Active duty military exemption benefits on Motor Vehicle renewals

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For members of the military who are active duty, claim their home of record in a state other than South Carolina, and are currently stationed in South Carolina, personal property exemption benefits are available for motor vehicles. If you are active duty and recently received a renewal tax bill for your vehicle, our office will need the following:

  • A Leave and Earning Statement (LES) for the same month the bill is due, or up to 2 months prior
  • If a co-owner is listed, the front and back of their dependent military ID if they are a dependent (expired IDs not accepted), or their respective LES if they are active duty

The requested documentation can be submitted to our office by using the request ticket form linked at the bottom of this article. Once received, we will provide you a blue personal property tax waiver to present to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to renew your decal and registration. Please be aware that every other year, DMV charges a “renewal” fee that we cannot exempt. The fee can either be paid with the Beaufort County Treasurer’s office at 843-341-8404, or through DMV directly to update your decal and registration.

However, if a non-dependent or non-active duty member is listed as a co-owner on the vehicle registration, you may be entitled to a half military exemption instead of the full exemption, and a partial amount of the vehicle bill would need to be paid with the Beaufort County Treasurer’s office to update your decal and registration. You will also receive a paid tax receipt from the Treasurer in place of a waiver.

For any other questions regarding vehicle renewals, you will need to contact DMV at either 803-896-5000 (Columbia), 843-379-8822 (Beaufort) or 843-815-6981 (Bluffton).

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