$18 an Hour in South Carolina After Taxes

On a full-time wage of $18 an hour ($37,440 annual gross) in South Carolina, an estimated $31,816 is your net take-home pay after federal tax, FICA, and South Carolina state tax for a single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026. This translates to roughly $2,651 per month or $1,224 per biweekly paycheck.

Working full-time at $18 an hour (40 hours per week for 52 weeks = 2,080 hours) yields a gross annual salary of $37,440. After an estimated total tax deduction of $5,624 in South Carolina, the net annual earnings equal $31,816.

In South Carolina, state income tax on a $37,440 gross income ($18/hour full-time) is approximately $447 per year, representing an effective state tax rate of 1.2%.

Under federal FLSA rules applicable in South Carolina, time-and-a-half overtime (hours over 40 per workweek) is paid at $27.00 per hour. Double-time pay (if applicable under employer policy or holiday work) is $36.00 per hour. Working 5 hours of overtime each week adds roughly $7,020 in gross earnings annually.

Following the standard 30% gross income rule of thumb, you can afford up to $936 per month in rent or housing costs. Based on your after-tax monthly take-home pay of $2,651, allocating 30% of net pay gives a conservative housing budget of $795 per month.

Taxes vary significantly across state lines. In South Carolina, your net take-home is $31,816. Neighboring states may have different brackets or no wage tax, resulting in up to hundreds or thousands of dollars difference in annual take-home pay on the same $18/hour gross rate.