South Carolina H 4745: Unemployment insurance tax rate benefit ratio lookback period

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4745 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 17, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4745

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 AMENDING 
SECTION 41-31-5, RELATING TO THE CALCULATION OF THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE TAX 
RATE BENEFIT RATIO, SO AS TO LENGTHEN THE LOOKBACK PERIOD TO COMPUTE THE 
BENEFIT RATIO BY EXPANDING TO FOUR YEARS IN 2027 AND FIVE YEARS IN 2028.

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

SECTION 1. Section 41-31-5(1) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 (1) "Benefit ratio" means:

 (a) 
for the period of January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2013, the number 
calculated by dividing the sum of all benefits charged to an employer during 
the forty calendar quarters immediately preceding the calculation date by the 
sum of the employer's taxable payroll for the same period. If fewer than forty 
but more than one calendar quarter of data are available, the data from those 
available calendar quarters shall be used in the calculation. The benefit ratio 
must be calculated annually using data for quarters filed through June 
thirtieth of the current year to the sixth decimal place;

 (b) 
from January 1, 2014, through tax year 2026, the 
number calculated by dividing the sum of all benefits charged to an employer 
during the twelve calendar quarters immediately preceding the calculation date 
by the sum of the employer's taxable payroll for the same period. If fewer than 
twelve but more than one calendar quarters of data are available, the data from 
those available calendar quarters shall be used in the calculation. The benefit 
ratio must be calculated annually using data for quarters filed through June 
thirtieth of the current year to the sixth decimal place.;

 (c) for tax year 2027, the number 
calculated by dividing the sum of all benefits charged to an employer during 
the sixteen calendar quarters immediately preceding the calculation date by the 
sum of the employer's taxable payroll for the same period. If fewer than 
sixteen but more than one calendar quarters of data are available, the data 
from those available calendar quarters shall be used in the calculation. The 
benefit ratio must be calculated annually using data for quarters filed through 
June thirtieth of the current year to the sixth decimal place;

 (d) from tax year 2028, the number 
calculated by dividing the sum of all benefits charged to an employer during 
the twenty calendar quarters immediately preceding the calculation date by the 
sum of the employer's taxable payroll for the same period. If fewer than twenty 
but more than one calendar quarters of data are available, the data from those 
available calendar quarters shall be used in the calculation. The benefit ratio 
must be calculated annually using data for quarters filed through June thirtieth 
of the current year to the sixth decimal place.

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on December 17, 2025 at 01:46 PM