South Carolina sales tax calculator

The South Carolina state sales tax rate is 6%. Local taxes add an average of 1.49%, for an average combined rate of 7.49%. Enter your exact rate, or tap a preset.

By the Calcist team · Checked against known answers · Updated October 29, 2026

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Estimates for planning, not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures use US rules unless the page says otherwise.

South Carolina sales tax at a glance


State sales tax rate	6%
Average local rate	1.49%
Average combined rate	7.49%
Combined rate rank (1 = highest of 50 states)	19

The average local rate is weighted by population, so your own rate may be higher or lower.

What's taxed in South Carolina

The South Carolina Department of Revenue says the statewide rate is 6%, and counties may add a 1% local sales tax if voters approve it (some areas have more than one local tax). Unprepared food that can be bought with SNAP benefits is exempt from the state tax, but local sales taxes generally still apply to it.

How it's calculated

Tax = price × rate ÷ 100 · Total = price × (1 + rate ÷ 100)
Price before tax = total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100)

This is the same calculator as the main sales tax calculator, with South Carolina's rate filled in.

Worked example

A $100 purchase at the 6% state rate has $6.00 of tax, for $106.00. At the 7.49% average combined rate it's $7.49 of tax, for $107.49. Working backwards, a $106.00 receipt at 6% was $100.00 before tax.

Find your exact rate

Your rate is the state rate plus any county, city or district taxes where you buy. For deliveries, it's usually the rate where the item is delivered. The South Carolina revenue department publishes current rates and a rate lookup.

Limitations

Stores round tax to the cent, per item or per receipt, so results can differ by a penny.
A receipt that mixes taxed and untaxed items won't give one clean rate.
Rates can change at the start of any quarter. Combined rates here are averages as of July 1, 2026.

Compare every state on the sales tax by state page.

Sources

Tax Foundation: State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2026 (rates as of July 1, 2026; published July 6, 2026) – state, average local and combined rates, rank
South Carolina revenue department
SCDOR: Sales and use tax
SCDOR: Unprepared food exemption

How we checked this

Before every update, this calculator is run in a real browser with these known answers, and it must match all of them:

$250 at the 6% state rate: $15.00 tax, $265.00 total ✓
$100 receipt including 6%: $94.34 before tax ✓
$100 at the 7.49% average combined rate: $107.49 ✓

Last checked October 26, 2026. Spotted something wrong? The math is done in your browser with the formula shown on this page, so you can check any result by hand.

Questions people ask

What is the sales tax in South Carolina?

The state rate is 6%. With local taxes, the average combined rate is 7.49% (Tax Foundation, as of July 1, 2026), but your exact rate depends on where you buy.

How do I calculate South Carolina sales tax?

Multiply the price by your total rate as a decimal. At the 6% state rate, a $40 item has $2.40 of tax, for $42.40.

Does South Carolina have local sales tax?

Yes. Local taxes average 1.49% on top of the state rate, weighted by population.

Related calculators

Sales tax calculatorAdd tax to a price, take it out of a total, or find the rate.Reverse sales tax calculatorPrice before tax from a total including sales tax, GST or VAT, with a rounding check.Discount calculatorSale price, savings, stacked discounts and the original price.