How to search South Carolina business entities online

South Carolina business entity records are searchable at businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Entity/Search, the Secretary of State's business filings portal. Note: the older URL at sos.sc.gov/business-filings no longer resolves. The correct address is businessfilings.sc.gov. The SOS prominently warns that it only processes payments through that portal — 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

Searches are available by entity name and entity filing number. The portal does not offer officer or director searches — those records are held by the South Carolina Department of Revenue as part of the annual report system, not by the Secretary of State.

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 businessfilings.sc.gov. Source: South Carolina Secretary of State, verified May 2026.