Charleston Property Tax
Savings Checklist

The checklist

Six steps. One deadline you can't miss.

The tax figure on a listing is the seller’s, not yours. After you buy, South Carolina reassesses the home to market value, and what you pay depends on filings most buyers never hear about until the bill arrives. Here is the sequence I walk every buyer through.

• 1Ignore the listing’s tax numberIt reflects the seller’s capped value and possibly their 4% rate. Estimate your bill on your purchase price, at the ratio that will apply to you.
• 2Know your ratio: 4% or 6%A primary residence is taxed at 4%, with a school-tax break; a second home, rental, or investment is 6%. The gap is large.
• 3If it is your home, file the 4% legal residence applicationIt is not automatic. In Charleston County the deadline is typically January 15. Until you file, you are billed at 6%, even on your own home.
• 4If it is a 6% property, claim the 25% ATI exemptionA commonly missed break that caps the reassessment at 75% of value. The Charleston County deadline is about January 30. It applies only to 6% properties, not a primary residence.
• 5Calendar the deadline the day you go under contractThere is no forgiveness for a late filing. Mark it the day you sign, not the day you remember.
• 6Confirm with the county assessorCharleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester run the same state law but different forms and dates. Verify yours before you rely on it.