Easy Living With a Horry County Property Tax Homestead Exemption

Horry County is a haven for affordable living and is considered the jewel in the crown of South Carolina’s places to live. It boasts a perfect mix of urban sophistication and rural tranquility, and its quality of life must rank as one of the best in the U.S.

Property is also cheap to own. South Carolina levies an average of 0.5% property tax on its residents, and Horry County comes in even cheaper at an average of 0.38%, placing it firmly on the list of states with the lowest property taxes.

There is more good news. Even with Horry County’s low tax rates, there are ways of reducing your property tax bill even further by applying for a homestead exemption. DoNotPay can help you check your eligibility and start the application process.

Property Tax Explained

If you own real estate, you are liable for property tax, which is essential for counties and municipalities to fund:

• Schools
• Local museums
• Public recreation facilities
• Garbage collection
• Protection services
• Street cleaning
• Road upkeep

While property tax is an imposition, the revenue it generates is used for essential things, and there are several exemptions and discount schemes in place in Horry County to help you.

What Is the Math Behind Horry County Property Tax?

In Horry County, your property tax is calculated by multiplying your real estate’s assessed value by the local tax rate, also known as the mill rate.

The reason Horry County’s property tax rate is so low is the fact that your property’s assessed value is set at just 4% of its market value. Local assessors reassess property values every five years, and even then, the reassessed value cannot exceed 15% more than the previous value.

The assessment method used in Horry County relies on one of three approaches, as follows:

If your property was originally valued at $200,000, after five years, it will be reassessed but can only be valued at $230,000, regardless of its true salable value. The taxable value of the property is then calculated at 4% of $230,000, or $9,200. This is the value on which your property tax will be based.

The tax rate in Horry County is determined at the county level and based on the county’s funding requirements. Even though this means that the county could easily increase your property tax bill dramatically by simply upping the mill rate, in practice, Horry County doesn’t do this. In fact, in 2019, the county reassessed properties +and adjusted the mill rate downwards to mean that 90% of real estate owners paid no extra property tax.

What Is the Horry County Property Tax Homestead Exemption?

On top of the already low base property tax rate, Horry County offers a homestead exemption for certain residents. A Homestead is classified as being any property you own that is used as your primary residence.

To be eligible for a homestead exemption, you must be:

• 65 or over
• Blind
• Disabled
• A veteran
• The surviving unremarried spouse of a veteran

If your claim is accepted, you can receive an exemption of up to $50,000 off the fair market value of your property.

DoNotPay is here to help you check whether you’re eligible for a property tax homestead exemption in Horry County and start the application procedure. If you are over 65, there may also be other exemptions in South Carolina you can apply for.

DoNotPay Can Help You Apply for a Property Tax Homestead Exemption in Horry County

DoNotPay is here to help you navigate the process of applying for a homestead exemption on your property tax in Horry County.

By inputting your location and answering some basic questions, you can get tailor-made recommendations on how you can secure all the exemptions you are eligible for using our app. The app has two sections:

Is DoNotPay’s Property Tax Guide Easy To Get?

Help with your property tax is easily accessible. Find DoNotPay’s Property Guide by:

1. Going to DoNotPay using any web browser and signing up
2. Locating the Property Tax feature
3. Answering some of our chatbot’s questions about yourself and your property

Use DoNotPay To Help You Get Further Property Tax Reductions in Horry County

There are other easy things you can do to lower your property tax bill or get help paying your property tax in Horry County. Take a look at these ideas:

1. Avoid making any improvements
2. Check your property tax bill
3. Ensure you are present at the assessment
4. File an appeal

Avoid Making Any Improvements

Improvements can add value to your property, meaning that the next reassessment could give you a nasty shock and increase your tax bill.

Check Your Property Tax Bill

Mistakes can happen in the tax rate, property value, or billing details on your property tax bill. It is your responsibility to check your bill for accuracy and query it if something seems amiss.

Ensure You Are Present at the Assessment

Your presence while the assessor carries out the appraisal of your property makes sure that everything is above board and no details are missed or recorded incorrectly.

File an Appeal

Horry County recently experienced pushback from residents who felt their property reassessment was wrong. If this is you, you can appeal it, but this should be your final step after all other possibilities have been exhausted. DoNotPay is here to help you understand the Horry County appeal procedure, collect the required documents, and lodge an appeal.

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