How to search South Carolina business entities online
Updated August 2026
Quick Answer
South Carolina's business search is at businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Entity/Search, run by the Secretary of State. Search by business name (Begins With, Contains, or Exact Match) or use the separate Registered Agent Search tool — note annual report status for corporations is tracked by the Department of Revenue, not shown here. The older URL at sos.sc.gov/business-filings no longer works — it returns a "page not found" error — so use businessfilings.sc.gov directly.
- Go to businessfilings.sc.gov/BusinessFiling/Entity/Search.
- Search by business name, or use the separate Registered Agent Search tool.
- Review the result — check with SC DOR separately for corporate annual report status.
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.
South Carolina's reinstatement deadline depends on entity type
South Carolina's administrative dissolution is triggered entirely by the Department of Revenue side, not the Secretary of State directly — since annual reports for corporations go to DOR rather than the SOS, it's a DOR filing failure that starts the dissolution process. Fixing it means contacting DOR to cure whatever's outstanding, which issues a Certificate of Tax Compliance that gets attached to the SOS Application for Reinstatement.
The deadline to actually use that process isn't the same for every entity type: a business corporation can reinstate at any time after administrative dissolution, with no cutoff, but LLCs and nonprofit corporations must file for reinstatement within 2 years of the dissolution date or lose the option entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the South Carolina business search show if a corporation filed its annual report?
No. Annual reports for for-profit corporations are filed with and paid to the SC Department of Revenue, not the Secretary of State, so the SOS entity database won't reflect whether a corporation is current on that obligation.
What is South Carolina's CL-1 filing requirement?
Forming a for-profit corporation in South Carolina requires filing the Articles of Incorporation ($110) together with a CL-1 Initial Annual Report ($25) as one package, not as a separate later filing. The combined cost is $135.
Does the South Carolina business search have a limit on how many searches I can run?
After returning results for a search or two, South Carolina's businessfilings.sc.gov portal requires completing a reCAPTCHA challenge before it will let you run additional searches.
Is there a deadline to reinstate an administratively dissolved South Carolina LLC?
Yes — 2 years from the dissolution date. That's different from a business corporation, which South Carolina allows to reinstate at any time with no deadline.
Does the South Carolina Secretary of State decide to dissolve a business, or does another agency?
The Department of Revenue does, since annual reports for corporations are filed with DOR rather than the SOS. Reinstating means clearing the issue with DOR first, which issues a Certificate of Tax Compliance that gets attached to the SOS reinstatement application.