South Carolina Secretary of State office — contact, fees, and licensing
Official Resource
South Carolina Official SOS WebsiteThe South Carolina Secretary of State's Business Filings division handles entity formations, registered agent designations, amendments, and certificates of existence. Annual reports for for-profit corporations are a separate matter, filed with the South Carolina Department of Revenue — not this office. Online filing is available through businessfilings.sc.gov.
Updated August 2026
Office contact
- Address
- 1205 Pendleton Street, Suite 525, Columbia, SC 29201
- Phone
- (803) 734-2158
- Office hours
- Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Online filing portal
- businessfilings.sc.gov
Entity formation and filing fees
For-profit corporation formation requires both Articles of Incorporation ($110) and a CL-1 Initial Annual Report ($25) filed simultaneously — total $135. LLCs pay a flat $110 formation fee. Nonprofit formation is $25. Foreign (out-of-state) entities pay the same base fees as domestic ones for their entity type. Name reservation fees vary by entity type, not by filing channel — $25 for an LLC name, $10 for a corporation, nonprofit, or limited partnership name. Verify current amounts at businessfilings.sc.gov before filing.
| Filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Domestic LLC — Articles of Organization | $110 |
| Foreign LLC — Application for Certificate of Authority | $110 |
| Domestic For-Profit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation | $110 |
| Foreign Corporation — Application for Certificate of Authority | $110 |
| CL-1 Initial Annual Report (required with Corp formation, domestic or foreign) | $25 |
| For-Profit Corporation formation total (Articles + CL-1) | $135 |
| Domestic Nonprofit Corporation — Articles of Incorporation | $25 |
| Foreign Nonprofit Corporation — Application for Certificate of Authority | $10 |
| Limited Partnership — Certificate of Limited Partnership (domestic) | $10 |
| Limited Partnership — Application for Registration (foreign) | $10 |
| LLP — Statement of Registration | $100 |
| Name Reservation — LLC | $25 |
| Name Reservation — Corporation, Nonprofit, or Limited Partnership | $10 |
| Certificate of Existence or Authority | $10 |
| Certificate of No Record / Certificate Under Seal | $20 |
| Document copy — first page | $3 |
| Document copy — each additional page | $0.50 |
The Secretary of State's office has issued a scam alert: several business filing customers have reported mailings from third parties demanding hundreds of dollars for documents the state provides directly for a fraction of the cost. A Certificate of Existence is $10 by statute — order it directly through businessfilings.sc.gov, not through a third-party mailing.
Key South Carolina state licensing agencies
South Carolina Department of Revenue (SC DOR)
- What it covers
- Annual reports for for-profit corporations, sales tax registration, income tax withholding
- Website
- dor.sc.gov
South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW)
- What it covers
- Unemployment insurance registration, employer accounts, wage reporting
- Website
- dew.sc.gov
South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR)
- What it covers
- Contractor licensing, professional and occupational licenses — healthcare, real estate, cosmetology
- Website
- llr.sc.gov
This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the South Carolina Secretary of State's office or any state agency listed above. Contact information and fees verified against official South Carolina Secretary of State sources, August 2026. Annual reports for for-profit corporations must be filed separately with SC DOR — not through this office. Verify current fees at the official state website. Last verified: August 2026.