Author: South Carolina Department of Revenue
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2026 issue of the South Carolina CPA Report
With the 2026 tax season already underway, the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) offers tips to help make filing easier for you and your clients.
Return Deadlines
Returns are due April 15, 2026. For your South Carolina return, if you both file and pay electronically by May 1, 2026, you will not be subject to penalties or interest.
Direct Deposit Refund Option
Help your clients choose the SCDOR’s direct deposit refund option. As a tax preparer, make sure your clients choose direct deposit before you submit their returns. Direct deposit remains the fastest way for your clients to receive a refund.
Accessing Tax Transcripts
Access your client’s state Individual Income Tax transcripts on MyDORWAY. After logging in and selecting your client’s MyDORWAY account, scroll to their Individual Income Tax account and click View Returns and Periods. Select the correct period (31-Dec-2024 for their Tax Year 2024 return), then click Print Return Transcript.
- If your client doesn’t have a MyDORWAY account, direct them to get started at dor.sc.gov/MyDORWAY-signup.
Update Mailing Addresses
Update your client’s mailing address before filing their return, if needed. Ask whether their address has changed since their last return. If you submit a client’s return using an outdated address, the SCDOR will use that address when contacting your client, which could prevent them from receiving important notices.
- Customers with a MyDORWAY account should log in, click the More tab, and select Manage Names and Addresses.
- Those without a MyDORWAY account can use the SC8822I, available at dor.sc.gov/forms.
Making Payments on Behalf of Clients
Need to make a payment on behalf of your client? Use MyDORWAY at dor.sc.gov/pay. Select Individual Income Tax Payment to get started.
- If you schedule a payment on behalf of your client, remember: the SCDOR won’t draft that payment until the date you chose. If you make additional payments before the scheduled payment date, the SCDOR will still process the scheduled payment on that date.
- The SCDOR will also process the scheduled payment, even if your client later enters into a payment plan.
Payment Plans and Refund Offsets
If your client has entered into a payment plan with the SCDOR, remember, that does not prevent the SCDOR from offsetting any refund they have due.
New for the 2026 Filing Season
- Increase in the Dependent Exemption: The exemption amount for tax year 2025 is $4,930, up from $4,790. The exemption is allowed for each eligible dependent, including both qualifying children and qualifying relatives.
- Reduction in the Individual Income Tax rate: The top marginal rate is 6%, down from 6.2%. Use the 2025 SC1040 Tax Tables to determine your client’s rate.
Fraud Prevention
Fighting fraud is the SCDOR’s highest priority. Scammers are always busy; according to the IRS, Americans lost approximately $2.12 billion to tax fraud in 2024. That’s why the SCDOR takes every step possible to make sure your client’s return is accurate and coming from them—not someone pretending to be them.
More Filing Tips
For more filing tips, bookmark the SCDOR’s tax season homepage: dor.sc.gov/iit.
Stay Connected
Follow the @theSCDOR on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube. Plus, visit dor.sc.gov/emails and subscribe to ReveNews, SCDOR’s monthly newsletter, for the latest updates, resources, and reminders.
