2025 fees South Carolina Secretary of State Rank #14 of 51

LLC Costs in South Carolina (SC)

$235 all-in for your first year - $110 to file, no annual report, plus a registered agent. South Carolina is $148 (39%) cheaper than the national average for first-year LLC costs.

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South Carolina has no annual report requirement for LLCs. While the filing fee is moderate, ongoing costs are minimal. Growing manufacturing base and port access make it attractive for certain industries.

Updated 2025 · Source: South Carolina Secretary of State

No recurring state report fee

No recurring state report fee. South Carolina does not charge a periodic LLC report fee; the first-year stack is filing + registered agent only. With no recurring report fee, South Carolina's $235 first-year stack (#14 of 51) is as lean as filing plus registered agent gets. Fees are those published by the South Carolina Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.

According to the South Carolina Secretary of State fee schedule; registered agent normalized at $125/yr. See methodology. How we calculate →

$110
One-time filing fee
Not required
Annual report
$235
First-year total
#14 of 51
Cost rank (1 = cheapest)

SOS formation fee schedule

Fee strip SC · South Carolina SOS FY 2026 · rank #14

South Carolina · FY 2026 · 5-10 business days · no pub

  • VS-AVG Online filing
  • VS-AVG sc.gov/agency/Secretary-of-State
  • VS-AVG 5-10 business days
  • VS-AVG +$25 expedite
  • VS-AVG near Iowa
  • VS-AVG 39% below avg

Cheap-third stack: stamps derive from this state's Secretary of State fee schedule, not a recommendation of where to form. Read with cheapest SOS stacks ranked → · All 51 SOS fee rows →

1. Ohio$2242. Idaho$2253. South Carolina$2354. Iowa$2355. Oklahoma$2506. West Virginia$250
1. Ohio$2242. Idaho$2253. South Carolina$2354. Iowa$2355. Oklahoma$2506. West Virginia$250
First-year SOS-fee total for South Carolina and nearest-cost peers. Source: each Secretary of State + 51-row aggregate.

Cost vs. speed: where South Carolina sits among all 51 filing offices

South Carolina is cheap to form but not fast: below-average cost, yet a 8-business-day wait that's slower than the national median -- the SOS fee total alone doesn't tell you how long you'll wait. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by First-year cost ($) (X) and Processing time (business days) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Slow & expensiveCheap but slowFast but priceyFast & cheap $0$500$1,000$1,500 0d10d20d30d First-year cost ($) Processing time (business days) Cost vs. speed: where South Carolina sits among all 51 filing offices
South Carolina is cheap to form but not fast: below-average cost, yet a 8-business-day wait that's slower than the national median -- the SOS fee total alone doesn't tell you how long you'll wait.
South Carolina is cheap to form but not fast: below-average cost, yet a 8-business-day wait that's slower than the national median -- the SOS fee total alone doesn't tell you how long you'll wait. National median processing time: 6 business days; national average first-year cost: $383. Source: each state's Secretary of State published processing-time guidance + the 51-row SOS fee aggregate.

How the cheap-third $235 stack breaks down

How your $235 first-year total breaks down Registered agent is still the largest piece (53%) even though South Carolina sits in the cheaper third overall.
  • State filing fee $110
  • Registered agent $125
Cost Item Amount
State Filing Fee $110
No Annual Report Free
Registered Agent $125/yr
Expedited Filing (optional) $25
Total, First Year $235

Ongoing tax burden after formation

South Carolina's effective property tax rate of 0.48% ranks among the lowest nationally (#6 of 51 lowest), a bigger long-run factor than the $235 formation cost above for any LLC that owns real estate.

Corporate income tax
5%
5% corporate tax rate, #18 of 51 lowest nationally
Effective property tax rate
0.48%
Of assessed property value, per year

Sources: Tax Foundation state corporate tax rates, Census ACS effective property tax rates.

Fee check: No periodic report fee today; still verify current South Carolina SOS filing rules at https://sc.gov/agency/Secretary-of-State. Not legal or tax advice.

South Carolina SOS fee strip (no report fee)

Filing Fee $110
Annual Report Not required
Processing Time 5-10 business days
Expedited $25 → 1-2 business days
Online Filing Available
First-Year Total $235
File with South Carolina SOS

Similar Cost States

Arizona $175 Mississippi $175 Missouri $175 New Mexico $175

Still-cheaper peers

Even cheaper first-year SOS stacks than SC (already bottom-third):

Michigan $200 Ohio $224 Idaho $225

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data error on this page.

Sources used on this page
  • South Carolina Secretary of State - LLC filing fee, annual-report requirement, and processing time. sc.gov/agency/Secretary-of-State
  • Federation of Tax Administrators - cross-check of state fee and tax figures. taxadmin.org
LLC fees and requirements sourced from the South Carolina Secretary of State. See our methodology for details.

Verify with the South Carolina Secretary of State →