What are the requirements for incorporating a for-profit corporation in the State of South Carolina?

The name of the corporation must contain the word Corporation, Company, Incorporated or Limited, or an abbreviation of one of these words, or abbreviations of words with similar meanings in another language. The name cannot contain language indicating a purpose other than that permitted by state law and the articles of incorporation. It must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State from the name of a domestic or qualified foreign corporation, reserved or registered corporate name, non-profit corporation, or limited partnership.

Two copies of Articles of Incorporation, the original and either a duplicate original or a conformed copy, must be submitted, together with the first report to corporations and the filing fee. Checks must be made payable to the Secretary of State.

What is the filing fee for South Carolina for-profit corporations?

The filing fee is $135.

What are the requirements for incorporating a non-profit corporation?

The name of the corporation must contain the word Corporation, Company, Incorporated or Limited, or an abbreviation of one of these words, or abbreviations of words with similar meanings in another language. The name cannot contain language indicating a purpose other than that permitted by state law and the articles of incorporation. It must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State from the name of a domestic or qualified foreign corporation, reserved or registered corporate name, non-profit corporation, or limited partnership.

Two copies of Articles of Incorporation, the original and either a duplicate original or a conformed copy, must be submitted, together with the first report to corporations and the filing fee. Checks must be made payable to the Secretary of State.

What is the filing fee for South Carolina non-profit corporations?

The filing fee is $25.

What are the requirements for forming a limited liability company in South Carolina?

The name of the limited liability company must contain the words Limited Liability Company, Limited Company, or the abbreviation L.L.C., L.C., LLC or LC. The words Limited and Company may be abbreviated as Ltd. and Co., respectively. The name cannot be the same as or deceptively similar to the corporate name of a domestic corporation or a foreign qualified corporation.

If a foreign LLC, the application must be accompanied by an original certificate of existence not more than 30 days old (or a record of similar import) authenticated by the Secretary of State or other official having custody of the Limited Liability Company records in the state or country under which it is organized.

Two copies of the Articles of Organization, the original and either a duplicate original or a conformed copy, must be submitted, together with the filing fee. The first annual report for a LLC must be delivered to the Secretary of State between January 1 and April 1 of the calendar year after which the LLC was organized or the foreign company was first authorized to transact business in South Carolina. Subsequent annual reports must be delivered to the Secretary of State on or before the 15th day of the 4th month following the close of the LLC's taxable year.

What is the filing fee for limited liability companies?

The filing and license fee is $110.



The foregoing summary is provided for information purposes only and is not to be considered legal or business advice. The information may not be complete, accurate or applicable for any particular situation and should not be relied upon.