South Carolina Pay Stub Generator -- Free

South Carolina has transformed its economic identity over the past two decades, moving from a textile and tobacco economy into one built on automotive manufacturing, aerospace, a massive port complex, and a growing technology sector. The Upstate (Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson corridor) is the BMW manufacturing heartland: BMW's Plant Spartanburg in Greer is the largest BMW manufacturing plant in the world by volume, producing the X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, and other models. Volvo Cars built its first North American factory in Berkeley County (near Charleston). Michelin's North American headquarters is in Greenville -- Michelin operates multiple tire manufacturing facilities in South Carolina, making it one of the state's largest private employers. The Port of Charleston is the fastest-growing container port on the East Coast and one of the deepest, a critical node in the Southeast's supply chain. Boeing operates a major 787 Dreamliner final assembly facility in North Charleston. All of this manufacturing and logistics activity has generated a substantial skilled manufacturing workforce with income documentation needs for South Carolina's growing housing markets.

South Carolina's income tax has been on a significant reduction trajectory. The state's graduated tax structure previously topped at 7%, but legislation passed in 2022 established a gradual reduction schedule bringing the top rate down toward 6% over several years. This generator calculates South Carolina's current graduated tax rates and all federal taxes for a complete, accurate pay stub PDF.

South Carolina Income Tax Rates

South Carolina uses a graduated income tax structure that has been actively reducing rates under Act 61 of 2022. For tax year 2024:

• 0%: $0 to $3,460
• 3%: $3,461 to $6,910
• 4%: $6,911 to $10,360
• 5%: $10,361 to $13,810
• 6%: $13,811 to $17,270
• 6.4%: Above $17,270

The top rate, which was 7% prior to 2022 reform, is scheduled to reduce by 0.1% annually (contingent on revenue performance) until it reaches 6%. The zero-rate bracket is a meaningful benefit for lower-income workers -- the income below $3,460 is entirely exempt from state income tax.

South Carolina provides a personal exemption ($4,610 for single filers in 2024) and various deductions before applying these rates. The effective tax rate on gross wages for most working South Carolinians is in the range of 4%-5.5% once personal exemptions and standard deductions are applied.

South Carolina does not have local income taxes. Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Spartanburg do not impose additional city-level income taxes on workers.

Does South Carolina Require Pay Stubs?

South Carolina does not have a state law requiring private employers to provide pay stubs to employees. The South Carolina Payment of Wages Act (SC Code § 41-10-10 et seq.) governs wage payment timing and permissible deductions but does not mandate written itemized wage statements with each paycheck.

Federal FLSA record-keeping requirements apply to all employers, and most major South Carolina manufacturers (BMW, Boeing, Michelin, Volvo) provide electronic pay stubs through their payroll systems. Union workers in certain facilities may have contractual rights to wage statements. For contract workers, construction subcontractors, and gig workers in the Charleston and Greenville metro areas, this generator provides the income documentation needed for housing and lending applications. No South Carolina law requires employers to provide pay stubs, but federal FLSA §211(c) requires employers to maintain payroll records for a minimum of three years.

Pay Stub Requirements in South Carolina

A complete South Carolina pay stub should include the standard elements that landlords and lenders require:

• Employer name and address
• Employee name and identification
• Pay period start and end dates
• Pay date
• Regular hours worked (hourly employees)
• Overtime hours and rate (if applicable)
• Gross wages for the period
• South Carolina state income tax withheld
• Federal income tax withheld
• Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) withheld
• Any voluntary deductions (health insurance, 401(k))
• Net pay
• Year-to-date totals

South Carolina has no state disability insurance or paid family leave deduction. Unlike states like California, New Jersey, or Washington, there are no state-funded social insurance programs adding lines to South Carolina pay stubs beyond income tax and federal deductions.

Pay Frequency Laws in South Carolina

South Carolina Code § 41-10-40 requires that employers pay wages at least twice a month (semi-monthly). Wages must be paid within a specified number of days of the close of the pay period. Most major South Carolina employers pay bi-weekly, which satisfies the semi-monthly requirement.

Final wages must be paid within 48 hours of termination or on the next regular payday, whichever is earlier. This "48-hour or next regular payday" requirement is stricter than many states that simply require payment on the next regular payday.

South Carolina's Manufacturing and Port Economy

BMW Plant Spartanburg and the Upstate supply chain: BMW's Spartanburg plant is the largest BMW facility in the world, employing approximately 11,000 direct employees and supporting tens of thousands more at Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier plants throughout the Upstate. Supplier facilities from companies like ZF, Magna, Lear Corporation, and dozens of others are concentrated in the Greenville-Spartanburg corridor. BMW production workers earn $22-$35+ per hour depending on classification, with regular overtime during high-production periods. Income documentation for home purchases in Greenville, Spartanburg, and communities like Greer and Duncan is frequently needed by this workforce.

Boeing North Charleston: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner final assembly facility in North Charleston is one of the most significant aerospace manufacturing sites on the East Coast. It employs thousands of production workers, mechanics, and engineers. Boeing North Charleston workers are a mix of directly employed hourly and salaried workers and contractors through staffing agencies. Aerospace manufacturing wages in South Carolina are among the highest in the state, and the workforce has significant housing demand in the greater Charleston area.

Port of Charleston logistics workers: The Port of Charleston is the fastest-growing major container port in the United States. Longshoremen (represented by ILA Local 1422), crane operators, drayage truck drivers, and logistics workers who support the port represent a substantial workforce with variable, often high incomes. Independent trucker-operators who haul containers from the port frequently need income documentation that reflects their gross receipts minus operating expenses for mortgage or equipment financing applications.

Tourism and hospitality workers on the coast: Hilton Head Island, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston's historic district attract millions of visitors annually. Hotel workers, resort staff, restaurant employees, and seasonal workers in these areas have income patterns that vary significantly by season. Workers in Myrtle Beach especially face a tourism-driven income cycle: high earnings from May through September, significantly lower from October through April. For these workers, generating stubs covering multiple months accurately reflects their actual income patterns when applying for housing in a market where seasonal workers are common.

What a South Carolina Paycheck Looks Like -- A Worked Example

An auto and aerospace manufacturing worker earning $52,000 per year in South Carolina on a bi-weekly schedule ($2,000 gross per check) pays: $109 in South Carolina income tax (0%-6.4% graduated, ≈5.5% effective rate under 2024 schedule), $124 in Social Security (6.2%), $29 in Medicare (1.45%) -- net take-home approximately $1,574 per paycheck.

2024 minimum wage in South Carolina: $7.25/hr (federal minimum; South Carolina has no higher state minimum).

Frequently Asked Questions for South Carolina Workers

What withholding form does South Carolina use?

South Carolina uses Form SC W-4 (South Carolina Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate). You submit this to your employer when you start work or when you want to change your withholding. South Carolina's SC W-4 is similar in structure to the federal W-4, allowing you to claim allowances or additional withholding. If you have not filed an SC W-4, your employer typically withholds at the default rate. The SC W-4 is available from the South Carolina Department of Revenue website and should be updated whenever your personal tax situation changes (marriage, new dependents, etc.).

South Carolina's rate is going down each year. Which rate should I use for stubs?

Use the rate applicable to the pay period you are documenting. For pay periods in 2024, the top rate is 6.4%. For 2025, it should reduce further (check the South Carolina Department of Revenue for the confirmed rate each year, as reductions depend on state revenue performance). When generating stubs for current income verification purposes, use the current year's applicable rate. The annual rate changes are relatively small (0.1% increments), so the impact on individual stubs is minor -- a few dollars per paycheck -- but accuracy matters when lenders or landlords are reviewing detailed documentation.

I work at BMW in Spartanburg on rotating shifts. Does my pay stub look different?

BMW Spartanburg workers on rotating production shifts typically receive shift differentials for second and third shifts, which appear as additional pay categories on formal pay stubs. Overtime during high-production runs is also common. When documenting your income, capture the actual gross pay for each pay period including base wages, shift differentials, overtime, and any production bonuses. For mortgage applications, lenders often average your last 24 months of earnings to determine qualifying income, which smooths out the variation between high-overtime and low-overtime periods. Our hourly pay stub template shows how to structure documentation when multiple pay rates appear in a single pay period.

Does South Carolina have any state payroll deductions beyond income tax?

No. South Carolina has no state disability insurance, no state paid family leave program, and no additional mandatory employee payroll deductions beyond the graduated state income tax. Your South Carolina pay stub deductions are: state income tax (up to 6.4%), federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), and Medicare (1.45%), plus any voluntary deductions you elect (health insurance, 401(k), etc.). This keeps South Carolina's payroll structure simple compared to states like California or New Jersey with multiple state-mandated insurance programs.

I'm a seasonal worker in Myrtle Beach. How do I document income for an apartment application?

Seasonal workers face the challenge of showing landlords that their summer income is real and repeatable, even if their off-season income is lower. The most effective approach is to generate stubs for each pay period across an entire year, showing the full income cycle honestly. Many Myrtle Beach landlords who rent to seasonal workers are familiar with the pattern and evaluate annual income rather than just current-month earnings. If you have two or more years of tax returns showing consistent seasonal earnings, those are the strongest documentation. Generated stubs should match your actual deposits -- if you receive weekly pay from a hotel or resort, generate weekly stubs that match your bank records. See our pay stub for apartment applications guide for what property managers typically require.

Related Tools

For neighboring state comparisons, see the North Carolina pay stub generator (similar flat-rate trajectory, Research Triangle economy), the Georgia pay stub generator (similar Southeast manufacturing base, Y'allywood film industry), or the Tennessee pay stub generator (no income tax, automotive manufacturing state). For the significant contractor workforce supporting South Carolina's aerospace and automotive sectors, the self-employed pay stub generator covers 1099 income documentation.