For one tax year, Lexington County homeowners who qualify for South Carolina’s homestead exemption get the first $75,000 of home value excluded from property taxes, $25,000 more than the usual $50,000. The Auditor’s homestead exemption program page says the General Assembly “temporarily increased” the amount for Tax Year 2026. It also says the number reverts to $50,000 unless lawmakers act again.
Where the extra $25,000 came from and why it lasts one year
The county credits the state budget. The page points to the General Assembly and the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 state budget for the increase, and it cites no statute by number. “Unless extended or made permanent by the General Assembly,” the page says, the exemption “remains $50,000 for future tax years.”
The standard program, in the Auditor’s words, “exempts the first $50,000 of value for your home from all property taxes.” That wording matters for the new amount. The $75,000 is a bigger slice of value taken off the top of the assessment, not a rebate check and not a cap on the bill…