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Last Updated: August 27, 2025
Trying to find the best LLC service in South Carolina for your business? Whether you’re a first-time entrepreneur or an experienced business owner, choosing the right LLC formation service can save you time, money, and stress. In this comparison guide, we break down top providers like ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, Bizee (formerly Incfile), and Northwest Registered Agent. You’ll see how they stack up in terms of pricing, features, and customer support — plus what each service is best known for. If you’re looking for great value and reliable service, ZenBusiness is a standout option for forming an LLC in South Carolina.
If you’re looking for an overall, excellent LLC formation service in South Carolina, go with us at ZenBusiness. We’ve already formed 850,000+ businesses since 2015!
✔ Free LLC formation (only pay South Carolina state fees)✔ 60-day money-back guarantee✔ 25217+ reviews with a 4.8 average rating✔ Award-winning customer support✔ Extended customer service hours, including Saturdays and Sundays✔ Socially conscious company (Public Benefit Corporation)
✘ Registered agent service costs extra after the first year✘ Some advanced features require higher-tier plans
If you want socially conscious South Carolina LLC formation services with a service discount, choose ZenBusiness.
Another LLC service is Bizee (formerly known as Infile), with a basic formation service that would only require you to pay South Carolina’s state filing fee. Bizee is a well-known choice, with more than one million businesses formed since they opened in 2004. They also have a variety of features to suit a business owner’s needs.
✔ Free LLC formation (only pay South Carolina state fees)✔ Includes one year of registered agent service ($119/yr afterward)✔ Large customer base with 20,932+ reviews (as of April 2025)✔ Phone and email support
✘ Lots of upsells can increase overall costs✘ Customer support can be slow during peak times✘ No weekend phone support available
Keep in Mind: Even though their South Carolina LLC formation service is free, you’re going to deal with more upsells and potentially higher overall prices as a result.
Want to learn more? See our Bizee review.
LegalZoom is the most well-known service in this industry, handling millions of LLC formations since 1999. They handle huge volumes of entity formations in South Carolina and offer legal services beyond formations.
✔ Established brand with 4 million+ LLCs formed✔ Extended customer service hours, including Saturdays✔ Offers legal services beyond South Carolina LLC formation
✘ Aggressive upsells during the ordering process✘ Registered agent service is expensive ($249/yr)✘ Not the best value compared to other services available in South Carolina
Want to learn more? See our LegalZoom review.
Northwest Registered Agent also offers a good business formation service in South Carolina, with personalized customer support as their standout feature. They’ve been forming businesses since 1998.
✔ Personalized customer support✔ Includes one year of registered agent service ($125/yr afterward)✔ Industry experience since 1998
✘ Higher starting price than competitors who offer free South Carolina LLC formation✘ No customer service hours on Saturday or Sunday and no chat support✘ Limited brand recognition compared to larger competitors
Want to learn more? See our Northwest Registered Agent review.
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In addition to the costs of a business formation service or hiring an attorney (which are optional, as we’ve discussed), there are other required and optional expenses when forming and maintaining a South Carolina business. You can’t form an LLC in South Carolina without filing the Articles of Organization, the document that officially registers your business within the state. It costs $125 to submit.
Unlike a lot of states, South Carolina does not require a traditional annual report. Corporations will file an income report in conjunction with their corporate income tax return. LLCs are exempt from the requirement (unless they opt to be taxed as a C corporation). Read more about South Carolina LLC costs.
We invite you to take a look at our guide to forming a limited liability company in South Carolina. This article walks you through the LLC formation process in this state step by step, helping ensure that you don’t miss any crucial elements.
One of the most important steps in forming a South Carolina LLC is choosing a business name. Once you come up with ideas for your name, you should search through the Secretary of State’s business name search to make sure your desired name is available. For more information on conducting a business name search in South Carolina, check out our South Carolina business search page.
You can download the Articles of Organization on the South Carolina Secretary of State’s website.
In South Carolina, an LLC’s ongoing maintenance requirements are very minimal, as this state does not require LLCs to file an annual report.
Chances are, you’ll require at least one license or permit to operate your LLC in compliance with South Carolina state law. For more information about business licenses and more in this state, click here for the state’s Licenses, Permits, and Registration webpage.
Filing your Articles of Organization online takes approximately 1 to 2 business days for processing, while filing by mail takes about 4 weeks. South Carolina doesn’t offer expedited filings.
If you want more details about what these companies can offer in this state, or you’d like to take a look at some other options, check out our guide to the best South Carolina registered agent services.
Unfortunately, not all businesses last forever. If the time comes when you need to close your LLC’s doors, you’ll need to do so in a manner consistent with the state’s regulations. That’s why we wrote our guide to South Carolina LLC dissolutions, so you can complete the process in a compliant manner.
If your LLC already exists in another state, you don’t actually need to “form” it in South Carolina. Instead, you’ll need to foreign-qualify the business in this state. This process is somewhat similar to LLC formation, but there are some crucial differences as well. Take a look at our guide to foreign qualifications in South Carolina for more information.
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Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
Written by ZenBusiness Editorial Team
The ZenBusiness Editorial Team has more than 20 years of combined small business publishing experience and has helped over 850,000 entrepreneurs launch and grow their companies. Our writers and business formation experts are dedicated to providing accurate, practical, and trustworthy guidance so business owners can make confident decisions.
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