2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 12 - Taxation › Chapter 6 - South Carolina Income Tax Act › Section 12-6-3795. South Carolina housing tax credit.

(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Eligibility statement" means a statement authorized and issued by the South Carolina State Housing and Finance Development Authority certifying that a given project qualifies for the South Carolina housing tax credit, including any preliminary determination thereof.
(2) "Federal housing tax credit" means the federal tax credit as provided in Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(3) "Median income" means those incomes that are determined by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines and adjusted for family size.
(4) "Project" means a housing project that has restricted rents that do not exceed thirty percent of income for at least forty percent of its units occupied by persons or families having incomes of sixty percent or less of the median income, or at least twenty percent of the units occupied by persons or families having incomes of fifty percent or less of the median income.
(5) "Qualified project" means a qualified low-income building as that term is defined in Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, that is located in South Carolina and receives approval for tax credits from the South Carolina Housing and Finance Development Authority provided pursuant to this section.
(6) "Taxpayer" means a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation of any classification, limited liability company, or association taxable as a business entity that is subject to South Carolina taxes pursuant to Section 12-6-510, Section 12-6-530, Chapter 11, Title 12, or Chapter 7, Title 38.
(7) "Federal 9 percent tax credit" means the federal housing tax credit described in Section 42(b)(1)(B)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(8) "Federal 4 percent tax credit" means the federal housing tax credit described in Section 42(b)(1)(B)(ii) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(9) "Credit period" has the meaning defined in Section 42(f)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(10) "State housing authority" means the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority.
(11) "Department of Revenue" means the South Carolina Department of Revenue.
(B)(1) A state tax credit pursuant to this section may be claimed against income taxes imposed by Section 12-6-510 or 12-6-530, bank taxes imposed pursuant to Chapter 11, Title 12, corporate license fees imposed pursuant to Chapter 20, Title 12, and insurance premium and retaliatory taxes imposed pursuant to Chapter 7, Title 38, to be termed the South Carolina housing tax credit, and is allowed with respect to each qualified project placed in service after January 1, 2020, and before December 31, 2030, in an amount not to exceed the federal housing tax credit allowed with respect to such qualified project, subject to the limitations of item (5). In computing a tax payable by a taxpayer pursuant to Section 38-7-90, the credit allowed pursuant to this section must be treated as a premium tax paid pursuant to Section 38-7-20.
(2)(a) If under Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, a portion of any federal housing tax credit taken on a project is required to be recaptured, the taxpayer claiming any South Carolina housing tax credit with respect to such project also is required to recapture a portion of any South Carolina housing tax credit authorized by this section. The state recapture amount is equal to the proportion of the South Carolina housing tax credit claimed by the taxpayer that equals the proportion the federal recapture amount bears to the original federal housing tax credit amount subject to recapture.
(b) In the event that recapture of any South Carolina housing tax credit is required, any return submitted to the Department of Revenue, as provided in this section, shall include the proportion of the South Carolina housing tax credit required to be recaptured, the identity of each taxpayer subject to the recapture, and the amount of South Carolina housing tax credit previously allocated to such taxpayer. Any recapture of the South Carolina housing tax credit is reported in the same manner as any recapture of the federal housing tax credit.
(3) The total amount of the South Carolina housing tax credit allowed by this section for a taxable year may not exceed the taxpayer's income tax liability. Any unused South Carolina housing tax credit may be carried forward to apply to the taxpayer's next five succeeding years' tax liability. The taxpayer may not apply the credit against any prior tax years' tax liability.
(4) The South Carolina housing tax credit and any recaptured tax credit, must be allocated among some or all of the partners, members, or shareholders of the entity owning the project in any manner agreed to by such persons, regardless of whether such persons are allocated or allowed any portion of the federal housing tax credit with respect to the project.
(5)(a) The South Carolina housing tax credit allowed for any project must supplement but not supplant the federal housing tax credit and must be limited to an amount necessary only to achieve financial feasibility of the project.
(b) The total amount of all South Carolina housing tax credits that may be allocated in any calendar year must not exceed twenty million dollars, plus the total of all unallocated tax credits, if any, for any preceding years, and the total amount of any previously allocated tax credits that have been recaptured, revoked, canceled, or otherwise recovered but not otherwise reallocated.
(c) Of the dollar limitation prescribed in subitem (b), the total amount of South Carolina housing tax credits allocated to qualified projects utilizing the federal 9 percent tax credit must not exceed forty percent of the dollar limitation prescribed in subitem (b). Of the South Carolina housing tax credits allocated to qualified projects utilizing the federal 9 percent tax credit, no less than fifty percent of the South Carolina housing tax credits must be allocated to qualified projects located in an eligible rural area as designated by the United States Department of Agriculture, with the remainder allocated to (i) qualified projects serving older persons or persons with special needs, irrespective of rural eligibility criteria; (ii) qualified projects supporting workforce development as certified by the South Carolina Department of Commerce, irrespective of rural eligibility criteria; and (iii) other qualified projects, irrespective of rural eligibility criteria.
(d) Compliance with the dollar limitations of subitems (b) and (c) must be determined by the total amount of South Carolina housing tax credits allocated for one full year of the credit period applicable to each qualified project, and not the total amount of South Carolina housing tax credits allocated for the entire credit period applicable to each qualified project. Compliance with the dollar limitations of subitems (b) and (c) must be determined within each calendar year at the time the state housing authority makes a preliminary determination of any qualified project's eligibility for the South Carolina housing tax credit.
(e) In addition to the dollar limitation of subitem (b), allocation of any South Carolina housing tax credit to any qualified project utilizing the federal 4 percent tax credit is conditioned on among other things availability and allocation to the extent necessary for the qualified project of any state ceiling made pursuant to Article 3, Chapter 11, Title 1.
(C)(1) The state housing authority shall promulgate rules establishing criteria upon which the eligibility statements are issued which must include consideration of evidence of local support for the project. The eligibility statement must specify the amount of the South Carolina housing tax credit allowed, and must include: (i) the annual amount of South Carolina housing tax credit allocated to the qualified project for each year of credit the period; and (ii) the total amount of South Carolina housing tax credit allocated to the qualified project for the entire credit period.
(2) The state housing authority may not issue an eligibility statement until the taxpayer provides a report to the state housing authority detailing how the South Carolina housing tax credit will benefit the tenants of the project, once placed in service, including without limitation, reduced rent, and why the South Carolina housing tax credit is essential to the financial feasibility of the project.
(3) The state housing authority must establish uniform criteria for allocating the South Carolina housing tax credit to eligible projects pursuant to a competitive process that promotes highest value and greatest public benefit. The state housing authority must establish the criteria required by this section as part of any qualified allocation plan adopted to administer the federal housing tax credit, which must include without limitation: (i) written notice by the state housing authority to the county and city within which any project is proposed to be located; (ii) following such notice, an opportunity for public comment on the proposed project at a public hearing conducted by the state housing authority no less than ten business days following notice of such public hearing, notification of which must be made by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county and city within which the proposed project is to be located; and (iii) an opportunity for the county and the city within which the project is proposed to be located to provide comment within no less than ten business days following such public hearing. The criteria established pursuant to this section, and any qualified allocation plan, are subject to the prior review and comment of the Joint Bond Review Committee.
(4) The state housing authority must furnish no later than January thirty-first of each year an annual report of South Carolina housing tax credits allocated pursuant to this section, which must include for the preceding calendar year the total amount of South Carolina housing tax credits allocated, and for each project, the project name and location, the amount of the South Carolina housing tax credits allocated to the project, project ownership, total number of units assisted, and the public benefit achieved by the project. The annual report must be furnished to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, the Joint Bond Review Committee, and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority.
(D) The Department of Revenue, in consultation with the state housing authority, may adopt rules and policies necessary to implement and administer the provisions of this section; provided, however, that the state housing authority has the responsibility for: (i) allocation and administration of the South Carolina housing tax credit; and (ii) ensuring that the limits prescribed by subsection (B)(5)(b) and (c) are not exceeded.
(E) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the provisions of this section and administration thereof are subject to the oversight, and review and comment as appropriate, of the Joint Bond Review Committee.
HISTORY: 2020 Act No. 137 (H.3998), Section 2, eff May 14, 2020; 2022 Act No. 202 (H.5075), Section 1.A, eff May 16, 2022.
Editor's Note
2020 Act No. 137, Sections 1 and 4, provide as follows:
"SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the 'Workforce and Senior Affordable Housing Act'."
"SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and first applies to qualified projects that receive an eligibility statement pursuant to Section 12-6-3795 thereafter."
2022 Act No. 202, Sections 1.B, 1.C, provide as follows:
"[SECTION 1.]B. 1. Notwithstanding the limitations prescribed by Section 12-6-3795(B)(5)(b), (c), and (d) in SECTION 1. A., the General Assembly hereby provides a one-time authorization of South Carolina housing tax credits in an amount necessary but not exceeding one hundred million dollars for qualified projects approved before December 31, 2021, by the State Fiscal Accountability Authority or the South Carolina State Housing and Finance Development Authority, as applicable. Any allocations of South Carolina housing tax credits made pursuant to this provision are subject to the review and comment of the Joint Bond Review Committee. No later than thirty days following enactment hereof, the South Carolina State Housing and Finance Development Authority must identify and report to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, the Joint Bond Review Committee, and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority all qualified projects to which this one-time authorization of South Carolina housing tax credits is proposed to apply. The report must be made in such form and substance as may be directed by the Joint Bond Review Committee. Nothing in this provision grants any rights to, or in the processes used in the determination of, allocation of this one-time authorization of South Carolina housing tax credits. Decisions made pursuant to this provision are final and are not subject to judicial or administrative review.
"2. This subsection B takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
"C. This SECTION takes effect upon approval by the Governor and first applies to tax years beginning after 2021."
2023 Act No. 88, provides as follows:
"Whereas, Act 137 of 2020 amended the South Carolina Code to enact the "Workforce and Senior Affordable Housing Act" by adding Section 12-6-3795 so as to allow a taxpayer eligible for the Federal Housing Tax Credit to claim a South Carolina Housing Tax Credit; and
"Whereas, following the enactment of Act 137 of 2020 and through December 31, 2021, preliminary determinations of eligibility for the South Carolina Housing Tax Credit totaled approximately $100 million annually and approximately $1 billion for the ten-year term of the South Carolina Housing Tax Credit, far exceeding the estimated fiscal impact on the general fund at the time of enactment of approximately $2.1 million annually and $20.6 million for the ten-year term of the South Carolina Housing Tax Credit; and
"Whereas, following study and a determination that the actual fiscal impact of the South Carolina Housing Tax Credit on the general fund was not sustainable, Act 202 of 2022 amended Section 12-6-3795 to, among other things, limit the South Carolina Housing Tax Credit; and
"Whereas, Section 1.B.1 of Act 202 of 2022 provided for a one-time authorization of South Carolina Housing Tax Credits in an amount necessary but not exceeding $100 million dollars to ratify amounts reflected in preliminary determination statements for qualified projects approved before December 31, 2021, with any allocations of South Carolina Housing Tax Credits made pursuant to this provision subject to the review and comment of the Joint Bond Review Committee; and
"Whereas, in accordance with Section 1.B.1 of Act 202, the South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority provided a report to, among others, the Joint Bond Review Committee identifying all qualified projects to which the $100 million one-time authorization provided in Section 1.B.1 of Act 202 of 2022 was proposed to apply; and
"Whereas, on August 23, 2022, the Joint Bond Review Committee determined that the amount of South Carolina Housing Tax Credits applicable to projects qualified for the one-time authorization provided pursuant to Section 1.B.1 of Act 202 of 2022 was $87,110,848; and
"Whereas, it has been asserted that escalations in costs of construction and materials, increases in interest rates, and other factors have negatively impacted the financial feasibility of certain projects to the extent that such projects face a threat that they cannot be completed in the absence of supplemental funding; and
"Whereas, there remains available $12,889,152 in South Carolina Housing Tax Credits pursuant to the one-time authorization provided in Section 1.B.1 of Act 202 of 2022; and
"Whereas, there remains available for the tax year ending December 31, 2023, a total of $16,916,877 in South Carolina Housing Tax Credits, comprised of the amounts of $6,726,825 and $10,190,052 for allocation pursuant to Section 12-6-3795 to qualified projects utilizing the federal four percent tax credit and the federal nine percent tax credit, respectively; and
"Whereas, there is available no less than $25 million in undesignated funding held in the South Carolina Housing Trust Fund established pursuant to Article 4, Chapter 13, Title 31 of the South Carolina Code. Now, therefore,
"Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
"SECTION 1. The General Assembly hereby provides a one-time authorization of South Carolina Housing Tax Credits pursuant to and for the purposes described in this joint resolution in an amount necessary but not exceeding $29,806,029, comprised of $12,889,152 remaining available from the one-time authorization of South Carolina Housing Tax Credits provided in Section 1.B.1 of Act 202 of 2022, and a total of $16,916,877 remaining available for allocations for the tax year ending December 31, 2023, pursuant to Section 12-6-3795. In addition to the foregoing, the General Assembly hereby authorizes pursuant to and for the purposes described in this joint resolution an amount necessary but not exceeding $25,000,000 from the undesignated balance held in the South Carolina Housing Trust Fund established pursuant to Article 4, Chapter 13, Title 31 of the South Carolina Code, as nonrecurring, one-time funding, and not as South Carolina Housing Tax Credits. No later than June 30, 2023, the State Housing Finance and Development Authority must develop a plan to allocate the South Carolina Housing Tax Credits and nonrecurring, one-time funding made available pursuant to this joint resolution as supplemental financial support to certain multifamily housing projects that had by March 31, 2023, received a tentative allocation of South Carolina Housing Tax Credits pursuant to Act 202 of 2022. The plan, and any project allocations proposed thereunder, must be submitted to the Joint Bond Review Committee for review and comment prior to awarding any South Carolina Housing Tax Credits or nonrecurring, one-time funding made available pursuant to this joint resolution.
"SECTION 2. The plan must be provided in such form and substance as the Joint Bond Review Committee may prescribe, and must include for each project, the project name and location; the amount of any South Carolina Housing Tax Credits, state ceiling, or both, previously allocated to the project; project ownership; the total number of units assisted; any supplemental South Carolina Housing Tax Credits or nonrecurring, one-time funding proposed to be made available to the project pursuant to this joint resolution; and any supplemental amount of state ceiling, if any, proposed for allocation to the project. The plan must further include for each project a disclosure of every affiliate or other related legal entity having a direct or beneficial interest in the development of the project.
"SECTION 3. Any supplemental South Carolina Housing Tax Credits or nonrecurring, one-time funding made available pursuant to this joint resolution must be limited to the amount necessary to provide supplemental financial support to projects that (1) are under construction; and (2) have demonstrated independently verified costs exceeding original estimates as a consequence of escalations in costs of construction and materials, increases in interest rates, and such other extenuating factors as may be recommended by the State Housing Finance and Development Authority, subject to the review and comment of the Joint Bond Review Committee; provided, however, that no single project may receive an allocation of more than the lesser of (1) the actual amount of South Carolina Housing Tax Credits and nonrecurring, one-time funding made available pursuant to this joint resolution necessary to achieve financial feasibility of the project based on the independently verified costs exceeding the original estimate for the project; or (2) twenty percent of the South Carolina Housing Tax Credit reflected on the eligibility statement, as defined in Section 12-6-3795(A)(1), previously furnished for the project by the State Housing Finance and Development Authority; further provided, however, that the State Housing Finance and Development Authority may recommend, subject to the review of the Joint Bond Review Committee, a de minimus adjustment not exceeding five percent beyond the limitations of this SECTION to promote financial feasibility of the project in marginal circumstances. Project sponsors must have requested consideration of and provided justification for any costs in excess of original estimates to the State Housing Finance and Development Authority no later than March 31, 2023.
"SECTION 4. The plan must conform with such provisions of the Qualified Allocation Plan and the State Ceiling Allocation Plan as the State Housing Finance and Development Authority may recommend to be applicable to any supplemental South Carolina Housing Tax Credits or nonrecurring, one-time funding made available pursuant to this joint resolution; provided, however, that priority must be given to projects with highest rates of completion and earliest dates that the projects are expected to be placed in service.
"SECTION 5. Nothing in this joint resolution grants any rights to, or in the processes used in, the determination of any South Carolina Housing Tax Credits or nonrecurring, one-time funding made available pursuant to this joint resolution.
"SECTION 6. The State Housing Finance and Development Authority may require, as a condition of any supplemental South Carolina Housing Tax Credits or nonrecurring, one-time funding made available pursuant to the plan required by SECTION 1 and this joint resolution, an agreement from the project sponsor that the South Carolina Housing Tax Credits and any nonrecurring, one-time funding allocated to the project are deemed final, without recourse.
"SECTION 7. Any unallocated South Carolina Housing Tax Credits and nonrecurring, one-time funding made available pursuant to this joint resolution may be carried forward for allocation beyond the current tax year ending December 31, 2023, provided the unallocated South Carolina Housing Tax Credits and nonrecurring, one-time funding are limited to the purposes and subject to the provisions of this joint resolution.
"SECTION 8. The allocation requirements of Section 12-6-3795(B)(5)(c) are suspended for the tax year ending December 31, 2023.
"SECTION 9. The provisions of Article 4, Chapter 13, Title 31 of the South Carolina Code are suspended in the amount of $25 million for the tax year ending December 31, 2023, and beyond December 31, 2023, but only to the extent of any amounts carried forward pursuant to SECTION 7 of this joint resolution.
"SECTION 10. In addition to the other amounts made available by this joint resolution, the General Assembly hereby authorizes the State Housing Finance and Development Authority to allocate an amount necessary but not exceeding fifty percent of the federal low-income housing tax credit allocated to this State for the tax year ending December 31, 2023, as supplemental financial support to certain multifamily housing projects utilizing federal nine percent tax credits as defined in Section 12-6-3795(A)(7) that had by March 31, 2023, requested consideration of and provided justification for any costs in excess of original estimates to the State Housing Finance and Development Authority. Any allocations of federal tax credits made pursuant to this SECTION must be included and coordinated within the plan required pursuant to SECTION 1, and are subject to, without limitation, the same requirements, determinations, limitations, and other provisions as are applicable to the State Housing Tax Credits included in SECTIONS 1 through 7 of this joint resolution.
"SECTION 11. This joint resolution takes effect upon approval by the Governor."
Effect of Amendment
2022 Act No. 202, Section 1.A, rewrote the section, providing a one-time authorization of South Carolina housing tax credits for certain projects approved before 2022.