Carolina Horry County SC Homestead Exemption Guide

Homestead vs 4% Legal Residence: many pages mix them together. This guide separates the Auditor’s homestead role from the Assessor’s legal residence role.

Exact local phone path: use 843-915-5051 for Horry homestead, 843-915-5040 for legal residence, and 843-915-5470 for tax bills.

Real status workflow: check legal residence, exemption approval, bill calculation, escrow and deed records in the correct order.

Ownership edge cases: life estate, trust, mobile home title, recent deed, surviving spouse and joint-title problems are covered.

Municipal issue: Conway, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Aynor, Loris and other municipal properties may have city tax lines.

Schema improvement: the page includes FAQPage, HowTo, GovernmentOffice, GovernmentService, Place, AdministrativeArea, DefinedTermSet, ItemList and Legislation schema without duplicating Yoast Organization, WebSite or Breadcrumb schema.

4% Legal Residence office: Horry County Assessor, 843-915-5040.

Homestead office: Horry County Auditor, 843-915-5051.

Legal Residence applies to: your full-time legal residence, not second homes or vacation homes.

Legal Residence documents: SC driver license or ID, SC vehicle registration, state/federal tax returns, trust or LLC documents if applicable, and prior exemption-removal proof if you own another home.

Incomplete application risk: missing documents can delay processing or cause 6% treatment until fixed.

Age 65: you must reach age 65 on or before December 31 preceding the tax year for which the exemption is claimed.

Disabled: you must be classified as totally and permanently disabled by a state or federal agency with authority to classify disability.

Legally blind: you must provide proper blindness certification, usually from a qualified eye-care professional or agency documentation.

Surviving spouse: an eligible surviving spouse may qualify if ownership and residence requirements are met.

SC residency: you must have been a South Carolina resident for at least one year before the qualifying tax year.

Ownership: you must hold complete fee simple title or a qualifying life estate in the dwelling place.

Legal residence: the home must be your permanent home and legal residence.

Municipal property: if the home is inside a municipality, ask the Auditor whether any municipal notice or form is also needed.

Proof of age: South Carolina driver license, state ID, birth certificate or other Auditor-accepted proof if filing by age.

Disability proof: certification from a state or federal agency with authority to classify total and permanent disability.

Blindness proof: blindness certification, such as a letter from an optometrist, ophthalmologist or other accepted authority.

Property address and PIN: use the Horry County property record, tax bill or land records system.

4% Legal Residence proof: SC driver license or ID, SC vehicle registration, federal and SC tax return documents, and spouse documents if married.

Prior home proof: if you own another home, provide a tax bill showing no exemption or an exemption-removal letter from that county.

Trust, LLC or contract documents: provide trust certificate, full trust, bond for title, land sales contract or LLC operating agreement when applicable.

Mobile home proof: mobile home title, bill of sale or recorded Bond for Title may be needed.

Surviving spouse proof: death certificate, recorded deed or deed of distribution, marriage proof, ownership evidence and legal residence approval may be needed.

Escrow records: keep mortgage-servicer contact information if a corrected exemption changes the tax amount.

Step 1: fair market value is determined by the Assessor.

Step 2: legal residence property is generally assessed at 4% instead of 6%.

Step 3: homestead removes the first $50,000 of fair market value for eligible homeowners.

Step 4: the tax calculation applies millage to taxable assessed value.

Step 5: the Treasurer collects the resulting bill.

First: confirm 4% Legal Residence with the Assessor if the home is your primary residence.

Second: confirm homestead approval with the Auditor at 843-915-5051.

Third: review the tax bill through Treasurer services after the Auditor and Assessor records are correct.

Fourth: contact the Register of Deeds if the issue is deed, life estate, trust, ownership name or recorded document history.

Fifth: send your exemption approval letter to your mortgage servicer if escrow paid the tax bill.

Legal Residence missing: call the Assessor at 843-915-5040.

Homestead missing: call the Auditor homestead line at 843-915-5051.

Bill or payment issue: call the Treasurer at 843-915-5470.

Sold property: Horry’s tax guidance says real property sale questions should go to the Assessor.

Escrow issue: SCDOR says the owner should provide the exemption approval letter to the mortgage lender.

Fees or special charges: some fees may still be owed because exemptions generally cover ad valorem taxes, not every fee.

Recent deed: search the Register of Deeds record and verify that the deed has been recorded correctly.

Life estate: South Carolina rules may allow a life estate when the qualifying person holds the required legal interest.

Trust property: SCDOR guidance says trust property may qualify when the applicant is the income beneficiary and the property is classified as owner occupied in the trust.

Mobile home: ownership proof may include title, bill of sale or recorded Bond for Title.

Joint title: joint ownership with a spouse is treated differently from joint ownership with another person.

Surviving spouse: do not wait if probate or deed distribution is pending; ask what ownership proof is needed for the exemption.

Confusing homestead with legal residence: homestead is Auditor; 4% Legal Residence is Assessor.

Applying before legal residence is fixed: SCDOR says legal residence must be approved before the real estate exemption can be granted.

Assuming all homeowners qualify: homestead is mainly for age 65+, totally and permanently disabled, legally blind or eligible surviving spouse homeowners.

Forgetting the one-year SC residency rule: age alone is not enough.

Missing spouse documents for 4% legal residence: Horry legal residence instructions require documentation from spouse in many situations.

Using the wrong address: your residence address, vehicle registration, tax records and deed information should be consistent.

Ignoring deed or trust issues: title problems can delay exemption approval.

Expecting the Treasurer to approve the exemption: the Treasurer collects taxes but does not approve homestead or legal residence.

Not telling escrow: your mortgage servicer may need the approval letter or corrected bill.

Assuming exemption removes every charge: some fees or non-ad valorem style charges may still appear.