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South Carolina Secretary of State, Business Filings Division

South Carolina business entity search

Office facts, status meanings and filing rules for South Carolina. The steps below show how to search South Carolina's official registry.

Federal filings only here. South Carolina registry records are on the official site.

South Carolina registry at a glance

Registry agency
South Carolina Secretary of State, Business Filings Division
Office
Secretary of State Mark Hammond, since 2003
Source: sos.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Phone
803-734-2158
Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Address
1205 Pendleton Street, Suite 525, Columbia, SC 29201
Source: sos.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Official search
Business Entities Online, Business Name Search →
Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06

How to search the South Carolina registry

The Business Entities Online, Business Name Search searches by business name (begins with, contains, or exact match) and registered agent (separate agent search).

  1. Open Business Entities Online at businessfilings.sc.gov and choose Search Existing Entities.Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
  2. Type the business name and pick Begins With, Contains or Exact Match.Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
  3. Complete the captcha check if the page asks for it, then search again.Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
  4. Select the business in the results to open its official profile with status and registered agent.Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
  5. Use the Agent Search instead to list every entity a given registered agent serves.Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06

Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06

Open the official South Carolina search →

Three numbers, three agencies

Asking for the wrong number is a common reason a search comes back empty.

Federal EIN
Internal Revenue Service
Identifies the business for federal tax. It is the same number in every state.
Source: irs.gov
Registry number
South Carolina Secretary of State, Business Filings Division
Identifies the entity's record in the South Carolina registry.
SCDOR account (MyDORWAY)
South Carolina Department of Revenue
Filing a corporate return registers the corporation with the Department of Revenue; that account is separate from the Secretary of State record and from the federal EIN. Officer and director names are held by the Department of Revenue, not the Secretary of State.
Source: dor.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06

What a South Carolina status means

Good Standing
The entity has not been dissolved on the Secretary of State's records; it does not mean the business is operating.
Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Administratively dissolved
The state dissolved the entity, often for failing to file a Department of Revenue tax return; corporations can reinstate at any time, nonprofits and LLCs within two years.
Source: businessfilings.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06

Fees and annual filings

LLC formation
$110 (Articles of Organization)
Source: scstatehouse.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Corporation formation
$10 statutory filing fee for Articles of Incorporation, plus the $25 initial license fee with Form CL-1 (see note)
Source: scstatehouse.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Annual filing
Corporate annual report (Department of Revenue)
Source: sos.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Annual fee, LLC
None (South Carolina LLCs file no annual report)
Annual fee, corporation
Filed with the Department of Revenue with the corporate income tax return; the annual license fee is 0.1% of capital stock and paid-in surplus plus $15, minimum $25
Source: dor.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
When it is due
Corporations report directors to the Department of Revenue on the annual report filed with the SC1120 income tax return; LLCs have no annual report.
Source: sos.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Filed with
South Carolina Department of Revenue
Source: sos.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Corporate license fee
South Carolina Department of Revenue. A one-time $25 initial license fee with Form CL-1 within 60 days of doing business; afterward the fee is paid each year with the corporate return. Annual license fee is 0.1% of capital stock and paid-in surplus plus $15, with a $25 minimum.
Source: dor.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Note
Foreign LLC certificates of authority cost $110. Articles of incorporation must be signed by a South Carolina attorney and filed with the CL-1. A certificate of existence costs $10.
Source: sos.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06

As published by the South Carolina Secretary of State, Business Filings Division, checked 2026-10-06. Fees change, and the official schedule decides.

Forming or running a business in South Carolina

Registered agent
Every filing must name a registered agent located in South Carolina, and the public search shows the agent and registered office.
Source: sos.sc.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Name availability
Check whether a name is available in South Carolina →
Business forms and fees
Official South Carolina business forms and fees →

South Carolina businesses on file

All 101 South Carolina businesses on file →

Sources

A fact that could not be confirmed on an official page is left out.

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