A South Carolina LLC costs $110 to start as of 2026, and once it’s on file, a standard one owes the state nothing year to year. That second part trips people up. Most states send an annual or biennial report bill; South Carolina skips it, as long as your LLC isn’t taxed as a corporation. This guide covers the real filing, and where the money actually goes.
South Carolina LLC: the cost, the office, and what you file
- Where to file: the South Carolina Secretary of State, through its Business Entities Online portal at businessfilings.sc.gov.
- Filing fee: $110 to file your Articles of Organization (as of 2026).
- How fast: file online and your Certificate of Existence should arrive within 24 hours.
- Ongoing cost: for a standard LLC not taxed as a corporation, none at the state level; no annual report, no franchise tax.
- Who needs it: anyone running or starting a business in South Carolina who wants personal liability protection.
- Who to contact: South Carolina Secretary of State, Corporate Filings, 1205 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC 29201.
How to start an LLC in South Carolina with the Secretary of State
Forming an LLC here is mostly one filing plus a few decisions around it. The full process of how to start an LLC in South Carolina runs through the Secretary of State and its online portal, Business Entities Online. Six steps, and the order matters: name and agent before you file, EIN after.
Step 1: Name your LLC and check it against the state’s records
Your name has to carry an LLC designator: limited liability company, limited company, or an abbreviation like LLC, L.L.C., L.C., or LC. South Carolina also lets you shorten Limited to Ltd. and Company to Co.
Before you file, run it through the Business Name Search so it’s distinguishable from every entity on the Secretary of State’s records. Confirm it on the state’s official business name search, or follow our South Carolina name-search walkthrough. A name that isn’t distinguishable can stall or block your filing, so search before you submit.
Step 2: Appoint a registered agent with a South Carolina street address
Every South Carolina LLC needs a registered agent, what the statute calls an agent for service of process. The agent must keep a real South Carolina street address, not a PO box, and be reachable during business hours.
You can serve as your own agent if you live in the state, or appoint a commercial registered agent to keep your address off the public file. The catch with naming yourself: that address becomes searchable, and you’re the one who has to answer the door.
Step 3: File the Articles of Organization
The filing itself is the Articles of Organization, submitted to the South Carolina Secretary of State under S.C. Code Sections 33-44-202 and 33-44-203. It asks for your LLC name, the initial designated office, your registered agent’s name and signature, the organizer, and whether the company is member-managed or manager-managed.
The filing fee is $110 as of 2026, listed on the Secretary of State’s filing forms and fees. File online through Business Entities Online and, per South Carolina Business One Stop, the Certificate of Existence should arrive within 24 hours; mail runs slower. For a fuller timeline, see how long South Carolina filings take.
I’ve filed in South Carolina enough times to trust the online route, and the Certificate of Existence often lands within a day. What I tell first-timers is blunt: the $110 you pay the state is the same $110 either way.
Step 4: Put an operating agreement in place
South Carolina doesn’t make you file an operating agreement, and the statute even allows it to be unwritten (S.C. Code Section 33-44-103).
Don’t read that as a reason to skip it. A written agreement sets ownership splits, voting, and what happens when a member exits; without one, the state’s default rules decide for you. Start from a South Carolina operating agreement template and shape it to how the business really runs.
Step 5: Get your EIN from the IRS
With the LLC approved, your next move is an EIN, the federal tax ID you use to open a bank account, hire, and file. It’s free straight from the IRS; even a single-member LLC often wants one to keep its Social Security number off paperwork.
Order matters here: form the LLC first, then pull the EIN, so the name matches on both. Our walkthrough on getting an EIN for your LLC covers the online application.
Step 6: Open a bank account and handle local licenses
Open a business bank account next, so personal and company funds never mix; that separation is part of what keeps your liability shield intact.
South Carolina has no statewide general business license, but plenty of cities and counties require a local business license, so check the one where you operate. If you’ll sell taxable goods, you’ll also register with the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a Retail License to collect sales tax.
ZenBusiness makes sense if you want the South Carolina Articles filed without working through the portal yourself.
The $110 state fee does not disappear, but ZenBusiness can prepare and submit the LLC formation paperwork for you. It is a cleaner fit if you want help with the filing process, document storage, and next-step reminders after approval.
How much is an LLC in South Carolina? The $110 filing fee and what recurs
Cost is the question most South Carolina searchers actually have. The short version of how much is an LLC in South Carolina: $110 to file the Articles of Organization. Add $25 if you want to reserve the name first.
After that, a standard LLC carries no recurring state fee, because there’s no annual report to pay. Do it yourself and the state’s share is just the $110; local licenses or a registered agent can add to it. For renewals, service markups, and the corporate-tax scenario, see the full South Carolina LLC cost breakdown.
Can you start an LLC in South Carolina for free?
Straight answer: not entirely. You can’t dodge the $110 the state charges to file, so a truly free LLC in SC isn’t a real thing.
What’s free is the labor. You can file the same Articles of Organization yourself that a $300 service would file for you, in about the time it took to read this far. The one spend worth weighing is a registered agent, and only if you lack a South Carolina address; we sorted the options in our review of South Carolina formation services.
South Carolina LLC advantages: a low fee, fast filing, and no annual report
This is where South Carolina quietly beats a lot of states. South Carolina LLC formation is cheap at $110, fast online, and light on upkeep once you’re in.
The standout is the missing annual report. In states like California or Texas, owners file something every year, and often pay, just to keep good standing. A South Carolina LLC taxed the default way carries none of that.
Speed and privacy round it out. Business Entities Online returns a Certificate of Existence within 24 hours, and the basic Articles disclose only the organizer and registered agent, not a full member roster. That’s limited public disclosure, not anonymity, but more than several states give you.
Clients moving from states with annual franchise taxes get suspicious when I tell them South Carolina has no yearly report for a normal LLC. There’s no catch, as long as you don’t elect corporate taxation.
South Carolina LLC taxes and the CL-1 exception to the no-report rule
The no-report rule needs one footnote. South Carolina LLC taxes stay simple for most owners: by default, the IRS and the state treat the company as a pass-through, so profits land on the members’ personal returns. Elect corporate treatment, though, and a separate set of state rules switches on.
Does a standard South Carolina LLC file an annual report?
No. A South Carolina LLC annual report isn’t required for a company taxed the default way, as a pass-through. The Department of Revenue is explicit that such an LLC isn’t subject to the corporate annual report or License Fee. So the cadence is none, and the fee is $0 as of 2026. For the finer points, see South Carolina’s annual report rules.
South Carolina LLC fees and taxes (as of 2026)
Every figure below is verified from the Secretary of State and the Department of Revenue, current as of 2026:
| Item | Amount (2026) | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization filing | $110 | Every domestic LLC |
| Name reservation (optional) | $25 | If you reserve before filing |
| State annual report | $0 | Standard LLC not taxed as a corporation |
| Franchise or privilege tax | None | Standard LLC not taxed as a corporation |
| CL-1 Initial Annual Report | Filed within 60 days | LLC electing corporate taxation |
| Corporate License Fee | $25 minimum | LLC taxed as a corporation |
| State corporate income tax | 5% | LLC taxed as a corporation |
| Certificate of Authority (foreign LLC) | $110 | Out-of-state LLC registering in SC |
The CL-1 exception if you choose corporate taxation
Elect to have your LLC taxed as a corporation and the picture changes. You’ll file CL-1, the Initial Annual Report of Corporations, with the Department of Revenue within 60 days of starting business in the state.
From there comes the Corporate License Fee, a $25 minimum as of 2026, figured at 0.1% of capital stock and paid-in surplus plus $15. The state’s 5% corporate income tax applies too. Confirm the live numbers with the South Carolina Department of Revenue before you make the election.
What trips up South Carolina LLC owners (and how to dodge it)
A handful of mistakes cause most South Carolina filing headaches, and all are avoidable.
The big one is name availability. Owners fall for a name, build a logo, then file, only to learn it isn’t distinguishable from an entity already on the state’s records, and the filing bounces.
Close behind is the PO box trap. A registered agent address has to be a physical South Carolina street address, or the filing fails.
Then there’s the “no annual report means no filings ever” assumption. Elect corporate taxation later and the CL-1 and License Fee appear, and missing them is how good standing slips.
The quiet one is skipping the operating agreement because the state doesn’t demand it on paper. That’s the gap that turns a partner disagreement into a lawsuit.
The name-availability screen is where I watch people lose a week. Someone files the Articles of Organization with a name one comma away from an existing company, the Secretary of State rejects it as not distinguishable, and now they’re refiling.
South Carolina LLC FAQ
A few questions come up on almost every South Carolina formation, pulled from what owners actually search. Direct answers below.
How much does it cost to start an LLC in South Carolina?
$110 to file the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State, as of 2026. Name reservation adds an optional $25 and holds your name for 120 days. There’s no annual report fee for a standard LLC, so once you’re filed, your recurring state cost is zero. The only real variable is whether you pay a service, which just stacks a markup on that same $110.
Can you really start an LLC in South Carolina for free?
No, and any site implying otherwise is glossing over the $110 state fee that nobody can waive. What you can skip is paying a formation company, since the filing is simple enough to handle yourself. Act as your own registered agent, skip name reservation, and $110 is your entire out-of-pocket. That’s as close to free as South Carolina gets.
Does a South Carolina LLC have to file an annual report?
For the vast majority, no. An LLC taxed the default way, as a pass-through, has no South Carolina annual or biennial report. The Department of Revenue confirms it isn’t subject to the corporate report or License Fee. The exception is an LLC that elects corporate taxation: it files CL-1 within 60 days and owes the Corporate License Fee. So the honest answer turns on your tax election.
How long does it take to form an LLC in South Carolina?
File online through Business Entities Online and you should have your Certificate of Existence back within 24 hours, per the state’s own guidance. Mailed filings take longer, so the online route wins if speed matters at all. Turnaround can stretch during busy periods, especially early in the year. On a deadline, file online and keep the confirmation handy.
Do I need an operating agreement for my South Carolina LLC?
Legally, no; the state doesn’t require you to file one, and the statute says it needn’t even be written. Practically, yes. It’s the document that fixes ownership percentages, profit splits, voting rights, and what happens when someone leaves or dies. Without it, South Carolina’s default LLC rules fill those gaps, and they rarely match what the owners intended.
Does my South Carolina LLC need a business license?
There’s no single statewide general business license in South Carolina, which catches out-of-state owners off guard. Licensing is local: many cities and counties require their own business license, sometimes scaled to revenue, so check where you operate. Sell tangible goods and you’ll also register with the Department of Revenue for a Retail License to collect sales tax, with industry-specific permits possible on top.
Can I file a DBA for my South Carolina LLC?
There’s no single statewide DBA filing to bolt onto your LLC the way some states offer. Your LLC operates under the legal name on its Articles of Organization, so if you want a different public name, check your county for a local assumed-name option. Keep contracts and your bank account in the legal LLC name to stay consistent.
Do I have to live in South Carolina to start an LLC there?
No. State law lets one or more persons organize an LLC with no residency requirement for members or organizers. The one local tie you must keep is a registered agent with a South Carolina street address, so out-of-state owners usually hire a commercial agent. If your business also operates elsewhere, you’ll likely foreign-qualify there as a separate filing.
- Register Your Business, U.S. Small Business Administration
- Business Entities Online, South Carolina Secretary of State
- Articles of Organization (LLC, Domestic), South Carolina Secretary of State
- Registering with the Secretary of State, South Carolina Business One Stop
- South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 33, Chapter 44, Uniform LLC Act of 1996
- Corporate FAQs, South Carolina Department of Revenue
- Limited Liability Company (LLC), Internal Revenue Service
Looking for an overview? See South Carolina LLC Services
Start your South Carolina LLC with Bizee
Bizee helps you move from business idea to official LLC by preparing your South Carolina formation details, filing your Articles of Organization, and keeping the startup process clear from the first step.
