Taxes in Bluffton
South Carolina's real, two-bracket Act 110 income tax (1.99%/5.21%) applies to Bluffton residents the same as statewide, layered with a modest 6.0% combined sales tax and Beaufort County's real owner-occupied-vs.-second-home property assessment gap.
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Learn moreSouth Carolina's Act 110 income tax -- restated as place-level context
Act 110 (H.4216), signed March 30, 2026, restructured South Carolina's income tax from three graduated brackets into two, effective for tax year 2026: 1.99% on the first $30,000 of SC taxable income, 5.21% above that. This is neither a no-income-tax state (unlike TX/TN/FL) nor a flat-rate state (unlike AZ/CO) -- a genuine two-bracket graduated structure, independently re-verified this session rather than assumed from the state's prior schedule.
Bluffton's modest 6.0% combined sales tax
Bluffton's combined sales tax rate is 6.0% -- South Carolina's state rate, with no additional Beaufort County or town-level local-option add-on currently layered on, after Beaufort County's Green Space Sales Tax expired (one citation dates this to March 1, 2025, though a separate SC-record citation elsewhere in this dataset dates a comparable Beaufort County change to March 1, 2026 -- both disclosed rather than reconciled, though both agree on the resulting 6.0% current rate).
Property tax: a real owner-occupied discount
South Carolina assesses owner-occupied primary residences at a 4% assessment ratio, versus 6% for second homes, rentals, and most commercial property -- a real, meaningful cost difference given how much of Beaufort County's broader housing stock (including Bluffton's neighbor Hilton Head) functions as second homes. Specific current Beaufort County millage rates for a Bluffton tax district were not resolved to one confirmed figure this research pass -- confirm directly with the Beaufort County Auditor for a specific property.
Social Security exempt; retiree deductions are coordinated, not additive
South Carolina does not tax Social Security income at all. Residents 65+ get real, but coordinated rather than simply additive, deductions -- the honest combined ceiling for a single 65+ filer runs to $15,000 total, not a larger stacked figure. See retiring for the fuller mechanics.
Key takeaways
- South Carolina's Act 110 two-bracket income tax (1.99% under $30,000 SC taxable income, 5.21% above) applies to Bluffton residents same as statewide.
- Bluffton's combined sales tax is a modest 6.0% -- no additional county or town add-on as of this research pass.
- South Carolina taxes owner-occupied primary residences at 4% of assessed value versus 6% for second homes -- a real, meaningful difference for Bluffton buyers.
- Social Security is fully exempt; the age-65/retirement-income deduction combination is coordinated and capped at $15,000 for a single 65+ filer, not simply additive.
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