South Carolina H 4594: Judicial office

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4594 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 17, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4594

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS 
BY ADDING SECTION 12-6-3830 SO AS TO ALLOW AN INCOME TAX CREDIT FOR A TIMBER 
CASUALTY LOSS IN A FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTER AREA RESULTING FROM HURRICANE 
HELENE; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 12-6-1140, RELATING TO DEDUCTIONS FROM 
INDIVIDUAL TAXABLE INCOME SO AS TO ALLOW A DEDUCTION FOR PAYMENTS RECEIVED FROM 
CERTAIN DISASTER RELIEF AGENCIES RESULTING FROM HURRICANE HELENE.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Article 25, Chapter 6, Title 
12 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 Section 
12-6-3830. (A)(1) A taxpayer is 
allowed an income tax credit in an amount equal to one hundred percent of the 
taxpayer's timber casualty loss in a federally declared disaster area from 
Hurricane Helene which struck in September 2024. The credit amount shall not 
exceed the number of the taxpayer's affected acres of eligible timber property 
in the disaster areas multiplied by five hundred fifty dollars. Any unused 
credit may be carried forward for the next five tax years.

 (2) Notwithstanding item (1), the 
maximum aggregate credit for all taxpayers in all tax years may not exceed 
twenty-five million dollars. The credit is allowed on a first-come, first-served 
basis.

 (B) The department, in consultation 
with the State Forestry Commission, shall establish an application process 
whereby a taxpayer may apply for the credit. The application process must 
include a requirement for a certification by the property owner and a registered 
forester that the timber casualty loss qualifies. The department may not 
approve any credit that exceeds the maximum aggregate amount set forth in 
subsection (A)(2).

 (C) The State Forestry Commission 
shall establish criteria for determining whether timber property is damaged or 
destroyed to qualify as a timber casualty loss under this section. In 
establishing such criteria, the commission may consider, but is not limited to, 
the following:

 (1) the average damage sustained 
throughout the timber property;

 (2) whether the timber property has 
adequate remaining trees per acre to maintain viable timber property; and

 (3) the risk of insect disease damage 
to the timber property as a result of the disaster.

 (D) The State Forestry Commission is 
authorized to conduct audits of timber property for compliance with this 
section at the request of the Department of Revenue.

SECTION 2. Section 12-6-1140 of the S.C. 
Code is amended by adding:

 (15) to the extent such income is included in federal taxable income, 
payments received resulting from Hurricane Helene which struck in September 
2024, from a federal disaster relief, assistance grant program administered by 
this State or political divisions thereof, or the United States Department of 
Agriculture, if the payment or grant was established to specifically address 
agricultural losses suffered in a federally declared disaster area.

SECTION 
3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor. This act is repealed 
on January 1, 2029, and does not apply to tax year 2029 or thereafter, except 
that any credit carried forward pursuant to Section 12-6-3830, as added by this 
act, shall continue to be carried forward until the applicable five tax years 
have expired..

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This web page was last updated on December 17, 2025 at 01:05 PM