Federal income tax · withheld | −$108.15 | −$2,812.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$99.20 | −$2,579.20 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$23.20 | −$603.20 |
| South Carolina income tax · withheld | −$49.63 | −$1,290.38 |
| Take-home pay | $1,319.82 | $34,315.22 |
How the federal income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to income tax, for the year · $1,600.00 × 26 paychecks | $41,600.00 |
| Minus the IRS withholding allowance · Pub 15-T Worksheet 1A, line 1g | −$8,600.00 |
| Adjusted yearly wage | $33,000.00 |
| Tax from the IRS yearly table · standard table | $2,812.00 |
| Federal income tax per paycheck · divided by 26 | $108.15 |
IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Worksheet 1A — the percentage method payroll software uses for a Form W-4 from 2020 or later. Your employer's figure can differ by a few cents because of rounding.
How the South Carolina income tax was worked out
| Pay subject to S.C. tax, for the year · this paycheck × 26 | $41,600.00 |
| Minus SC W-4 allowances · 1 × $5,000 | −$5,000.00 |
| Minus standard deduction · 10% of yearly pay, up to $7,500 | −$4,160.00 |
| Yearly taxable pay for withholding | $32,440.00 |
| Yearly S.C. tax · 6% − $656.10 | $1,290.30 |
| S.C. tax from the formula this paycheck · ÷ 26 | $49.63 |
Hourly pay in South Carolina
South Carolina has no minimum wage law of its own, so the federal minimum applies to employers covered by federal law: $7.25 an hour. Tipped employees — those who get more than $30 a month in tips — can be paid a cash wage of $2.13 as long as tips bring them up to $7.25; if they don't, the employer makes up the difference.
Overtime. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, covered employees get time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a workweek.
Breaks. State law does not require employers to give breaks or a lunch period.
Because hours change from week to week, your withholding changes too: a week with lots of overtime is withheld as if you earned that much every week, so more comes out. It usually evens out when you file your return.
What comes out of a South Carolina paycheck
- Federal income tax withholding — worked out from your pay and your Form W-4, using the IRS tables for 2026.
- Social Security — 6.2% of your pay, up to $184,500 of pay in 2026. Above that, it stops for the rest of the year.
- Medicare — 1.45% of all your pay, plus 0.9% on pay above $200,000 in the year.
South Carolina has a graduated income tax. Employers work out how much to withhold with the formula the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) published for 2026:
- Your pay subject to income tax — after a traditional 401(k) and pre-tax health insurance, as for federal tax — is turned into a yearly amount.
- $5,000 comes off for each allowance on your SC W-4.
- If you claim at least one allowance, a standard deduction of 10% of your yearly pay comes off too, up to $7,500. With zero allowances there is no standard deduction.
- What's left is taxed: nothing if it is under $3,640; 3% minus $109.20 from $3,640 to $18,230; and 6% minus $656.10 from $18,230 up.
- That yearly tax is divided by your number of paychecks. Any extra amount you asked for on your SC W-4 is added on top.
South Carolina has no employee-paid state payroll programs. Unemployment insurance is paid by employers on the first $14,000 of each worker's wages, and no part of it is taken from your pay.
Tips and overtime in 2026
New federal deductions apply for 2025 through 2028: up to $25,000 for qualified tips, and up to $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers) for the extra "half" of time-and-a-half overtime. Both phase out above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint).
These are deductions on your tax return. Your employer still takes Social Security and Medicare out of tips and overtime, and still withholds income tax unless you tell it otherwise. If you expect to claim them, you can put the expected amount in Step 4(b) of your W-4 (and in the Step 4(b) box above) so less income tax is withheld during the year.
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Sources
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
- Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500
- IRS — tips and overtime deductions
- SCDOR — WH-1603F, Formula for Computing SC Withholding Tax, 2026 (Rev. 11/4/25) — $5,000 per allowance; standard deduction 10% of wages up to $7,500, $0 with zero allowances; 0% / 3% − $109.20 / 6% − $656.10; worked example $750 weekly, 3 allowances → $10.58
- SCDOR — WH-1603, 2026 Withholding Tax Tables
- SCDOR — Withholding tables and formulas — 2026 tables, formula and SC W-4 listed; no mid-year revision as of the checked date
- SCDOR — South Carolina withholding tables updated for 2026 (November 6, 2025) — use the 2026 tables and 2026 SC W-4 from January 1, 2026
- SCDOR — WH-1603F, 2025 formula (Rev. 11/12/24) — $4,860 per allowance; standard deduction up to $7,300; 0% to $3,560, 3% to $17,830, 6.2% above
- SCDOR — SC W-4, 2026 (Rev. 12/5/25) — line 5 allowances; line 6 additional amount; line 7 exempt
- SCDOR — WH-105, South Carolina Withholding Tax Information Guide — withhold at zero allowances if no SC W-4 is provided
- SCDOR — Information about H. 4216 (April 15, 2026) — signed March 30, 2026; 2026 return rates 1.99% under $30,000 and 5.21% minus $966 from $30,000; SC Income Adjusted Deduction $15,000 / $22,500 / $30,000
- S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce — Paying your tax — UI tax on the first $14,000 of each worker's wages
- S.C. Workplace Laws: Notice to Employees — Unemployment Insurance (poster) — employees do not fund unemployment insurance through deductions from pay
- U.S. Department of Labor — State minimum wage laws (updated July 1, 2026) — South Carolina: no state minimum wage law; employers covered by the FLSA pay the federal $7.25
- U.S. Department of Labor — Minimum wages for tipped employees (updated July 1, 2026) — South Carolina: federal rules — $2.13 cash wage, $5.12 tip credit, more than $30 a month in tips
- U.S. Department of Labor — Overtime pay — time and one-half after 40 hours in a workweek
- S.C. Code Title 41, Chapter 10 — Payment of Wages — § 41-10-30 written notice at hiring of normal hours and wages, itemized statement of gross pay and deductions each pay period; § 41-10-50 final pay within 48 hours or next regular payday, not over 30 days; § 41-10-80 three times unpaid wages, three years
- S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation — Office of Wages and Child Labor FAQ — final pay rule; no state requirement for breaks or lunch
Questions
What are the South Carolina withholding rates in 2026?
SCDOR's 2026 formula withholds nothing on yearly taxable pay under $3,640, 3% minus $109.20 from $3,640 to $18,230, and 6% minus $656.10 above that.
How much is taken out of a $1,000 paycheck in South Carolina?
For a single filer paid every two weeks with nothing else on the W-4, a $1,000 paycheck has about $38.08 of federal income tax, $62.00 of Social Security and $14.50 of Medicare taken out, $17.23 of South Carolina income tax, leaving $868.19. Enter your own details in the calculator for your exact figure.
What is $20 an hour after taxes in South Carolina?
Working 40 hours a week and paid every two weeks, $20 an hour is $1,600.00 before tax and about $1,319.82 after tax per paycheck — $34,315.22 a year — for a single filer with a standard W-4.
What happens if I didn't fill out an SC W-4?
Your employer withholds as if you claimed zero allowances. With zero allowances the formula gives no standard deduction either, so more is withheld.
Does South Carolina take anything else out of my paycheck?
No other state payroll tax. Unemployment insurance is paid by employers only.
What is the minimum wage in South Carolina?
$7.25 an hour, the federal minimum wage, because South Carolina has no minimum wage law of its own. Tipped employees can be paid $2.13 an hour in cash as long as tips bring them up to $7.25.
When do I get my last paycheck in South Carolina?
Within 48 hours of leaving, or on the next regular payday, which can't be more than 30 days away.