Closing costs by state
Closing costs in South Carolina
Closing costs in South Carolina run about 2% to 5% of the price for a buyer, made of lender fees, title and settlement, recording, prepaid interest and escrow reserves; on a $400,000 home the worked example below comes to $11,555. South Carolina charges a state transfer tax of $1.85 per $500 of value (deed recording fee, S.C. Code § 12-24-10; $1.30 state and $0.55 county), about 0.37% of the price, and the seller customarily pays it.
Last verified ·Sources:scstatehouse.gov·scbar.org
The rules
What South Carolina does differently
- State transfer tax
- $1.85 per $500 of value (deed recording fee, S.C. Code § 12-24-10; $1.30 state and $0.55 county) (about 0.37% of the price at $400,000).
- Who pays it
- Seller, by custom.
- County and city add-ons
- None beyond the county share built into the $1.85 fee.
- Attorney at closing
- South Carolina requires an attorney to conduct or supervise the closing, so an attorney fee is a normal line on both sides.
- Owner’s title policy
- The buyer customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy in South Carolina, along with the lender’s policy.
- Notes
- The fee is the grantor's liability by statute. $1,480 on a $400,000 sale. A South Carolina attorney must supervise the closing (State v. Buyers Service, 1987; Doe v. McMaster, 2003).
- scstatehouse.gov — “one dollar eighty-five cents for each five hundred dollars, or fractional part of five hundred dollars”
- scbar.org — “the closing, and recording of instruments, is the practice of law and therefore must be supervised by a licensed South Carolina attorney.”
Worked example
A $400,000 home in South Carolina, 20% down
Loan of $320,000 at 6.5%, closing on the 15th. Lender, title and recording figures are typical line items used for illustration, the same on every state page; the transfer tax and the owner’s policy side follow South Carolina’s rules above. Not a quote: the calculator takes your own figures.
Buyer pays
| Loan origination, 1% of the loan | $3,200 |
| Appraisal | $550 |
| Title and settlement services | $1,800 |
| Lender’s title policy | $900 |
| Recording | $150 |
| Prepaid interest, 15 days at 6.5% | $855 |
| Escrow reserve, 3 months of tax at 1.1% | $1,100 |
| First year of homeowners insurance | $1,500 |
| Owner’s title policy (estimate) | $1,500 |
| Total (2.889% of price) | $11,555 |
Seller pays
| Commission, 5% | $20,000 |
| Title and escrow fees | $2,000 |
| Prorated property tax | $1,500 |
| Transfer tax, seller’s share (0.37%) | $1,480 |
| Total | $24,980 |
Questions
What people ask about South Carolina
- Who pays the transfer tax in South Carolina?
- South Carolina charges a state transfer tax of $1.85 per $500 of value (deed recording fee, S.C. Code § 12-24-10; $1.30 state and $0.55 county), about 0.37% of the price, and the seller customarily pays it.
- Do you need an attorney to close on a house in South Carolina?
- South Carolina requires an attorney to conduct or supervise the closing, so an attorney fee is a normal line on both sides.
- Who pays for the owner’s title policy in South Carolina?
- The buyer customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy in South Carolina, along with the lender’s policy.
- How much are seller closing costs in South Carolina?
- On a $400,000 sale with a 5% commission, the worked example on this page comes to $24,980 for the seller, including $1,480 of transfer tax, before the mortgage payoff and any concessions or repairs. The seller net sheet calculator shows the walk-away figure.
Last reviewed September 8, 2026 by the EstatePass editorial team. Formulas and program limits are checked against the published rules; figures on this page are arithmetic, not market statistics.
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