South Carolina Homestead Exemption: Amount, Deadline and How to Apply

South Carolina's homestead exemption removes the first $50,000 of a home's fair market value from county, municipal, school and special assessment property taxes, but only for owners who are 65 or older, totally and permanently disabled, or legally blind (S.C. Code 12-37-250). For tax year 2026 only, the state budget adds $25,000 (for a total of $75,000) for owners who were already eligible in tax year 2025. You apply in writing to your county auditor before July 16 of the tax year. Separately, any owner-occupant can apply to the county assessor for the 4% legal residence assessment ratio, which also brings an exemption from school operating taxes. For other states, see our guide to homestead exemptions by state.

Information last verified on October 8, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers South Carolina's property-tax homestead exemption (S.C. Code 12-37-250 and related sections), the temporary tax year 2026 increase, the 4% legal residence assessment ratio (S.C. Code 12-43-220(c)), the school operating tax exemption (S.C. Code 12-37-220(B)(47)), the SC DOR disabled veteran exemption, and the separate creditor homestead in S.C. Code 15-41-30. It does not cover county-specific rules beyond what is stated here, business or rental property, or the law of other states.

How much is the South Carolina homestead exemption?

The homestead exemption takes the first $50,000 of fair market value of your home off the tax rolls for county, municipal, school and special assessment real estate taxes. Section 12-37-250 says the first $50,000 "of the fair market value of the dwelling place of a person is exempt from county, municipal, school, and special assessment real estate property taxes" when the owner meets the age, disability or blindness test.

For tax year 2026, the exemption amount is temporarily $75,000 for owners who were already eligible in tax year 2025 (see the next section). The exemption does not reach every charge on a tax bill. SC DOR's property tax guide states that it "does not exempt the dwelling place from any fees charged by the taxing entity, such as a solid waste fee or a road user fee."

Because the homestead exemption is limited to the age, disability and blindness groups, the break open to owner-occupants of any age is the 4% legal residence assessment ratio. The table shows how the statewide programs fit together.

The $75,000 homestead exemption for tax year 2026

The FY2026-27 state budget, H.5126, temporarily raised the homestead exemption for tax year 2026. Announcing his line-item vetoes in August 2026, the Governor's office said the budget "provides additional property tax relief to homeowners who are 65 years of age or older, who are totally and permanently disabled, or who are legally blind by increasing the Homestead Exemption from $50,000 to $75,000." The Lexington County Auditor describes it the same way: "For Tax Year 2026, the South Carolina General Assembly temporarily increased the Homestead Exemption from $50,000 to $75,000 through the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 state budget."

The House Journal for August 11, 2026 records the Speaker's statement that a budget proviso "specifically increased the individual homestead tax exemption in Section 12-37-250 of the SC Code of Laws from $50,000 to $75,000." The change was made through the budget, not by amending the Code, so the codified text of 12-37-250 still reads $50,000.

SC DOR's wording is narrower: "For Tax Year 2026, the State temporarily authorized an additional Homestead Exemption for certain qualifying recipients." DOR says the county auditor determines whether it applies.

The budget proviso itself (proviso 117.220 of the FY2026-27 appropriations act) explains who gets the extra amount. A person who claims the 12-37-250 exemption may claim the additional exemption if the person "was eligible to claim the exemption pursuant to Section 12-37-250 in Property Tax Year 2025 and otherwise qualifies," and such a person "qualifies for an additional twenty-five thousand dollar exemption." If you first become eligible in 2026, the proviso's text gives you the standard $50,000, not $75,000. The extra amount "applies to the same real property taxes to which Section 12-37-250 applies." Ask your county auditor how the 2026 amount was applied to your bill.

Who is eligible for the homestead exemption

Section 12-37-250 lists three groups. The owner must:

• have been a resident of South Carolina for at least one year and have reached age 65 on or before December 31 preceding the tax year;
• have been classified as totally and permanently disabled by a state or federal agency that classifies persons; or
• be legally blind.

The home must be your "dwelling place," which the statute defines as "the permanent home and legal residence of the applicant." You must hold complete fee simple title or a life estate. The exemption also reaches a beneficiary of a trust holding the home and an owner of a home, including a mobile home, on leased land.

Spouses who own the home jointly qualify if either spouse qualifies. A surviving spouse can keep the exemption if title passes to them within nine months and they remain unmarried.

If you own only part of the home, the exemption is prorated. Under 12-37-250, "the amount of the exemption must be determined by multiplying the percentage of the fee or life estate owned by the person by the full exemption." An ownership share of less than 5% is treated as 5%, and the exemption cannot exceed the value of your interest.

How and when to apply

Apply in writing to your county auditor. The statute says the application "must be made to the auditor of the county and to the governing body of the municipality in which the dwelling place is located upon forms provided by the county and municipality and approved by the department." There is no single statewide form number; your county auditor supplies the form.

The deadline is before July 16 of the tax year, so in practice July 15. Section 12-37-250 states: "The exemption must not be granted for the tax year in which it is claimed unless the person or his agent makes written application for the exemption before July sixteenth of that tax year." The exemption is not automatic, and "a failure to apply constitutes a waiver of the exemption for that year."

An application filed after July 15 generally counts toward the next tax year. The statute also provides a reduction in that year's taxes for an applicant who qualifies and applies after July 15 but before the first penalty date; your auditor can explain how it applies to your bill. If you see a May 1 date elsewhere, it comes from an older section, 12-37-290, which still appears in the Code; county auditors apply the July 15 date in 12-37-250.

Once granted, the exemption carries forward. It "continues to be effective for successive years in which the ownership of the homestead or the other qualifications for the exemption remain unchanged." You must tell the auditor immediately about any change that affects eligibility.

If you move, the exemption does not transfer on its own. SC DOR's homestead flyer says: "Yes, you can qualify on the new residence if you continue to meet the requirements. You should apply at the county auditor's office where your new residence is located." To find your parcel and assessor records, see South Carolina property records.

The 4% legal residence ratio and school operating tax exemption

The 4% ratio is open to owner-occupants of any age. Under S.C. Code 12-43-220(c), "the legal residence and not more than five acres contiguous thereto, when owned totally or in part in fee or by life estate and occupied by the owner of the interest ... are taxed on an assessment equal to four percent of the fair market value of the property."

To qualify, "the owner-occupant must have actually owned and occupied the residence as his legal residence and been domiciled at that address for some period during the applicable tax year." The application includes a statement you certify about your legal residence.

Apply to your county assessor. SC DOR advises: "Contact your county assessor's office to apply for the 4% tax rate for your primary home address." The deadline is before the first penalty date for paying taxes for the first tax year you claim the ratio. A late application loses the ratio for that year unless the local taxing authority grants an extension for reasonable cause.

After approval, "no further applications are necessary from the current owner while the property for which the initial application was made continues to meet the eligibility requirements." A new owner must apply again, and you must notify the assessor of a change in ownership or use within six months.

A home receiving the 4% ratio also gets an exemption under S.C. Code 12-37-220(B)(47): "one hundred percent of the fair market value of owner-occupied residential property eligible for and receiving the special assessment ratio ... is exempt from all property taxes imposed for school operating purposes but not including millage imposed for the repayment of general obligation debt."

The 15% reassessment cap

South Carolina limits how fast reassessment can raise a property's taxable value. Under Chapter 37 of Title 12, "any increase in the fair market value of real property attributable to the periodic countywide appraisal and equalization program implemented pursuant to Section 12-43-217 is limited to fifteen percent within a five-year period."

This cap applies to real property generally, not only to homes with a homestead exemption, and it needs no application. It does not apply to new improvements, and it does not carry over after an assessable transfer of interest, such as a sale.

Disabled veterans and other disability exemptions

SC DOR, not the county, administers a separate exemption for veterans with a total and permanent service-connected disability. DOR states that "the exemption applies to the dwelling home of the qualifying applicant and the lot not to exceed five acres. The qualifying applicant must reside in the home and receive 4% legal residence from the county where their dwelling is located."

Apply on the Property Exemption Application for Individuals (Form PT-401I), available from SC DOR's property tax exemptions page. DOR handles a related exemption for certain disabled law enforcement officers and firefighters through the same page; check DOR's eligibility list before applying.

A veteran who is 65 or older, totally and permanently disabled, or legally blind may also meet the homestead exemption test in 12-37-250, which is filed with the county auditor rather than DOR.

Losing the exemption and penalties

Both breaks end when the home stops being your legal residence or ownership changes. The homestead exemption carries a specific penalty for failing to report a change. Under S.C. Code 12-37-255, "the amount of a tax exemption granted by reason of the failure to give the notification and a penalty equal to twenty-five percent of the amount of the exemption is due and payable for each year in which the exemption is granted by reason of the failure to give notice." The amount due becomes a lien on the property.

The 4% ratio has its own penalty under S.C. Code 12-43-220(c). If you sign the 4% certification and are later found not eligible, or lose eligibility and do not notify the assessor within six months, "a penalty is imposed equal to one hundred percent of the tax paid, plus interest on that amount at the rate of one-half of one percent a month, but in no case less than thirty dollars nor more than the current year's taxes." Renting the home out also matters: the statute treats a properly certified owner as eligible for the 4% ratio "if the residence that is the subject of the application is not rented for more than seventy-two days in a calendar year."

A pending bill: S.768

S.768 would permanently increase the homestead exemption. It passed the South Carolina Senate 44-0 on February 19, 2026, and the legislature's bill history shows "02/24/26 House Referred to Committee on Ways and Means." As of October 7, 2026 it had not been enacted, so it is not law. Its terms are different from the temporary 2026 budget increase described above.

South Carolina's creditor homestead exemption (a different law)

The creditor homestead protects a debtor's interest in a home up to a capped value, and it is the homestead exemption that applies in a South Carolina bankruptcy. It is a separate law with different numbers from the property-tax exemption, so a figure from one never applies to the other.

S.C. Code 15-41-30(A)(1) exempts "the debtor's aggregate interest, not to exceed fifty thousand dollars in value, in real property or personal property that the debtor or a dependent of the debtor uses as a residence," adding that "the aggregate value of multiple homestead exemptions allowable with respect to a single living unit may not exceed one hundred thousand dollars." The cap is a value limit, not an acreage limit.

A surviving spouse who has not remarried, lives in the home and is entitled to the 12-37-250 property-tax exemption may also exempt the interest inherited from the deceased spouse, up to a further $50,000 as printed in the statute (S.C. Code 15-41-30(A)(1)(b)).

The $50,000 in the statute is adjusted for inflation in each even-numbered year (S.C. Code 15-41-30(B)). The Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office's notice in the South Carolina State Register (Vol. 50, Issue 2, February 27, 2026) sets the adjusted amount at $80,125, and $160,250 for multiple homestead exemptions in a single living unit, effective July 1, 2026. These creditor figures have nothing to do with the property-tax exemption amounts above.

South Carolina has opted out of the federal bankruptcy exemptions: "No individual may exempt from the property of the estate in any bankruptcy proceeding the property specified in 11 U.S.C. Section 522(d) except as may be expressly permitted by this chapter or by other provisions of law of this State." (S.C. Code 15-41-35) We have not verified which debts the creditor homestead does not protect against, such as mortgages or tax liens, or whether any filing is needed to claim it. For how these exemptions work in a case, see South Carolina bankruptcy laws.

The probate side

We did not find a separate dollar homestead allowance in South Carolina's probate code. Instead, S.C. Code 62-2-401 entitles a surviving spouse of a South Carolina domiciliary to up to $45,000 in household furniture, automobiles, furnishings, appliances and personal effects, an amount raised from $25,000 by 2025 Act No. 26, effective May 8, 2025. See South Carolina probate laws.

Related

• Homestead exemptions by state
• South Carolina bankruptcy laws
• South Carolina probate laws
• South Carolina property records

This article is general legal information about South Carolina law (S.C. Code 12-37-250, 12-37-255, 12-37-220(B)(47), 12-43-220(c) and 15-41-30, and SC DOR's property tax exemption materials), verified as of October 8, 2026. It is not tax or legal advice. For your situation, contact your county auditor or county assessor, the South Carolina Department of Revenue, or a lawyer licensed in South Carolina.

Last updated: October 8, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the homestead exemption in South Carolina?

S.C. Code 12-37-250 exempts the first $50,000 of a home's fair market value for owners who are 65 or older, totally and permanently disabled, or legally blind. For tax year 2026 only, the state budget adds $25,000, for a total of $75,000, for owners who were already eligible in tax year 2025; someone first eligible in 2026 gets $50,000.

When is the deadline to file for homestead exemption in South Carolina?

You must apply in writing to your county auditor before July 16 of the tax year, which means by July 15 (S.C. Code 12-37-250). A later application generally counts toward the next year. The separate 4% legal residence ratio must be requested from the county assessor before the first penalty date for the first tax year you claim it (S.C. Code 12-43-220(c)).

Do I have to reapply for homestead exemption every year in South Carolina?

No. Under S.C. Code 12-37-250 the exemption continues for later years while ownership and the other qualifications stay the same, but you must notify the county auditor immediately of any change that affects eligibility. The 4% legal residence ratio also needs no further application from the current owner while the home keeps qualifying.

Can I get a homestead exemption in South Carolina if I am under 65?

Only if you have been classified as totally and permanently disabled by a state or federal agency, or you are legally blind (S.C. Code 12-37-250). Any owner-occupant, at any age, can apply to the county assessor for the 4% legal residence assessment ratio.

Is the $75,000 South Carolina homestead exemption permanent?

No. The $75,000 figure comes from the FY2026-27 budget, applies to tax year 2026 only, and is limited to owners who were already eligible in tax year 2025; the codified statute, S.C. Code 12-37-250, still reads $50,000. S.768, a bill for a permanent increase, was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee on February 24, 2026 and is not law.

Do disabled veterans pay property tax on their home in South Carolina?

Veterans with a total and permanent service-connected disability can apply to SC DOR on Form PT-401I for an exemption on the dwelling home and a lot of up to five acres. They must live in the home and first receive the 4% legal residence ratio from their county.

Does the South Carolina homestead exemption protect my house from creditors?

The property-tax exemption does not. A separate law, S.C. Code 15-41-30, protects a debtor's interest in a residence up to an inflation-adjusted cap of $80,125 effective July 1, 2026 ($160,250 for multiple homestead exemptions in a single living unit), per the State Register notice required by S.C. Code 15-41-30(B). It is a value limit, so equity above it is not protected.