By default the county will charge you 6% property tax on your home, unless you complete the process to be taxed at 4% as your legal residence. With new county processes you may have to do so 2 years in a row for the discount from 6% to 4% to ‘stick’ permanently. May not sound like a big deal but there are other property tax discounts for legal residence, making a big difference. We know of one neighbor who reduced their taxes $3,000 on a <$500,000 home, saving $250/mth on their mortgage payment. You need to be sure all the following have been updated to show your current home address:
- Drivers license
- Voters registration
- Vehicle registration.
If you just moved, get these three things updated first then following the process detailed further below…
1) Make copies of the above items to mail in.
2) You’ll also need a copy of a portion of your prior year’s tax return (even if it was addressed to your prior home). The county can tell you exactly of which pages they need a copy.
3) Each county is a little different. Below are instructions for each depending on which county your home is located in…
DORCHESTER COUNTY – Call the County Assessor at 843-832-0162, Option #5 https://www.dorchestercountysc.gov/government/property-tax-services/assessor/4-legal-residence
BERKELY COUNTY – Call the Auditor 843-719-4309 https://berkeleycountysc.gov/dept/auditor/
CHARLESTON COUNTY – Call the County Assessor at 843-958-4100 https://www.charlestoncounty.org/files/forms/tax/LegalRes4.pdf
Thank you and hope you’re loving your home! Love Where You Live! Live Where You Love!