Ready to file in South Carolina?
The articles of organization prepared and filed for you, the state fee shown on its own line before you pay, and the approved copy emailed.
File your South Carolina LLCat america-llc-filing.com, or start on Standard Filings
What registering an LLC in South Carolina means
South Carolina keeps the register of companies formed under its law. Your LLC is on it the moment the South Carolina Secretary of State files Articles of Organization. From that day the company can open a bank account, sign contracts and be sued in its own name rather than yours. The registration does not include a federal tax number, a South Carolina tax account or a local business license; those come after and are separate registrations with other offices.
People use "register", "form" and "file" for the same act. In South Carolina the act is one document, Articles of Organization, and one fee, $110. The step-by-step for everything around it, from the operating agreement to the bank account, is in how to start an LLC in South Carolina; this page is about the registration itself.
- South Carolina
- Articles of Organization
- South Carolina
- The South Carolina Secretary of State (businessfilings.sc.gov)
- South Carolina
- $110
- South Carolina
- Required; South Carolina street address
- South Carolina
- Not published by the state
- South Carolina
- Not published
- South Carolina
- None for LLCs
What it costs to register an LLC in South Carolina
The filing fee is set by South Carolina and is the same whether you file it yourself or a service files it for you. South Carolina charges $110 for the Articles of Organization.
- Amount
- $110
- Notes
- Paid once, to the state
- Amount
- Not published
- Amount
- None for LLCs
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices. Yearly costs, the five-year total and how South Carolina compares are in South Carolina LLC cost.
Step 1: Confirm South Carolina is the state to register in
Register where the company will actually operate. An LLC that does business in South Carolina but registers elsewhere has to register in South Carolina anyway, as a foreign LLC, and pay two states.
Wyoming, Delaware and Nevada come up because of privacy, case law or taxes. They make sense for a holding company or a business with no fixed location. A company that operates in South Carolina and registers somewhere else ends up registered in both. The comparison is in cheapest states to form an LLC.
Step 2: Clear the name with South Carolina
South Carolina requires a name distinguishable from every company on its records, with an LLC designator. Search the state's business records at businessfilings.sc.gov before you file.
Rules on designators, restricted words and the distinguishability test are in LLC name rules. A rejection for a name conflict costs days and, in some states, a second fee.
Step 3: Name a South Carolina registered agent
South Carolina requires a registered agent with a South Carolina street address, available in business hours. On the filing: Paper F0006 has a 'Signature of Agent' line under the agent name.
Who may serve, whether the agent signs, and what becomes public: South Carolina registered agent requirements.
Step 4: Prepare Articles of Organization
The South Carolina form asks for the company name with its LLC designator, the registered agent and its South Carolina street address, the principal or mailing address, and the organizer who signs. The F0006 checklist says the organizer is the individual who completes and delivers the documents and need not be an owner ('may simply be an individual who assists in the formation'). Everything on it becomes a public record; what South Carolina shows is listed below.
The document itself, and what every state's version asks for, is explained in articles of organization.
Step 5: File Articles of Organization and pay the $110 fee
Filed with the South Carolina Secretary of State (businessfilings.sc.gov). The state fee is $110, paid once. South Carolina does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file.
South Carolina takes the filing from the public at businessfilings.sc.gov. Ready to file? The Articles of Organization prepared and filed for you, with the state fee on its own line: form your South Carolina LLC at america-llc-filing.com.
Step 6: Complete the South Carolina registrations that follow
2 registrations follow in South Carolina: (1) Register with SC Department of Revenue (MyDORWAY) for any applicable state taxes (sales, withholding, etc.); (2) No Secretary of State annual report for an LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity; an LLC electing corporate tax treatment files the SCDOR CL-1 and annual report. Then the federal tax number and the operating agreement.
The order and the deadlines are in what to do after forming an LLC. The recurring state report is the one owners forget.
What becomes public when you register in South Carolina
Everything on Articles of Organization is a public record once South Carolina files it; anyone can pull it from the state's business search. On the South Carolina filing: Agent name/SC street address; each organizer's name and address (all organizers sign); managers' names and addresses if manager-managed. Members not listed.
The F0006 checklist says the organizer is the individual who completes and delivers the documents and need not be an owner ('may simply be an individual who assists in the formation'). The operating agreement, the ownership split and the tax election are not filed with South Carolina and stay private. Do you need an operating agreement?
How long South Carolina takes to register an LLC
South Carolina does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file. South Carolina publishes no expedite tier for online LLC filings that we could verify. The figures are the state's own and move with its workload; a rejection for a name conflict or a missing agent consent restarts the clock. Every state's published time is in how long it takes to form an LLC.
Ready to register your South Carolina LLC?
Name checked, Articles of Organization prepared and filed with South Carolina, the $110 state fee on its own line, approved copy emailed.
After registration in South Carolina
The state registration is the first of several. These are the ones South Carolina owners run into, in the order they usually come up.
- Register with SC Department of Revenue (MyDORWAY) for any applicable state taxes (sales, withholding, etc.) Due before starting taxable activity. Cost: varies.
- No Secretary of State annual report for an LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity; an LLC electing corporate tax treatment files the SCDOR CL-1 and annual report. Due with the SC corporate income tax return, if taxed as a corporation. Cost: set by SCDOR.
- Federal tax number (EIN). Issued by the IRS after the state registration, at no charge; the bank asks for it. How to get one: South Carolina EIN number.
- Operating agreement. Not filed with South Carolina, but the document that says who owns the company and who can sign for it.
Before you file in South Carolina
From South Carolina's published forms and filing instructions:
- Organizer name and street address must appear on the articles.
- Manager-managed LLCs need each manager's name and address.
- The 'initial designated office' must be in South Carolina.
Sources
The South Carolina facts on this page come from the state's own forms, fee schedules and statutes, read for the October 2026 fee audit. Fees change; the state's page is the final word.
Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from South Carolina's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.
South Carolina LLC registration FAQ
How much does it cost to register an LLC in South Carolina?+
South Carolina charges $110 to file the Articles of Organization, paid once to the state and the same whether you file yourself or use a service. There is no recurring state report for South Carolina LLCs. State fees verified October 2026; the full picture is in South Carolina LLC cost.
Where do I register an LLC in South Carolina?+
With the South Carolina Secretary of State (businessfilings.sc.gov). That is the only office that creates the company. Tax accounts, the registrations listed above and local licenses are registered separately afterwards.
How long does South Carolina take to register an LLC?+
South Carolina does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file. South Carolina publishes no expedite tier for online LLC filings that we could verify.
Do I need a South Carolina registered agent?+
Yes. South Carolina requires a registered agent with a South Carolina street address, available in business hours. On the filing: Paper F0006 has a 'Signature of Agent' line under the agent name. Who may serve and what becomes public is in South Carolina registered agent requirements.
Can I register a South Carolina LLC from out of state?+
Yes. South Carolina takes filings from anyone, but the registered agent must have a South Carolina street address, so an out-of-state owner names a South Carolina resident or a registered agent company. If the company does business where you live, it registers there too, as a foreign LLC.
What do I file in South Carolina every year?+
South Carolina has no recurring annual report for LLCs. Other recurring items: Register with SC Department of Revenue (MyDORWAY) for any applicable state taxes (sales, withholding, etc.); No Secretary of State annual report for an LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity; an LLC electing corporate tax treatment files the SCDOR CL-1 and annual report.
More on South Carolina
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