South Carolina Car Sales Tax Calculator – Fast, Free & Accurate

What Is the South Carolina Car Sales Tax (IMF)?

When you register a vehicle in South Carolina, you don’t pay a traditional sales tax. Instead, you pay the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF).

• Rate: 5% of the vehicle’s purchase price.
• Cap: The maximum fee is $500, no matter how expensive the car is.

This means:

• If you buy a car for $20,000, the IMF is $1,000 (5%), but you’ll only pay $500 because of the cap.
• If you buy a car for $8,000, the IMF is $400 (and that’s what you’ll pay, since it’s under the cap).

The cap is what makes South Carolina stand out. In many states, car sales tax keeps climbing as the price goes up. In South Carolina, your maximum cost is locked at $500.

Why Use a South Carolina Car Sales Tax Calculator?

Even though the rule sounds simple, it’s easy to second-guess yourself. That’s where our calculator comes in handy.

Quick and accurate fee estimates
Shows whether the $500 cap applies
Saves time compared to manual math
Helps plan your car budget upfront

How the Calculator Works

The South Carolina Car Sales Tax Calculator is built to be user-friendly. Here’s what it does behind the scenes:

1. You enter your vehicle’s price.
2. The calculator applies the 5% IMF rate.
3. It checks if the fee is above the $500 cap.
4. It shows you the final fee you’ll pay.

Example:

• Vehicle Price: $35,000
• 5% of $35,000 = $1,750
• Since $1,750 is over the cap, your fee is $500 flat.

How to Use the Calculator

Using the calculator is straightforward:

1. Enter your vehicle’s purchase price in the input box.
2. Click Calculate Fee.
3. The result will instantly display the estimated fee.
4. If the cap applies, you’ll see a note explaining it.
5. Click Reset to start over.

South Carolina Car Sales Tax Calculator

Here’s the tool itself for quick use:

Key Takeaways

• South Carolina charges a 5% Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF) on vehicle purchases.
• The fee is capped at $500, no matter the car’s price.
• Our South Carolina Car Sales Tax Calculator makes it simple to see what you’ll owe.
• The cap makes SC one of the most affordable states for registering expensive vehicles.