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Reference · State of South Carolina

South Carolina trade labor costs

What a plumbing, HVAC or electrical tech earns in South Carolina, what the state adds to payroll, whether labor is taxed, what a license costs, how lien rights work and when the heating and cooling seasons peak — each figure from the agency that sets it, with the date we read it.

  • Wages BLS OEWS May 2025
  • Payroll and licenses state agencies
  • Checked and
Plumbing median
$25.93/h−15.5% vs the U.S.47th of 51
HVAC median
$27.22/h−7.2% vs the U.S.42nd of 51
Electrical median
$28.24/h−7.0% vs the U.S.44th of 51
New-employer SUTA
1.06%on the first $14,000
Payroll programs
Noneno paid-leave or disability program found
Sales tax on labor
Not taxedrepair and installation on buildings

Pay in South Carolina

Hourly pay across all industries, May 2025. Half of the workers in each trade earn less than the median and half earn more; one in ten earns less than the 10th percentile. Union and non-union, no self-employed.

Hourly pay, 10th to 90th percentileDrawn to scale: one dollar axis for all three trades

  • PlumbingU.S. median $30.67

    plumbers: 10th percentile $18.11, 25th $22.31, median $25.93, 75th $30.77, 90th $36.44 an hour; U.S. median $30.67.

  • HVACU.S. median $29.33

    HVAC techs: 10th percentile $18.83, 25th $22.39, median $27.22, 75th $30.28, 90th $36.31 an hour; U.S. median $29.33.

  • ElectricalU.S. median $30.38

    electricians: 10th percentile $21.31, 25th $23.03, median $28.24, 75th $31.82, 90th $37.41 an hour; U.S. median $30.38.

  • 25th–75th percentile
  • State median
  • U.S. median
Hourly pay by percentile for plumbers, HVAC techs and electricians in South Carolina, BLS OEWS May 2025
PercentilePlumbingHVACElectrical
10th$18.11$18.83$21.31
25th$22.31$22.39$23.03
Median$25.93$27.22$28.24
75th$30.77$30.28$31.82
90th$36.44$36.31$37.41
Mean$26.87$27.14$28.38
U.S. median$30.67$29.33$30.38
vs U.S.−15.5%−7.2%−7.0%
Rank47th42nd44th
Jobs5,7706,9208,010

Dollars an hour. BLS occupations: Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152); Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021); Electricians (SOC 47-2111). “vs U.S.” compares the medians; rank 1 is the highest median of the 50 states and DC. Released May 15, 2026; the next survey is due each spring.

Payroll costs the state adds

What South Carolina charges an employer on top of wages: unemployment tax, and any paid-leave or disability program funded through payroll, and who must carry workers’ comp. Federal Social Security, Medicare and unemployment tax apply in every state and are already in the calculator. Workers’ comp premiums depend on the class code and the insurer, so the card gives the rules, not a rate.

State unemployment tax (SUTA)

South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW)

Wage base
$14,000 per employee a year
New-employer rate
1.06%total effective rate, including the 0.06% administrative contingency assessment
Construction
No separate rate published

South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, 2026 tax rate table: new employers (rate class 30) pay a total effective rate of 1.060%: the 1.000% base rate (DOL’s figure) plus the 0.060% Departmental Administrative Contingency Assessment. There is no solvency surcharge for 2026. This site uses the total.

Charged with it

Per tech, a year 1.06% × $14,000 = $148At the new-employer rate, for a plumber paid the state median ($25.93 × 2,080 h = $53,934). The calculator uses the rate alone.

State pages read

Workers’ compensation

South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission

Who must carry it
4 employees or moreBusinesses that regularly employ four or more employees in South Carolina must carry workers’ comp, and the Commission counts part-time workers and family members. An employer with fewer than four regular employees, or with less than $3,000 in total payroll the previous calendar year, is exempt (S.C. Code §42-1-360(2)) but may elect coverage by written notice to the Commission (§42-1-380). wcc.sc.gov · scstatehouse.gov
Where to buy it
Private insurersAn employer must insure with an authorized insurer (including a mutual association formed by a group of employers) or prove to the Commission its financial ability to pay benefits directly as a self-insurer (S.C. Code §42-5-20). scstatehouse.gov
Owners
A sole proprietor or partner actively running a business whose employees are covered may elect to be included under the business’s coverage by notifying the insurer (S.C. Code §42-1-130). scstatehouse.gov
Construction
A contractor who hires a subcontractor for part of work that is its own trade is liable for compensation to the sub’s workers as if it employed them directly (S.C. Code §42-1-400). If the higher-tier contractor collected the sub’s proof of insurance on a Commission-approved form when it hired the sub and the sub turns out to be uninsured, the contractor pays benefits first but can have the claim moved to the Uninsured Employers’ Fund and be reimbursed (§42-1-415); the Commission says whether a sub with fewer than four employees must carry coverage is decided case by case. scstatehouse.gov

Statute and agency pages read

Paid leave and disability insurance

We found no state paid family and medical leave or temporary disability insurance program funded through payroll in South Carolina on October 28, 2026. State paid sick leave rules, where they exist, are not covered here.

New-employer rates usually last one to three years — longer in some states (four years in Indiana, four to five in D.C.); then the state assigns your own rate, and your rate notice wins over any figure here. The calculator below uses the new-employer rate where one is clear. Where a state’s own pages could not be read, the card says so and gives the U.S. Labor Department’s figure.

What a shop in South Carolina needs to charge

The calculator’s example shop — three techs, $120,000 of overhead, a truck each, 10% net profit — with South Carolina’s median wage for each trade and its unemployment tax filled in. Your own numbers will differ; change them in the calculator below.

Example shopBreak-evenRate, 10% profit
Plumbingwage $25.93$102.43$113.81→ $115
HVACwage $27.22$105.20$116.89→ $120
Electricalwage $28.24$107.39$119.32→ $120

Per billable hour; → is the rate rounded up, as the calculator rounds it. Everything except the wage and the unemployment tax is the national example (BLS, IRS and DOL figures listed on the labor rate calculator).

Change the numbers for your shop

The labor rate calculator, opened on South Carolina: pick your trade, put in your own crew, pay and overhead, and the rate and break-even redraw as you type.

Your labor rate

Who does the billable work?

Example shop in South Carolina: 3 techs at the state’s median plumber wage, $120,000 overhead. Change any number or pick another state.

Charge at least Example shop · South Carolina

Charge at least $113.81 per billable hour; break-even $102.43.

Round up to $115 (+$1.19)

See it drawn to scale
Rate build-upDrawn to scale: every dollar the same height
Rate build-up for the example, drawn to scaleColumn from $0 to $113.81 per billable hour, drawn to scale: wage $44.32, taxes & benefits $11.49, overhead $32.87, truck $13.74, profit 10% $11.38. Break-even line at $102.43. Rounded up to $115.12345$0Labor$55.82Break-even$102.43Your rate$113.81Round up to$115
  1. Wage$53,934.40 ÷ 1,216.8 h$44.32
  2. Taxes & benefits25.92% of pay$11.49
  3. Overhead$120,000 ÷ 3,650.4 h$32.87
  4. Truck$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h$13.74
  5. Profit 10%of the price$11.38
Break-even
$102.43
Profit per hour
$11.38
Revenue a year
$415,450

$102.43 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $113.81rounded up to $115

Already showing the example.

Price your tasks at $115 an hourOpens the price book builder with this rate.

Billable hours
1,216.8per tech a year
Loaded wage
$32.65per paid hour
Labor
$55.82per billable hour
Overhead
$32.87per billable hour
Truck
$13.74per billable hour
Labor burden
25.92%over gross pay

What moves your rate

  • Every billable hour sold under $102.43 loses money.
  • At 70% billable instead of 65%, break-even drops to $95.11, $7.32 an hour less.
  • Cut $10,000 of overhead a year and break-even drops $2.74 an hour, to $99.69.
Show the math
  1. Worked hours2,080 h − 26 days × 8 h = 1,872 h
  2. Billable hours per tech1,872 h × 65% = 1,216.8 h
  3. Gross pay per tech$25.93 × 2,080 h = $53,934.40
  4. Employer taxes and comp$3,343.93 SS + $782.05 Medicare + $42.00 FUTA + $148.40 SUTA + $1,440.05 comp = $5,756.43
  5. Benefits$53,934.40 × 15.25% = $8,225.00
  6. Labor per billable hour$67,915.83 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $55.82
  7. Overhead per billable hour$120,000 ÷ (3 × 1,216.8 h) = $32.87
  8. Truck per billable hour$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $13.74
  9. Break-even$55.82 + $32.87 + $13.74 = $102.43
  10. Rate at 10% profit$102.43 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $113.81

Change the numbers

State and trade
Trade

Fills the wage and state unemployment tax (SUTA). Workers’ comp and everything else stay as they are.

Filled for South Carolina3 figures
Wage Plumbing
$25.93/hr
South Carolina median for plumbers · BLS OEWS May 2025
SUTA rate New employer
1.06%
New-employer rate (total effective rate, including the 0.06% administrative contingency assessment); no separate construction rate found · South Carolina DEW, 2026 (state agency override)
SUTA wage base Per tech
$14,000
South Carolina · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026

Your own rate notice wins. These are new-employer rates: after one to three years the state sets your own, and construction employers often pay a different rate.

South Carolina: pay, payroll taxes and licensesSee all 50 states and DC
South Carolina: the fine print

South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, 2026 tax rate table: new employers (rate class 30) pay a total effective rate of 1.060%: the 1.000% base rate (DOL’s figure) plus the 0.060% Departmental Administrative Contingency Assessment. There is no solvency surcharge for 2026. This site uses the total.

Crew and pay

People who bill hours. Office staff go in overhead.

Average base pay. Filled: South Carolina median for plumbers, BLS OEWS May 2025.

Hours and time off2,080 h · 26 days off

40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080.

Holidays, vacation and sick days, 8 h each. Example: 8 + 11 + 7 (BLS).

Optional. Paid at 1.5 × the wage. Leave 0 if none.

Billable time

Share of worked hours that ends up on invoices. Published figures run from 30% to 65%.

Billable hours1,216.8 hper tech · 3,650.4 h for the shop
Payroll taxes and benefits+25.92% of pay

Filled: South Carolina new-employer rate, South Carolina DEW, 2026 (state agency override). Your notice wins.

Pay per tech the rate applies to. Filled: South Carolina, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026.

Use the rate on your policy. Example: BLS construction average.

Health, retirement and other benefits. Example: BLS construction average.

Loaded wage$32.65per paid hour · burden 25.92%

Included automatically (IRS, tax year 2026): Social Security 6.2% of pay up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, federal unemployment (FUTA) 0.6% of the first $7,000.

Shop costs

An example figure. Everything except field pay and trucks — split it in the worksheet below.

Payments, fuel, insurance and upkeep. Enter 0 if trucks are already in overhead.

Profit

Profit as a share of the price, not a markup on cost.

Your rate: $113.81 per billable hour · break-even $102.43. Back to the result

Sales tax on your work

What South Carolina’s tax agency says about repair and installation labor on buildings and the parts and fixtures that go into them. This is what the agency’s pages say, not tax advice.

Labor
Not taxedA contractor making repairs, alterations or additions to real property provides a service and pays tax on its materials as the consumer.A retailer that sells and installs goods collects tax on the goods, but reasonable installation labor stated separately on the bill isn’t taxed. Whether a business is a retailer or a contractor depends on the facts.
Materials
Contractor, when buyingContractors pay sales or use tax when buying building materials, plumbing and electrical fixtures, pipe, and heating and air conditioning systems included.

Read October 24, 2026 on the agency pages listed under Sources. All 50 states and DC side by side.

Licenses and state fees

The license a shop needs from the state to contract for each trade, the board that issues it and the fees on its own schedule. Cities and counties can add their own licenses, registrations and permit fees; exam vendors and fingerprinting may charge more.

Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical

State license

South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (SC LLR) - commercial; South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (SC LLR) - residential

  • Plumbing Mechanical Contractor license - Plumbing classification (CLB); Residential Specialty Contractor license - Plumber (RBC)
  • HVAC Mechanical Contractor license - Air Conditioning, Heating or Packaged Equipment classification (CLB); Residential Specialty Contractor license - Heating and Air (RBC)
  • Electrical Mechanical Contractor license - Electrical classification (CLB); Residential Specialty Contractor license - Electrician (RBC)

Commercial: anyone performing or offering mechanical contracting work over $10,000 total cost needs a CLB license (S.C. Code 40-11-30). Residential: plumbers, electricians and HVAC installers working as residential specialty contractors (over $500) need an RBC specialty license.

FeeAmount
Mechanical contractor initial license fee (CLB)one-time (license expires October 31 of odd-numbered years)$350
Residential specialty contractor(electrical, heating and air, plumbing) application (RBC)one-time$135
Residential specialty contractor license fee (RBC)initial license$220
Mechanical contractor biennial renewal (CLB, on time)2 years$135
Residential specialty contractor renewal fee (RBC)per renewal cycle$220

Commercial (CLB) license is needed above $10,000 total cost of construction; the qualifying party must pass PSI technical and S.C. Business Management and Law exams (exam fees paid to PSI, amounts not on the board pages). Residential specialty license fees are from S.C. Reg. 10-38(B); the residential renewal-cycle length for specialty licenses was not stated on the pages.

Keeping the license

Renewal
PlumbingA CLB mechanical contractor license (plumbing classification) renews every two years and expires October 31 of odd-numbered years. An RBC residential plumber license also renews every two years, by June 30 of each odd year. llr.sc.govHVACA CLB mechanical contractor license (air conditioning, heating, packaged equipment classifications) renews every two years and expires October 31 of odd-numbered years. An RBC residential HVAC license also renews every two years, by June 30 of each odd year. llr.sc.govElectricalA CLB mechanical contractor license (electrical classification) renews every two years and expires October 31 of odd-numbered years. An RBC residential electrical license also renews every two years, by June 30 of each odd year. llr.sc.gov
Continuing ed.
PlumbingNo continuing education is required to renew a CLB mechanical contractor license or an RBC residential plumber license: chapter 40-11 has no CE rule, and 40-59-230(B) only lets the commission require CE by regulation, which its chapter 106 regulations do not do. scstatehouse.gov · llr.sc.govHVACNo continuing education is required to renew a CLB mechanical contractor license or an RBC residential HVAC license: chapter 40-11 has no CE rule, and the RBC’s chapter 106 regulations set none. scstatehouse.gov · llr.sc.govElectricalNo continuing education is required to renew a CLB mechanical contractor license or an RBC residential electrical license: chapter 40-11 has no CE rule, and the RBC’s chapter 106 regulations set none. scstatehouse.gov · llr.sc.gov
Reciprocity
PlumbingThe CLB waives the technical plumbing exam for a license obtained by exam in North Carolina (Plumbing, Class 1), Ohio (Plumbing) or Tennessee (CMC/Mechanical, CMC-A); the RBC waives the residential plumber technical exam for Mississippi and North Carolina licenses held by exam for at least a year. The SC business and law exam is still required. llr.sc.govHVACThe CLB waives the technical HVAC exam for licenses obtained by exam in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio (packaged equipment), Tennessee, Texas and Utah (Utah only for exams passed before May 2017); Georgia no longer accepts SC applicants in return. The RBC waives the residential HVAC technical exam for Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina licenses. llr.sc.govElectricalThe CLB waives the technical electrical exam for licenses obtained by exam in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Utah (exams before May 2017), for Reading, Pennsylvania, and for any state giving the NASCLA electrical exam. The RBC waives the residential electrical technical exam for North Carolina and Mississippi licenses or a NASCLA residential electrical exam passed within 3 years. llr.sc.gov

Sources read

Beyond the trade license

Contractor registration, bond and insurance the state asks of a trade shop

Registration
In South Carolina the trade license is itself a contractor license from SC LLR, and there is no separate general registration on top of it. Commercial plumbing, HVAC and electrical work over $10,000 needs a Contractor’s Licensing Board mechanical contractor license (S.C. Code 40-11-30); residential plumbing, HVAC or electrical work over $500 needs a Residential Builders Commission residential specialty contractor license (40-59-10(7)). scstatehouse.gov · llr.sc.gov
Bond
$10,000A residential specialty plumber, electrician or HVAC contractor (RBC) must file a surety bond of at least $10,000 to take jobs over $5,000 (labor and materials together); the bond is in the licensee’s own name. A commercial mechanical contractor (CLB) must show a financial statement or post a surety bond equal to its group’s net worth: Group 1 $7,000 (jobs up to $35,000), Group 2 $15,000, Group 3 $30,000, Group 4 $60,000, Group 5 $300,000 (S.C. Code 40-11-262). scstatehouse.gov · llr.sc.gov
Insurance
Neither the Contractor’s Licensing Act (S.C. Code ch. 40-11) nor the Residential Builders Act (ch. 40-59) and its regulations (ch. 106) require liability insurance to get or renew a mechanical contractor or residential specialty license; the CLB uses a financial statement or surety bond instead. scstatehouse.gov · llr.sc.gov

Board and statute pages read

State or city license?

State and local Who licenses the trades in South Carolina

Plumbing, HVAC and electrical contractors are licensed by the state (CLB and RBC), but S.C. Code 40-59-240(C) lets a county or city also examine and license residential specialty contractors (no second exam if the RBC exam was passed) and require local business licenses. For example, the City of Tega Cay’s ordinance requires a state license or other certification for these trades plus a city business license. scstatehouse.gov · tegacaysc.org

State and city pages read

What South Carolina law says about lien rights on private jobs — the notices, the deadline to file and the deadline to sue — and whether a statute sets payment deadlines or caps retainage. Read from the statute itself; it is not legal advice.

Mechanic’s lien

S.C. Code Ann. Title 29, Chapter 5Mechanics’ Liens

You, hired by the owner
No notice to startA contractor in direct contract with the owner has no required pre-lien notice; it may file a notice of project commencement within 15 days after work starts (§ 29-5-23), which makes the sub-sub and supplier notice-of-furnishing rules apply on that job. scstatehouse.gov
Subs and suppliers
Notice requiredA sub or supplier hired by someone other than the owner gets a lien against the owner when it notifies the owner in writing of the labor or materials furnished and their value, capped at what the owner still owes on the contract (§ 29-5-40). Where a notice of project commencement was filed, a sub-sub or supplier to a sub must mail a notice of furnishing to the contractor by certified or registered mail, or its lien cannot exceed what the contractor owes its sub (§ 29-5-20(B)). scstatehouse.gov
File the lien
90 daysWithin 90 days after you stop furnishing labor or materials, serve the owner (or the person in possession) and file with the register of deeds or clerk of court a sworn statement of the amount due and a property description (§ 29-5-90); subs have the same deadline. scstatehouse.gov
Enforce it
6 monthsSue to enforce the lien and file a notice of pendency of the action within 6 months after you stop furnishing labor or materials, or the lien is dissolved (§ 29-5-120). scstatehouse.gov

Statutes read

Payment deadlines and retainage

Private jobs (public contracts have their own rules)

Prompt payment
Statute sets deadlinesS.C. Code § 29-6-30 requires the owner to pay the undisputed amount of a pay request within 21 days after receiving it, and a contractor to pay its subs within 7 days after it is paid; late payments carry 1% per month interest, but only if the party charged was told about § 29-6-50 when payment was requested. The chapter does not apply to residential homebuilders, residential projects of 16 or fewer units, or private owners whose improvements are not financed by a non-owner (§ 29-6-60). scstatehouse.gov
Retainage
South Carolina sets no percentage cap or release deadline for private-job retainage; § 29-6-40 only lets the owner, contractor or sub withhold “a reasonable amount for retainage.” scstatehouse.gov

Statutes read

Heating and cooling season in South Carolina

Degree days, NOAA’s index of the energy it takes to heat or cool a building: each degree a day’s mean temperature falls below 65 °F is one heating degree day, each degree above is one cooling degree day. Thirty-year normals for Charleston airport, month by month.

Heating degree days
1,844
Cooling degree days
2,435
Nights ≤ 32 °F
22
Days ≥ 90 °F
64
Normal heating and cooling degree days (base 65 °F) and freezing nights by month at Charleston airport, NOAA 1991–2020 normals
MonthHeatingCoolingNights ≤ 32 °F
Jan48349
Feb35274
Mar227312
Apr7599–
May9266–
Jun0434–
Jul0542–
Aug0510–
Sep2357–
Oct56143–
Nov234321
Dec40896

Cooling carries the load at Charleston airport: 2,435 cooling degree days a year against 1,844 heating degree days, peaking in July (542).

The lightest months for heating and cooling together are April and October (173 and 200 degree days).

Nights at or below 32 °F: about 22 a year. Days reaching 90 °F: about 64 a year, the most in July.

Weighted by where South Carolina’s people live, NOAA’s statewide normals (1981–2010) are 2,745 heating and 1,844 cooling degree days — 42nd for heating and 9th for cooling among the 48 contiguous states (the contiguous U.S.: 4,332 and 1,272).

Station: Charleston airport (USW00013880), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — station file; statewide figures: NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Bars share one scale: the longest is 542 degree days. Read .

Sources

Each page opened on the date shown. License, registration, lien and workers’ comp sources are linked beside each fact above. Figures change: the agency’s own page wins over this one.

  1. May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (state file oesm25st)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  2. Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2025 (news release USDL-26-0725, May 15, 2026)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  3. Public Data API (national OEWS series for the three occupations)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  4. Unemployment insurance tax rates (dew.sc.gov)South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) · read October 28, 2026
  5. Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, Effective July 2026U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance · read October 28, 2026
  6. Sales and Use Tax Manual, Chapter 16: Construction ContractorsSouth Carolina Department of Revenue · September 2025 · read October 24, 2026
  7. Sales and Use Tax Manual, Chapter 23: Frequently Asked QuestionsSouth Carolina Department of Revenue · September 2025 · read October 24, 2026
  8. S.C. Code Ann. Title 29, Chapter 5 — Mechanics’ LiensOfficial state code · read November 4, 2026
  9. Workers’ compensation coverage requirementsSouth Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission · read November 4, 2026
  10. U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Charleston airport (USW00013880)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · read November 4, 2026
  11. Population-weighted daily heating and cooling degree day normals, 1981–2010 (states and CONUS)NOAA National Weather Service, Climate Prediction Center · read November 4, 2026