South Carolina Company Formation

Forming an LLC in South Carolina

The Process

South Carolina LLCs are formed by filing Articles of Organization with the South Carolina Secretary of State. The entire filing process takes around two to three weeks.

Name Identifiers and Abbreviations

The name of a South Carolina limited liability company must end with one of the following words or abbreviations:

• LLC
• L.L.C.
• LC
• L.C.
• Limited Liability Company
• Limited Company
• Ltd. Co.

Operating Agreement

A formal Operating Agreement will help to protect your company’s limited liability status and prevent your company from being run by the default rules created by the state. Whilst South Carolina does not mandate that all LLCs have an Operating Agreement, it is highly recommended that you have one.

Additional Filings

Depending on the nature of your business, some additional filings may be necessary to complete the proper set-up of your LLC:

• EIN (tax ID) – available as an optional extra for non-US residents.
• Sales tax registration
• Payroll registration & business licensing