Property tax in Myrtle Beach is set by Horry County and calculated from three numbers: the county’s fair market value for your home, the South Carolina assessment ratio (4% for an owner-occupied primary residence, 6% for everything else), and the combined millage rate charged by the county, the City of Myrtle Beach, and the local school district. Multiply the fair market value by the ratio to get the assessed value, then multiply the assessed value by the millage rate to get the bill. The classification matters more than almost anything else: moving from the 6% rate to the 4% rate cuts the tax by roughly a third on the same house.
How the Bill Is Calculated
The Horry County Assessor’s Office sets your property’s fair market value, meaning what a willing buyer and seller would agree on in an open sale. South Carolina law then applies an assessment ratio to that market value, producing a smaller number called the assessed value. The millage rate is applied to the assessed value, not the market value. Each mill costs $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value, and your total millage combines separate rates adopted by Horry County government, the City of Myrtle Beach, and the Horry County school district.1South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office. Property Tax Frequently Asked Questions
A worked example makes the pieces concrete. On a $300,000 primary residence in Myrtle Beach, the 4% ratio produces an assessed value of $12,000. At a combined millage of roughly 255 mills, the annual tax works out to about $3,060. The same house classified as a vacation rental uses the 6% ratio, so the assessed value becomes $18,000 and the bill rises to about $4,590.
Primary Residence vs. Second Home: The 4% and 6% Ratios
Your primary residence and up to five contiguous acres qualify for the 4% ratio if you own the property (in full or through a life estate) and actually live there.2South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-43-220 – Classifications Shall Be Equal and Uniform You cannot claim this rate on a Myrtle Beach home while also claiming a primary residence exemption somewhere else. The county verifies residency through voter registration, driver’s license records, and income tax filings.
Every other category of real property is assessed at 6%: vacation homes, short-term rentals, long-term investment properties, and commercial buildings.3South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-43 – County Equalization and Reassessment If you rent out part of your home or run a business from it, the portion used commercially loses the 4% rate even if you live on-site. For many Myrtle Beach buyers, the single most important tax question is whether a property will qualify as a primary residence or sit in the 6% bucket.
Reassessment, the 15% Cap, and Why New Owners Pay More
Horry County reassesses property values every five years, with the option to extend by one additional year through a county ordinance. Between reassessments, your taxable value generally holds steady unless you improve the property or sell it.
When reassessment does happen, South Carolina caps the increase in taxable value at 15% over the prior taxable value, no matter how much the market has moved.3South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-43 – County Equalization and Reassessment A home previously valued at $250,000 that appraises at $350,000 can only move to $287,500 on the tax rolls.
Two events strip the cap. New additions or improvements are taxed at full value in the year they first appear on the rolls. And when a property is sold, its taxable value resets to current market value for the new owner. In a fast-appreciating market like Myrtle Beach, that reset is why buyers routinely see tax bills far higher than what the seller was paying.
Homestead Exemption for Seniors, Disabled, and Blind Residents
South Carolina’s homestead exemption removes the first $50,000 of fair market value from your property tax calculation. The reduction applies to every levy on the bill: county, municipal, school, and special assessment.4South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-37-250 – Homestead Exemption
To qualify, you must hold fee simple title or a life estate in the home and meet one of these conditions as of December 31 of the year before you claim it:
- Age 65 or older, with at least one year of South Carolina residency.
- Totally and permanently disabled, certified by a state or federal agency, with the impairment lasting or expected to last at least twelve continuous months.
- Legally blind under South Carolina law.
If spouses own the home jointly, only one of them has to meet the age, disability, or blindness test.4South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-37-250 – Homestead Exemption File a written application before July 16 of the tax year you want the exemption. An application filed after July 15 but before the first penalty date can still apply to that year; later than that, the benefit shifts to the next tax year. Once approved, the exemption stays in place until you sell or move out.
Appealing Your Assessment
If the county’s value looks too high, you have a defined window to push back. In a reassessment year, or any year you receive a notice of property tax assessment, you have 90 days from the date the notice was mailed to file a written objection with the Horry County Assessor.5South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-60-2510 – Property Tax Assessment Objection You can challenge the fair market value, the assessment ratio, or both.
In years when no assessment notice is issued, you can still appeal by filing a written objection with the assessor before the first penalty date, which falls on January 15 for most Horry County taxpayers.6Horry County SC.Gov. Questioning Values Miss that deadline and you waive the right to protest for the year.
After you file, the assessor has 30 days to schedule a conference. Bring recent comparable sales, photos of any defects the appraiser may have missed, and documentation of errors in the property record such as wrong square footage or phantom bathrooms. If the conference does not resolve the dispute, you have 30 days to file a formal written protest, and the assessor must respond in writing within 30 days. From there the appeal can go to the Horry County Board of Assessment Appeals, and ultimately to a contested case hearing before the South Carolina Administrative Law Judge Division within 30 days of the board’s decision.6Horry County SC.Gov. Questioning Values Most cases settle at the assessor conference or board stage.
Payment Deadlines and Late Penalties
Horry County mails property tax notices around October 1, and full payment is due by January 15 of the following year.7Horry County SC.Gov. Real Property Tax After that, statutory penalties stack quickly:
- January 16: a 3% penalty is added to the unpaid balance.
- February 2: an additional 7% penalty, bringing the running total to 10%.
- March 17: another 5% penalty, bringing the cumulative penalty to 15% of the original tax.
The percentages are set by state statute and are not negotiable.8South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-45-180 – Penalties on Delinquent Taxes One narrow exception: if the property changed hands during the tax year and county records show the notice went to the prior owner, the treasurer can waive the penalties for a new owner who never received timely notice. You can pay online through the Horry County Treasurer’s portal, by mail (the postmark controls), or in person at county government service centers.
Tax Sale and Redemption If the Bill Stays Unpaid
After March 17, the county treasurer issues a tax execution and the account enters collection under South Carolina’s tax sale statutes. Around April 1, the county mails a delinquent tax notice giving you 30 days to pay the overdue taxes, penalties, and costs. If payment still does not come, the county takes legal possession, advertises the property in a local newspaper for three consecutive weeks, and sells it at public auction.9South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-51-40 – Delinquent Tax Sales
A tax sale does not immediately end your ownership. The former owner, mortgage holder, or judgment creditor has 12 months from the sale date to redeem the property by paying the full delinquent amount plus interest. The interest rate rises each quarter:10South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-51-90 – Tax Sale Redemption
- Months 1 through 3: 3% of the bid amount.
- Months 4 through 6: 6% of the bid amount.
- Months 7 through 9: 9% of the bid amount.
- Months 10 through 12: 12% of the bid amount.
If no one redeems within the year, the tax sale buyer receives a deed and the former owner permanently loses the property, often for a fraction of its market value.
Deducting Myrtle Beach Property Taxes on Your Federal Return
If you itemize, Myrtle Beach property taxes are deductible as part of the federal state and local tax (SALT) deduction. Under the One Big, Beautiful Bill enacted in 2025, the SALT cap rose to $40,000 for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income under $500,000 ($250,000 for married filing separately), and the cap increases by 1% each year through 2029. For taxpayers above $500,000 in income, the cap phases down and eventually floors at $10,000.
The cap covers property taxes, state income taxes, and other eligible local taxes combined, so your Myrtle Beach bill shares the ceiling with your South Carolina income tax. Only taxes actually paid during the tax year count, regardless of how many properties generated them.