What South Carolina residents actually pay
South Carolina taxes ordinary income at a top marginal rate of 6.2%. RSU settlement value, NSO exercise spread, and ESPP discount income all count as ordinary wages for this purpose and flow through the state's normal brackets.
44% long-term cap-gains exclusion.
Long-term vs short-term treatment
Federal long-term rates cap at 20% (plus 3.8% NIIT for high earners) on gains held 12+ months past the basis-setting event. For RSUs, the basis-setting event is the vest date. For ISOs held through a qualifying disposition, the rules are stricter: two years from grant and one year from exercise.
South Carolina gives preferential treatment to long-term capital gains — the specifics vary, but it can meaningfully reduce your state bill on a concentrated sale. Check current-year rules; preferential treatment has changed in several states over the past five years.
Frequently asked
- Does South Carolina tax RSU income the same as wages?
- Yes. South Carolina treats RSU ordinary income as wages, taxable at the state's top marginal rate of 6.2%. Supplemental-wage federal withholding (22%, or 37% above $1M YTD) does not adjust for state withholding, so you often owe extra at filing.
- What happens if I exercise ISOs while living in South Carolina?
- South Carolina does not run a separate state AMT, so only federal AMT applies. You still need to model the bargain element carefully if you plan a cashless exercise-and-sell.
- I moved to South Carolina from another state. Who taxes my vesting RSUs?
- Most high-tax states (CA, NY, MA) source RSU ordinary income to workdays between grant and vest. If your grant pre-dates your South Carolina move, expect the old state to tax the portion of each tranche attributable to workdays earned there. South Carolina taxes the remainder.
- Can I reduce South Carolina taxes by timing my RSU sales?
- South Carolina gives preferential treatment to long-term capital gains. Holding RSU shares 12+ months past vest can produce both federal and state savings. Weigh concentration risk before using this as a reason to hold.
Related
- RSU taxes — South Carolina
- ISO exercises and AMT — South Carolina
- QSBS — South Carolina
- Moving to or from South Carolina with unvested equity: trailing nexus rules — South Carolina
- RSU vesting schedules — South Carolina
- ESPP taxation — South Carolina
- NSO exercises and state tax — South Carolina
- 401(k) and retirement accounts — South Carolina
- Leaving South Carolina: how to cleanly break residency before a liquidity event — South Carolina
- South Carolina equity-comp overview