Florida vs South Carolina: Taxes & Take-Home Pay 2026

On a $100,000 salary you keep $79,180 in Florida and $75,718 in South Carolina — $3,463 more per year in Florida ($289 a month). Single filer, standard deductions.

Updated 2026-10-03

Take-home pay at every salary

Gross salary	Florida	South Carolina	Difference
$40,000	$34,320 (14.2% tax)	$33,823 (15.4% tax)	$498
$60,000	$50,390 (16.0% tax)	$49,012 (18.3% tax)	$1,379
$75,000	$61,593 (17.9% tax)	$59,433 (20.8% tax)	$2,160
$100,000	$79,180 (20.8% tax)	$75,718 (24.3% tax)	$3,463
$150,000	$113,791 (24.1% tax)	$107,724 (28.2% tax)	$6,068
$250,000	$183,182 (26.7% tax)	$171,905 (31.2% tax)	$11,278

Florida total tax rate
South Carolina total tax rate

Where the money goes at $100,000

Florida
South Carolina

Federal income tax

$13,170

Social Security + Medicare

$7,650

State income tax

$3,463

Sales tax: 6.98% in Florida vs 7.49% in South Carolina (average combined rate).

About taxes in Florida

Florida has no personal income tax on wages, salaries, retirement income or investment income.
The state sales tax rate is 6%. Most counties add a discretionary sales surtax, which averages 0.98% and goes up to 2%.
For certain purchases, the county surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of a single taxable sale.
A few items have different state rates: new mobile homes 3%, amusement machine receipts 4% and electricity 6.95%.
Florida's reemployment (unemployment) tax is paid only by employers, so nothing is withheld from paychecks.

Florida paycheck calculator →

About taxes in South Carolina

Act 110 of 2026 was signed on March 30, 2026 and applies retroactively from January 1, 2026. It replaced three brackets with two: 1.99% on taxable income under $30,000 and 5.21% on all income once you reach $30,000, minus $966. The top rate was 6% in 2025.
From 2026, South Carolina taxable income starts from federal AGI. The state no longer uses the federal standard deduction, itemized deductions, or the federal tip, overtime, senior and QBI deductions.
The new SC Income Adjusted Deduction (SCIAD) is $15,000 for single filers, $22,500 for heads of household and $30,000 for joint filers. It phases down to zero at $95,000, $142,500 and $190,000 of AGI.
From 2027, the 5.21% top rate drops automatically when revenue grows by at least 5%, and keeps dropping until it reaches 1.99%.
The state Earned Income Tax Credit (125% of the federal credit) is capped at $200 starting in 2026.

South Carolina paycheck calculator →

South Carolina rewrote its tax code in 2026

South Carolina's Act 110, signed on March 30, 2026 and retroactive to January 1, replaced three brackets with two: 1.99% on taxable income under $30,000, and 5.21% on all taxable income once you reach $30,000, minus $966. The top rate was 6% in 2025. Florida, by contrast, still has no income tax at all.

People compare these states when moving to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Greenville or Hilton Head instead of Florida, and when "halfbacks" who retired to Florida move partway back north. For lower-income retirees the gap is small; for high earners it is about 5.21% of income.

How the new South Carolina deduction phases out

From 2026 South Carolina starts from federal AGI and no longer uses the federal standard deduction, itemized deductions, or the federal tip, overtime, senior and QBI deductions. In their place is the SC Income Adjusted Deduction (SCIAD): $15,000 single, $22,500 head of household and $30,000 joint. It shrinks as income rises and disappears completely at $95,000, $142,500 and $190,000 of AGI respectively.

Because of that phase-out, the effective rate climbs faster than the two brackets suggest. A single worker on $40,000 keeps the full deduction, has $25,000 of taxable income and owes about $498 (1.24%). A single worker on $120,000 has no SCIAD left, so the whole $120,000 is taxable and the bill is about $5,286 (4.41%), before any other subtractions or credits.

Our calculator applies the full SCIAD at every income, so it understates South Carolina tax for single filers above about $40,000 of AGI (heads of household above $60,000, joint filers above $80,000).
From 2027 the top rate drops automatically in years when state revenue grows by at least 5%, until it reaches 1.99%.
The state earned income credit (125% of the federal credit) is capped at $200 from 2026.

Retirees: higher filing thresholds and retirement deductions

South Carolina does not tax Social Security; benefits included in federal AGI are subtracted. On the 2025 return, retirees could also deduct up to $3,000 of qualified retirement income if under 65, or up to $10,000 at 65 or older, with a separate military retirement deduction. Check the 2026 SC1040 instructions when they are published to confirm how those deductions work alongside the new SCIAD.

Act 110 also sets higher filing thresholds for older residents, so many retirees will not need to file at all:

Filing status	Must file if SC gross income is over (under 65)	Must file if over (65 and older)
Single or married filing separately	$15,000	$30,000
Head of household	$22,500	$37,500
Married filing jointly	$30,000	$45,000 (one spouse 65+) / $60,000 (both 65+)

Sales and property tax

Both states charge a 6.00% state sales tax. Local add-ons average 0.98% in Florida and 1.49% in South Carolina, for average combined rates of 6.98% and 7.49%. Florida exempts groceries from sales tax.

On property tax, Florida's homestead exemption can reduce a permanent residence's taxable value by up to $50,000, and the Save Our Homes cap limits yearly increases in assessed value to the lesser of 3% or CPI. South Carolina property taxes are set locally; check the county's millage rate and the owner-occupied assessment on the specific home before comparing.

Moving from Florida to South Carolina, or back

Moving into South Carolina, you become taxable on all income from the day you establish residency, and file a part-year return for that first year. Part-year residents can elect to file as nonresidents with Schedule NR, and nonresidents reduce their SCIAD in the same proportion as South Carolina AGI bears to federal AGI, so a mid-year mover who files that way gets a partial deduction.

Moving from South Carolina to Florida, South Carolina loses the right to tax your pension and IRA income once you are a Florida resident; 4 U.S.C. §114 bars states from taxing the retirement income of nonresidents. Keep proof of the move date, such as a Florida driver's license, voter registration and homestead filing.

South Carolina returns are normally due April 15, so 2026 returns are due April 15, 2027. Florida has no individual income tax return.

Frequently asked questions

Is Florida or South Carolina better for taxes?

At $100,000, Florida leaves you $3,463 more per year after income and payroll taxes. The gap widens at higher incomes ($11,278 at $250,000).

How much is $60,000 after tax in Florida and South Carolina?

$50,390 in Florida and $49,012 in South Carolina.

What are the South Carolina income tax rates for 2026?

1.99% on taxable income under $30,000, and 5.21% on all taxable income (minus $966) once you reach $30,000, under Act 110.

Does South Carolina tax Social Security?

No. Social Security benefits included in federal AGI are subtracted on the South Carolina return.

Do retirees in South Carolina have to file a return?

Not if their South Carolina gross income is at or below the new thresholds: $30,000 for a single filer 65 or older, and $60,000 for a joint return when both spouses are 65 or older.

Why does South Carolina tax high earners more than its brackets suggest?

The SCIAD phases out and is gone at $95,000 of AGI for single filers ($190,000 joint), so high earners pay the top rate on nearly all income.

Sources

Figures are taken from official government publications and were last reviewed on 2026-10-03.