South Carolina Minimum Wage Calculator

💡 South Carolina Wage Law Essentials

• Standard Minimum Rate: South Carolina does not establish a separate state minimum wage. Employers fall under the jurisdiction of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), baseline $7.25/hour.
• Municipal Preemption: Under S.C. Code Ann. § 6-1-130, local counties and municipalities (e.g., Charleston, Columbia, Greenville) are legally prohibited from passing local minimum wage ordinances.
• Tipped Minimum Cash Wage: Employers may pay a direct cash wage of $2.13/hour and claim up to a $5.12/hour tip credit for employees customarily earning at least $30/month in tips.
• Tip Shortfall Guarantee: If cash pay ($2.13/hr) plus tips average less than $7.25/hr across all weekly hours worked, the employer must cover the entire difference in direct cash pay.
• Youth & Student Rates: Under federal provisions, workers under 20 years of age may be paid a training rate of $4.25/hour for their initial 90 consecutive calendar days. Full-time students may receive 85% ($6.16/hour).
• Overtime Compensation: Non-exempt hours exceeding 40 per workweek must be paid at 1.5× regular pay. For tipped workers, the direct cash overtime rate is $(1.5 \times \text{Base Minimum Wage}) - \text{Tip Credit} = (1.5 \times \$7.25) - \$5.12 = \$10.875 - \$5.12 = \$5.755 \approx \$5.76/\text{hour}$.