How to search South Carolina business entities online
Official Resource
South Carolina Official SOS WebsiteSouth Carolina business entity records are searchable at businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Entity/Search, the Secretary of State's Business Entities Online portal. Note: the older URL at sos.sc.gov/business-filings no longer works — it returns a "page not found" error. The correct address is businessfilings.sc.gov. The SOS warns that certified copies and certificates of existence are issued only through this portal, and cautions that solicitations from other websites offering to file South Carolina paperwork on your behalf are not affiliated with the state.
Updated August 2026
Watch for third-party filing scams
South Carolina's Secretary of State only processes payments through businessfilings.sc.gov. The office has specifically warned that solicitations from other websites claiming to file South Carolina entities on your behalf are not affiliated with the state.
What the search covers
The database covers domestic and foreign LLCs, for-profit corporations, nonprofit corporations, limited partnerships, LLPs, professional associations, and benefit corporations registered with the Secretary of State.
Search options
The main entity search works by business name only, with a choice of Begins With, Contains, or Exact Match. A separate Registered Agent Search tool on the same portal looks up entities by their agent's name. Neither tool searches by officer or director — those records are held by the South Carolina Department of Revenue as part of the annual report system, not by the Secretary of State. After a search or two, the portal requires completing a reCAPTCHA before it will return further results.
Annual reports go to the Department of Revenue — not the SOS
South Carolina has an unusual split between formation and annual compliance. The Secretary of State handles entity formation, amendments, and certificates of existence. Annual reports for for-profit corporations are filed with and paid to the South Carolina Department of Revenue (DOR) — not the SOS. This means searching the SOS entity database will not show whether a corporation is current on its annual report obligation, because those records are at a different agency.
LLCs and nonprofit corporations do not file annual reports with the SOS. Verify the specific ongoing compliance requirements for your entity type with both the SOS and SC DOR.
For-profit corporation formation — the CL-1 requirement
Forming a for-profit corporation in South Carolina requires two simultaneous filings: the Articles of Incorporation ($110) and a CL-1 Initial Annual Report ($25). Both are filed together as a package. The CL-1 is a condition of formation, not a separate subsequent filing. The combined cost for for-profit corporation formation is $135.
This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the South Carolina Secretary of State's office. Verify current procedures at the official state website. Last verified: August 2026.