Forming an LLC in South Carolina: Secretary of State Steps and Fees (2026)

South Carolina is one of the easier states to form in, and one of the easiest to stay compliant in afterward. You make a single filing with the South Carolina Secretary of State, the Articles of Organization, and the statutory fee is $110. What you do not sign up for is just as notable: a standard South Carolina LLC owes the Secretary of State no annual report and no recurring fee at all.

The legal footing, for anyone who wants to check our math: organization is governed by S.C. Code § 33-44-202 and § 33-44-203, and the $110 fee is fixed by § 33-44-1204(a)(1).

Where and How You File

Most people file online through Business Entities Online, the Secretary of State's filing portal, where the paper forms are also available for download. Two quirks worth knowing before you start:

• South Carolina does not number its forms. The document is simply the Articles of Organization, identified by name and statute rather than a form number.
• The online portal adds its own processing charge at checkout, so the card total for an online filing lands somewhat above the $110 statutory fee. The extra amount is a portal charge, not part of the state fee. Paper filings pay $110 flat.

Step by Step

1. Settle on a compliant name. It needs an LLC designator ("LLC," "L.L.C.," or the spelled-out version) and must be distinguishable from names already registered. Search the Secretary of State's records through Business Entities Online before falling in love with anything.
2. Establish your designated office and choose a registered agent. This is South Carolina's dual requirement under S.C. Code § 33-44-108. The LLC maintains a designated office inside the state, which does not have to be a place where it actually does business, and an agent for service of process. The agent can be an individual South Carolina resident, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or a foreign corporation or company authorized to do business in the state. Notice the statute's word "another": your LLC cannot appoint itself as its own agent. A street address is required for the office and agent.
3. Submit the Articles of Organization and pay $110. Online through Business Entities Online, or by mailing the downloadable paper form. The Articles name the company, the designated office, and the agent.
4. Write an operating agreement. The state never sees it, but your bank will want it, and it settles ownership and management questions before they become arguments. Without one, Chapter 44's default rules answer those questions for you.
5. Get an EIN from the IRS. Direct from IRS.gov, free, usually instant. Skip any service that charges for this.
6. Learn your (short) compliance list. No annual report is owed to the Secretary of State. Your continuing duties are keeping the agent and designated office current, which takes a $10 notice under § 33-44-109 when either changes, and handling ordinary tax filings. An LLC that elects corporate tax treatment picks up South Carolina Department of Revenue filings, but that only happens if you choose the election.

What Forming Through Us Includes

Our formation service is $199 plus the $110 state fee. It covers preparing and filing your Articles of Organization, and it includes your first year of registered agent service, which then renews at $99 per year. Prefer to file yourself? Everything you need is at businessfilings.sc.gov, and the state fee is $110.

Form Your South Carolina LLC