A copy of your original property tax bill can always be found online using our Tax Bill Lookup service by simply searching with your name or account number. Please note that since they are the original bills, they will not include any account changes made after the bills were sent.

You can update your mailing address online or in person at any one of our office locations. It's important to always keep your mailing address up to date so that your tax bills, refunds, and other notices are sent to you successfully. For some types of property, addresses may need to be updated by a Federal or State agency. If this step is not completed, it is possible that the Federal or State agency's address of record will override your requested change for future mailings from Beaufort County. Below is a listing of those property types. 

Motor Vehicles - Your request should be submitted to South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles only. It is not necessary to update Beaufort County as our records will be updated to match the DMV at the next renewal billing period. Your request may be submitted online or in person at any South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicle branch.

For the following bill types, please submit your request online with Beaufort County Treasurer and contact the corresponding agency below. 

Watercraft (WC) / Commercial Boat (CMT) – SC Department of Natural Resources
Merchant (MER) / Utility (UT) / Corporation (CORP) – SC Department of Revenue
Mobile Home (MH) – SC Department of Motor Vehicles
Aircraft (AC) – Federal Aviation Administration
Documented Vessel (DV) / Large Pleasure Craft (LPC) – United States Coast Guard

This is a question our team hears a lot and one you have every right to ask!

Below we'll walk you through how to look through your bill to see what caused the increase. Knowledge is power so while this is detailed, we promise, it'll help you get to the right team and get your questions answered. 

First, start by having in front of you a copy of your current tax bill and last year's bill.

Below we'll walk you through how to review and compare your bill with last year to see what caused the increase and then help you get to the right team with any questions you may have.

We'll use the below 2024 and 2023 tax bills as examples. Note the highlighted areas, these are the same areas you'll be looking on your own tax bills.

2024 Tax Bill Example

2023 Tax Bill Example

You'll begin by determining whether your bill is for real property or personal property by finding the "Property ID (PIN)" on your bill. If it begins with the letter "R" or "M," it is a real property or mobile home, and therefore, real property. All other PINs are considered personal property.

We're now going to look at the highlighted areas in the following order:

1. Appraised Value and Homestead Exemption Value
2. Assessment Ratio and School Tax Credit
3. Millage

Now let's dive in!
 

Appraised Value and Homestead Exemption Value

When it comes to property taxes, Appraised Value drives the bus. If your property taxes went up since last year, it's the first place to look on your bill.

As you can see in the below example, highlighted in yellow, the Appraised Value for this property increased. If all other things are the same, an increase in Appraised Value increases the property taxes due. This can happen for a variety of reasons such as a recent purchase of the property or a countywide reassessment. 

2023 Tax Bill Example

2024 Tax Bill Example

You'll also notice, highlighted in orange, the Homestead Exemption Value decreased from 50,000 to zero. This is a discount eligible taxpayers can receive off of their value, which ultimately results in a lower tax bill. 

To illustrate this further, in 2023, this property owner received a $50,000 discount off their property value and in 2024, it appears they lost their Homestead Exemption and didn't receive a discount off their property value. 

If you find yourself in one or both of these situations, here's what to do...

• Visit the Beaufort County Auditor's Office for questions about the Homestead Exemption or personal property values.
• Visit the Beaufort County Assessor's Office for questions about real property and mobile home values. 
   

Assessment Ratio and School Tax Credit

This one is for real property and mobile homes only so if you have a personal property tax bill, move on to the next section. 

The Assessment Ratio box can indicate whether you're receiving the Legal Residence Exemption. This is one of the largest tax discounts you can receive and we don't want you paying more than you have to so learn more about it here. 

In the examples below, the 2023 tax bill displaying 4.00% for the Assessment Ratio indicates the property was receiving the Legal Residence Exemption. The Assessment Ratio being 6.00% in 2024 communicates that the Legal Residence Exemption was removed. The loss of this tax discount will cause property taxes to increase. 

2023 Tax Bill Example

2024 Tax Bill Example

Another way to tell that the Legal Residence Exemption was removed is by comparing the School Tax Credit line, which is a benefit of having the Legal Residence Exemption. 

You can see in the examples below, in 2023 this property received a credit of $691.82 but in 2024 zero dollars were deducted. 

2023 Tax Bill Example

2024 Tax Bill Example

The Legal Residence Exemption may be removed from a property, for example, when there is a change in ownership. 

For more information or to reapply for the Legal Residence Exemption, visit the Beaufort County Assessor's Office.
 

Millage

A millage (often called the millage rate or mill rate) is just the property tax rate. The governing bodies of each local government in Beaufort County, like County Council and Town Councils, establish the millage for their jurisdiction. These millage rates are reflected on the property tax bill and totaled together, as you'll see below.

2023 Tax Bill Example

2024 Tax Bill Example

In the above example, you'll notice that the jurisdictions listed (County, School, and Fire District) didn't change their millage rates from one year to the next. This is indicated by the total millage being 0.24360 for both 2023 and 2024. However, if on your tax bill the millage rate total had increased from last year, this would also be a contributing cause to a higher property tax bill.

To discuss questions and concerns about town millage rates, fire districts, or public service districts, you'll want to reach out to those organizations or your particular representative. 

If you need further assistance, we're happy to help or pay easily online, any time at myBeaufortCounty.com.

This is a great question and very common, especially in the early part of the year. 

You can learn more about delinquent taxes in this article but, to recap, penalties are applied in accordance with South Carolina State Law, and are not set or selected by the Treasurer's Office. Delinquent fees are applied in accordance with South Carolina State Statute 12-51-40(a). They are set by the Treasurer's Office and offset all expenses related to the pursuit of delinquent accounts; meaning only taxpayers who are delinquent shoulder the associated costs.

South Carolina State Law permits the waiver or removal of penalties in only two circumstances, which are detailed below. The waiver of fees are handled in the same manner.

1. SC State Law §12-45-185: The customer has shown that they made a timely payment to the United States Postal Service (USPS). In these situations, the Treasurer's Office has the authority to waive the statutory penalties.
2.  SC State Law §12-45-420: A County error has occurred. In these situations, a committee comprised of the Auditor, Assessor and myself approve or deny a waiver of the statutory penalties based on majority vote.

Our goal is to collect taxes, not to penalize our customers and will look for any area or opportunity to identify a County error and do whatever we can to help set you up for a successful payment process. 

After a property becomes delinquent, it is assigned to a delinquent collections program based on the type of property and entity owning the property, among other criteria.

If you believe one of the above circumstances applies to you, please reach out to our team and we will be happy to assist you. It would help us if you would include as much information as possible about your timely payment or the County's error that caused you to pay late.

If your circumstances are not one of the above situations, you will not be eligible for a waiver of penalties and fees. Some common situations that taxpayers frequently contact us about but are not eligible for a waiver include:

• Errors by the USPS, like failing to successfully deliver their tax bill, are not Beaufort County's errors and, unfortunately, the County is unable to take responsibility for them.
• The property tax bill was mailed to an outdated mailing or email address and, therefore, never received. The taxpayer must notify the Treasurer's Office that their mailing or email address has changed. Please do not rely on the USPS to do this or their mail forwarding service.

The Installment Payment Program is a program through which the Treasurer's Office is able to accept payments, a little bit at a time, for a future property tax bill. It is a great program that helps customers get ahead of the upcoming tax bills, rather than have to pay one large bill all at once.

Being in the program doesn't happen automatically. You will need to apply by completing our short application. Here are some criteria you should know before applying:

1. Only certain property types are eligible for the program. They are: mobile homes, and residential and commercial property.
2. It is a pay-in-advance program so you have to be current on all of your taxes before applying.
3. We're required by State law to send you a bill every other month, equal to 1/6th of your prior year's taxes. However, the good news is that you can pay any amount you are most comfortable with and as frequently as you would like.
4. Your final payment will be made when we send the final tax bill, which will show your total taxes, less the installment payments you've made, and the remaining balance due. If for some reason you overpay, a refund will be issued automatically.
5. Once you're in the program, you're in until you let us know otherwise. If you want to withdraw from the program, please notify us in writing by October 16.

A 120-Day Tax Notice was created when you purchased the vehicle described on your bill and typically indicates that you received the license plate and DMV registration decal for the vehicle before paying the property taxes; this is different than the sales tax you may have paid at the time of purchase.

An original 120-Day Vehicle Tax Bill was mailed to the address of record shortly after you purchased the vehicle. The vehicle may be years old or new, South Carolina State Law tasks the Treasurer's Office with the collection of taxes up to 10 years. Unfortunately, our records indicate that these taxes were not paid. 

If you no longer have this vehicle, the tax is still due but, once paid, you should not receive any additional bills for the vehicle. 

If you believe this bill to be in error, please contact the Beaufort County Auditor's Office at 843-258-5434 or email BeaufortCountyAuditor@bcgov.net to ensure the records reflect accurate information and all relevant documentation has been completed. 

In order to resolve a 120-Day Vehicle Tax bill, the account must be paid through American Financial Credit Services (AFCS), Beaufort County's collection agency.

Are you new to Beaufort County?

We've created this checklist to help you settle in, so you can start enjoying this beautiful place we get to call home. 

The checklist includes important contact information, registering a vehicle, discounts, and more.