Property tax, transfer tax and closing costs in South Carolina

South Carolina: Deed recording fee of $1.85 per $500 of value ($1.30 state and $0.55 county). Seller (grantor) pays by statute. Countywide reassessment every five years, with a 15% cap on value increases between reassessments and a reset to market value on sale.

Reviewed October 15, 2026. Every line links its statute or official source.

What South Carolina sets

Transfer tax: Deed recording fee of $1.85 per $500 of value ($1.30 state and $0.55 county). Source: scstatehouse.gov
Who customarily pays: Seller (grantor) pays by statute. Source: scstatehouse.gov
Local transfer taxes: Not stated. No official source confirmed this yet.
Reassessment cycle: Countywide reassessment every five years, with a 15% cap on value increases between reassessments and a reset to market value on sale. Source: dor.sc.gov
Homestead and other exemptions: Legal residence is assessed at 4% (6% otherwise) and exempt from school operating millage. Homestead exemption of the first $50,000 of value for owners 65 and over, disabled or blind. Source: dor.sc.gov
Owner’s title policy: Not stated. No official source confirmed this yet.
How closings run: Attorney closings are required. Source: scbar.org
Survey: Not stated. No official source confirmed this yet.
Other closing customs: Assessed value resets to the sale price in the year after a sale (the point-of-sale rule), so a buyer’s bill can be well above the seller’s. Source: dor.sc.gov

South Carolina transfer tax on a $259,000 sale

State deed recording feeseller pays$673.40$259,000 ÷ $500 = 518 units (rounded up for any fraction) × $1.30 = $673.40
County deed recording feeseller pays$284.90$259,000 ÷ $500 = 518 units (rounded up for any fraction) × $0.55 = $284.90

seller pays: $958.30
Total transfer tax: $958.30

Statutory transfer taxes on a $259,000 sale, as of the reviewed date. Who pays is custom and contract outside the statute’s primary liability. Local taxes described above are not in this figure unless listed as a line. Recording fees, title and attorney charges are separate.

Open the South Carolina transfer tax calculator, with a link to share and an embed for your site.

Typical property tax in South Carolina

Median real-estate tax paid: $1,251 a year
Per month: $104
Median owner-occupied home value: $259,000
Effective rate they imply: 0.48%

Census American Community Survey five-year file, 2020-2024, tables B25103 and B25077, owner-occupied homes. The median bill rose 35% against the 2015-2019 file. An estimate for a typical home, not yours. Your bill depends on the parcel, its exemptions and the next reassessment.

For agents

Your buyers ask what closing costs in South Carolina and who pays. This page answers from the statute, with the date it was checked. Send it, or embed the calculator on your own site.

Ike lets a licensed real estate agent originate the mortgage on the deals they already close. Expected compensation is about 100 basis points per eligible funded loan once licensed and sponsored. Ike is preparing licenses state by state.

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One email when South Carolina rates, exemptions or transfer taxes change, and when the next reassessment lands.

Sources

Ike Mortgage LLC. NMLS ID pending. For licensing information, go to: www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Nothing on this page is a loan payment, rate, term or down payment, and nothing here is a Loan Estimate.