The South Carolina Homestead Exemption in Beaufort County
At 65, South Carolina takes the first $50,000 of your home’s value off the property tax rolls. In Beaufort County you apply once, at the Auditor’s office.
What the South Carolina Homestead Exemption Is
The homestead exemption removes all property tax on the first $50,000 of the fair market value of your legal residence. It’s on top of the 4% legal-residence rate (the Beaufort County 4 percent assessment, often called the SC 4 percent property tax rate), which any owner who lives in the home can get, and it stays on your bill every year without reapplying. For the rest of the tax bill, and who sends it, see Beaufort County property taxes.
Who Qualifies
It’s your legal residence
You own the home outright in your name, hold a life estate in it, or are the beneficiary of a trust that owns it, and it’s your primary home.
A full calendar year in South Carolina
By December 31 before the tax year, you’ve lived in South Carolina as your permanent home for a full calendar year. Moving here in March 2026 means a full year in 2027, so the exemption starts with the 2028 tax year.
65, disabled or legally blind
By that same December 31, you’re at least 65, or declared totally and permanently disabled by a state or federal agency, or certified legally blind by an ophthalmologist.
How to Apply in Beaufort County
Apply with the Beaufort County Auditor, not the Assessor or the Treasurer. The Auditor has offices at 100 Ribaut Road, Suite 160, in Beaufort and at 4819 Bluffton Parkway, 3rd Floor, in Bluffton, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., a little later on Wednesday mornings. Call (843) 255-2500 first to ask about the cutoff for this year’s bill and what to bring.
If one owner of a jointly owned home qualifies, the exemption applies. If you move to another home in South Carolina, apply again in the new county. A surviving spouse can keep it if they take title within nine months, live in the home and stay unmarried.
What to Bring
For age, a birth certificate or a South Carolina driver’s license. For a disability, the agency’s certification. For blindness, the ophthalmologist’s certification. If a trust owns the home, a copy of the trust agreement. The county may also ask for proof that the home is your legal residence, such as your South Carolina license, car registration and state tax return.
Turning 65 brings other paperwork too: see Medicare on Hilton Head and South Carolina retirement taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated
What is the homestead exemption in South Carolina?
It removes all property tax on the first $50,000 of the fair market value of your legal residence, for owners who are 65 or older, totally and permanently disabled, or legally blind.
Who qualifies for the South Carolina homestead exemption?
An owner whose home is their legal residence, who has lived in South Carolina for a full calendar year, and who by December 31 before the tax year is 65 or older, totally and permanently disabled, or legally blind.
Where do I apply for the homestead exemption in Beaufort County?
At the Beaufort County Auditor’s office, 100 Ribaut Road in Beaufort or 4819 Bluffton Parkway in Bluffton. Call (843) 255-2500 to ask about this year’s cutoff.
Do I have to reapply for the homestead exemption every year?
No. You only apply again if you move, or if the qualifying owner dies and someone else in the home qualifies.
Is the homestead exemption the same as the 4% legal residence rate?
No. The 4% rate is for any owner who lives in the home and is filed with the Assessor. The homestead exemption is for owners 65 and over, disabled or blind, and is filed with the Auditor. You can have both.
Keep exploring
Medicare supplement plans in South Carolina: the lettered Medigap plans, when to buy without health questions, the under-65 state pool and SELECT plans.
Moving to Hilton Head Island: pros and cons, home prices, taxes for retirees, hurricanes, health care, where people live and Hilton Head vs Bluffton.
Moving to South Carolina: get your license and register your car within 45 days, pay the car tax, apply for the 4% home tax rate and register to vote.
Best places to retire in South Carolina, from Hilton Head and Bluffton to Beaufort, Aiken and Greenville: a fact per town, home prices, state taxes, care.
Get the Hilton Head turning-65 checklist
The dates that matter, the choices to make at 65, and what changes if you’re moving here. Free, by email, in plain English.
Want to talk it through with someone?
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Call I-CARE · 1-800-868-9095