Transfer tax
South Carolina charges a deed recording fee of $1.85 per $500 of value. Who pays and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed. Where the tax falls on the grantee, it is ours.
Donate a house, coastal lot or timber tract in South Carolina, in any of the 46 counties
South Carolina property specialists: (888) 228-7320
Donate Real Estate in South Carolina
South Carolina assesses owner-occupied homes at a lower ratio than everything else, which means a house that stops being somebody’s legal residence can see its tax bill multiply. That single fact drives more calls here than any other. Add heir property along the coast and in the lowcountry, and timber ground inland, and you have the state in three sentences.
Fully IRS Compliant
We Handle the Paperwork
Form 8283 Done Right
501(c)(3) Recognized Charity
South Carolina rules for a property donation
Federal tax rules are the same in every state. These three are set by South Carolina and by the county where the property sits.
The assessment ratio when a house stops being a residence
South Carolina taxes owner-occupied legal residences at a lower assessment ratio than second homes and rentals. When an owner dies or moves out, the classification can change and the annual bill rises sharply. It is often what turns an inherited house from an asset into a cost, and it is worth knowing before you decide.
Recording
Deeds are recorded with the register of deeds for the county where the property sits. You sign before a notary wherever you live, and we handle the filing.
What South Carolina owners call us about
Four situations that recur from the mountains to the coast.
Heir property in the lowcountry
Land held in undivided family shares for generations without probate, particularly along the coast and the sea islands. Identifying the owners is the first step.
Pine acreage nobody is managing
Timber ground held by families who moved to the cities, with a harvest overdue and a tax bill every year.
A coastal house after a storm
Wind and flood damage, elevation requirements and insurance pricing that change the arithmetic on rebuilding.
A rental whose tax bill just changed
A house that lost its legal residence classification and is now assessed at the higher ratio.
South Carolina property we accept
Each links to the full guide for that type, including how a donation compares with selling.
Houses in South CarolinaLowcountry cottages, mill houses, brick ranches and mountain cabins.
South Carolina landCoastal and marsh parcels, lake lots, upstate acreage.
Farm and timber groundPine plantation, row crop and pasture.
Commercial propertyMain street buildings, storefronts and small offices.
Industrial buildingsFormer textile mill space and warehouses.
Land contractsProperty sold on terms years ago. We take over the payments and deliver the deed at payoff.
What a donation looks like by region
Six regions, six reasons a property becomes a burden.
Charleston and the sea islands
Heir property, marshfront parcels with tidal boundary questions, and historic houses with maintenance obligations.
Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand
Condos with rising assessments, rental houses and flood-zone property.
Columbia and the midlands
Older city housing, lake property and inherited family homes.
The upstate
Former textile mill buildings, mill village housing and foothills acreage.
The Pee Dee
Row crop and timber ground, and small towns with more buildings than buyers.
The lowcountry interior
Pine plantation, hunting land and rural parcels held by absent heirs.
Real estate donation by South Carolina city
A local guide for the city South Carolina donors ask about most, covering the deed, the transfer fee and the recording practice that apply there. Every other South Carolina city is covered by this page.
South Carolina real estate donation questions, answered
Is a donated deed subject to South Carolina transfer tax?+
South Carolina charges a deed recording fee of $1.85 per $500 of value. Who pays and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed. Where the tax falls on the grantee, it is ours.
I live outside South Carolina. Do I have to travel there to sign?+
No. We prepare the deed in the form South Carolina requires for the county where the property sits, you sign before a notary where you live, and we record it with the county register of deeds.
My mother’s house lost its residence classification and the tax bill doubled. Does that affect a donation?+
It affects the urgency rather than the answer. A higher assessment ratio makes holding the house more expensive while a family decides, which is often why people call. Tell us the county and the parcel and we will move at whatever pace the bill requires.
Does South Carolina give a state tax deduction for a property donation?+
South Carolina has a state income tax, and how it treats a charitable contribution is set by South Carolina law rather than by us. Your federal deduction follows the usual IRS rules. Take the state question to your own advisor.
Our family land has never been probated and there are twenty of us. Where do we start?+
With the names. Heir property is common here and there are established routes through it. Some individual undivided interests can be given on their own; other times the owners need identifying first. Tell us how the land came down.
We do not provide tax or legal advice. State and local transfer tax rules change; we confirm current requirements when we prepare each deed. Consult your own advisor.
Tell us about your South Carolina property and we will review it
The county and a parcel number are enough to start.