How to form an LLC in South Carolina (2026)

File a domestic South Carolina LLC on Business Entities Online when you live in South Carolina and will do the work from South Carolina. Articles of Organization cost $110 under S.C. Code §33-44-1204 and the SOS Downloadable Forms list. Five steps: confirm South Carolina facts, gather the Articles with a South Carolina registered agent, file on Business Entities Online, pay $110, then get a free EIN. Compare structures on LLC vs sole proprietorship.

How much does it cost to form an LLC in South Carolina?

South Carolina Code §33-44-1204 and the SOS Business Entities Online Downloadable Forms list price domestic LLC Articles of Organization at $110.00, re-checked 14 October 2026. The same $110 applies online at businessfilings.sc.gov or by paper Form F0006. Pay what the portal or SOS cashier shows and keep the receipt.

How do I file Articles of Organization on Business Entities Online?

Open businessfilings.sc.gov, create or sign into a Business Entities Online account, and start Articles of Organization for a new domestic LLC. Enter a distinguishable name with an allowed ending (LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company, or related abbreviations on Form F0006), a South Carolina registered agent with a South Carolina street address, and the designated office, then pay the $110 fee. Keep the acceptance receipt.

Does a South Carolina LLC need a registered agent?

Yes. Articles of Organization (Form F0006) require an initial agent for service of process with a South Carolina street address. The agent and address go on the public record. Changing the designated office or agent later is $10 under §33-44-1204. DIY versus commercial tradeoffs: Registered agent basics.

Does a South Carolina LLC file an annual report with the Secretary of State?

A typical pass-through South Carolina LLC does not file a recurring annual report with the Secretary of State. Corporations (and LLCs taxed as corporations) have Department of Revenue paths such as Form CL-1 — a tax-agency filing, not the SOS Articles path. Keep the registered agent current. Cross-state renewals: LLC annual report and annual registration.

Do I get an EIN before or after the South Carolina LLC?

After. The IRS tells applicants to form the state entity first, and the EIN application on IRS.gov is free. Apply the same day Business Entities Online accepts the Articles of Organization if you need a business bank account right away. Walkthrough: Get an EIN; then open a first business checking account.

Does a South Carolina LLC need newspaper publication?

No. The South Carolina SOS Articles of Organization path, Form F0006, and §33-44-1204 fee schedule include no newspaper publication step for a standard domestic South Carolina LLC. Skip any “South Carolina LLC publication” add-on a vendor tries to sell you. New York is different; see How to form an LLC in New York.

South Carolina LLC fee table (re-checked 14 October 2026)

Fees re-checked on S.C. Code §33-44-1204, the SOS Downloadable Forms list, Form F0006, and the SOS Business Entities FAQ on 14 October 2026. If the portal shows a different checkout total, pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.

File in South Carolina if the work is in South Carolina

A domestic South Carolina LLC is organized by filing Articles of Organization with the South Carolina Secretary of State (§33-44-202 / §33-44-203). Online filing runs through Business Entities Online at businessfilings.sc.gov. A company already formed somewhere else that wants to transact business in South Carolina files an Application for a Certificate of Authority for a foreign LLC — a different instrument (SOS forms list and §33-44-1204: $110).

Filing in Wyoming, Delaware, or Georgia does not move South Carolina work out of South Carolina. A foreign entity that transacts business here still needs a South Carolina registered agent and South Carolina foreign registration, plus the formation state’s agent and report. Home-state filing is the cheaper default for a one-state operator. Multi-state registration overview: Foreign LLC and certificate of authority.

What to have on the desk before opening Business Entities Online

Checked against Form F0006, the SOS Downloadable Forms list, and §33-44-1204 on 14 October 2026:

• A distinguishable LLC name with a required ending (LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company, or related abbreviations on Form F0006). Search Business Entities Online before ordering letterhead.
• Articles of Organization details, including the registered agent and South Carolina street address for that agent, plus a designated office address in South Carolina.
• Registered agent who can accept service of process in South Carolina. See Registered agent basics for a new LLC.
• Organizer signature(s) as the current form requires. Payment follows whatever Business Entities Online checkout shows.

No newspaper or other advertising is required on the standard domestic Articles of Organization path. Professional entities and conversions are out of scope for a default 1099 single-member LLC on this page.

File online through Business Entities Online

The primary path on this page is Business Entities Online at businessfilings.sc.gov. Create or sign into an account, file Articles of Organization for a new South Carolina LLC, and pay. S.C. Code §33-44-1204 and the SOS Downloadable Forms list price the filing at $110.00.

Optional name reservation ($25), change of agent ($10), or other line items belong on the current statute and checkout screen — this page does not invent add-ons. Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.

After the Articles of Organization are filed

Formation with the SOS is not a South Carolina Department of Revenue tax account, a retail license, a city license, or a professional license. Those have their own filings.

The IRS tells applicants to form the state entity first, then obtain an Employer Identification Number. That application on IRS.gov is free.

South Carolina does not require an operating agreement to be filed with the Articles of Organization. A written agreement still matters between members. Banks often ask for one anyway. See LLC operating agreement basics.

No SOS annual report for a typical LLC

South Carolina does not require a recurring Secretary of State annual report for a standard domestic LLC. Keep the registered agent current and meet any South Carolina Department of Revenue filings that apply to your tax classification — those are separate from the SOS Articles of Organization fee. The SOS FAQ notes that a CL-1 Initial Annual Report is a Department of Revenue form used with Articles of Incorporation for business corporations, not with LLC Articles of Organization.

Cross-state renewals (for states that do charge SOS reports): LLC annual report and annual registration. This page does not compute anyone’s tax.

If the entity is later administratively dissolved for other reasons, overview of admin-dissolve vs reinstate: Reinstate an administratively dissolved or revoked LLC. Reinstatement after administrative dissolution is $25 under §33-44-1204; the SOS FAQ says LLCs must file within two years of the dissolution date.

What this page does not cover

• Professional entities, conversions, or foreign registration of an out-of-state company beyond the fee citation above.
• Sales-tax, employer withholding, unemployment, Workers’ Compensation, or local business licenses.
• Department of Revenue Form CL-1 / corporate license fee paths for LLCs taxed as corporations.
• Whether an S corporation election is worth the payroll. That is a CPA conversation after there is real net income.
• Any promise that an LLC prevents a personal guarantee on a bank account or a business card. It usually does not.
• Telling a Georgia operator to file South Carolina as a sophistication upgrade.
• Voluntary dissolution — articles of termination are $10 under §33-44-1204; confirm the current SOS instrument before filing; see Dissolve or cancel an LLC.
• Processor fees or portal line items that are not printed on the sources above.