Taxes in Rock Hill
South Carolina's two-bracket income tax under Act 110 (1.99%/5.21%, effective tax year 2026) applies to Rock Hill residents same as anywhere in the state, layered with a combined sales tax carrying real, disclosed source disagreement (7%-9%, up to 13% in some zips) and property tax that differs meaningfully by whether an address sits inside city limits.
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Learn moreSC's Act 110 two-bracket income tax -- restated as place-level context
South Carolina replaced its prior three-bracket 0%/3%/6.2% schedule with two brackets under Act 110 (H.4216), signed March 30, 2026: 1.99% on the first $30,000 of SC taxable income, 5.21% above that (minus a $966 subtraction), effective for tax year 2026. This is a real, major structural change -- not a flat-rate or no-income-tax state -- independently re-verified against myrtle-beach-sc.js's own SCDOR/Governor's-office/PolicyEngine citations.
Social Security exemption and coordinated retirement deductions
Social Security income is fully exempt from SC income tax at any age. SC separately offers a retirement-income deduction (up to $10,000 for filers 65+, up to $3,000 under 65) and a general age-65 deduction of $15,000 -- but these coordinate rather than stack additively; modeling them as simply additive can overstate the real SC tax benefit.
Rock Hill's own combined sales tax: a real, disclosed disagreement
Rock Hill's combined sales tax rate is cited at 7% (6% state + 1% special-district tax) by SalesTaxHandbook and Avalara, but a separate aggregator cites 9%, with some zip codes carrying additional special-purpose-district levies running as high as 13%. This is not resolved to one figure -- confirm the current rate for a specific address before a large purchase.
Property tax: a real, city-limits-dependent spread
Effective property tax runs approximately 0.86% inside Rock Hill city limits versus 0.50%-0.66% in unincorporated York County -- on a $500,000 home, that works out to roughly $4,300/year inside the city versus about $2,600/year outside it. South Carolina's 4%-owner-occupied / 6%-non-owner-occupied assessment-ratio split applies statewide; the lower rate requires an active "legal residence" application with the York County Assessor.
Key takeaways
- South Carolina's two-bracket income tax (1.99%/5.21% under Act 110, effective TY2026) applies statewide; Social Security is fully exempt, and the retirement-income and age-65 deductions coordinate rather than stack additively.
- Rock Hill's combined sales tax carries real source disagreement -- 7% (SalesTaxHandbook/Avalara) vs. 9% (a separate aggregator), with some zip codes cited as high as 13%.
- Effective property tax differs meaningfully by city-limits status: ~0.86% inside Rock Hill vs. 0.50%-0.66% in unincorporated York County -- roughly $4,300 vs. $2,600/year on a $500,000 home.
- Apply for the 4% owner-occupied "legal residence" assessment ratio with the York County Assessor -- it is not automatic and defaults to the higher 6% rate if missed.
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