South Carolina Registered Agent Service
Yes. Every South Carolina LLC and corporation must continuously maintain an agent for service of process in the state, at a South Carolina street address. The vocabulary splits by entity type: the LLC Act calls it an agent for service of process at a designated office, while the Corporation Act calls it a registered agent at a registered office.
Verified against the South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings · Reviewed September 2026
- Appointed the same day
- Real South Carolina street address
- Every US filing jurisdiction, one login
- Required?
- Yes, always
- Address rule
- Street address in SC for the agent
- Form to switch agents
- LLC: Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent
- Key deadline
- No LLC annual reportSee all deadlines
Your South Carolina year
Every recurring South Carolina filing on a single line, with a two-week heads-up before each due date.
- January
- February
- March
- April: Corporate annual report (South Carolina Department of Revenue) due, Apr 15
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
One filing a year: Corporate annual report (South Carolina Department of Revenue), due April 15. No LLC annual report — South Carolina LLCs file nothing recurring with the Secretary of State.
- Form
- Annual report filed with the South Carolina Department of Revenue alongside the corporate tax return
- If late
- Loss of good standing; administrative dissolution where returns go unfiled
Deadline rules from the South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings · reviewed September 2026. We confirm every date when you file.
South Carolina registered agent requirements
The rule
Governing statute: S.C. Code Ann. § 33-44-108 and § 33-44-109 (LLC Act: designated office and agent for service of process); § 33-5-101 and § 33-5-102 (Business Corporation Act: registered office and registered agent)
An LLC must continuously maintain a designated office in South Carolina (which need not be a place of business) plus an agent and the street address of that agent. A corporation must maintain a registered office and a registered agent whose business office is identical with the registered office.
South Carolina’s statutes do not impose an explicit business-hours clause. What they require is a real street address in the state at which the agent can actually be found — if the agent cannot be located there with reasonable diligence, service shifts to the Secretary of State.
If you have no agent
If an LLC fails to appoint or maintain an agent for service of process, or the agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the agent’s address, the Secretary of State becomes the company’s agent for service under § 33-44-111(b). Papers are then mailed to your designated office and service takes effect five days after mailing whether or not you ever see them.
Operating beyond South Carolina? Compare agent requirements state by state — the term, the address rule and the recurring filing all change at the state line.
South Carolina filings and deadlines
| Obligation | Form | Due | Late penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC formation (Articles of Organization) | Articles of Organization (Limited Liability Company) | At formation | N/A |
| Corporate formation + initial annual report | Articles of Incorporation filed together with the initial annual report (Form CL-1) | The initial annual report must be filed with the initial articles of incorporation (S.C. Code Ann. § 12-20-40) | Articles are not accepted without it |
| LLC annual report | - | N/A | - |
| Corporate annual report | Annual report filed with the South Carolina Department of Revenue alongside the corporate tax return | On or before the fifteenth day of the fourth month following the close of the taxable year (S.C. Code Ann. § 12-20-20) | Loss of good standing; administrative dissolution where returns go unfiled |
| Change of agent (LLC) | Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent (Form F0080) | When the agent or address changes | - |
| Change of registered agent (corporation) | Notice of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent or Both of a South Carolina Corporation (Form F0077) | When the agent or address changes | - |
State fees change; we confirm current amounts with you before anything is filed.
What we file for you in South Carolina
- Every filing in the table above, prepared and submitted on time
- Reminders ahead of each deadline, for every entity you hold
- State fees confirmed with you before anything is filed
Priced for your portfolio, not a rate card.
Every South Carolina quote is built around your entities, your states and your filings — one entity or hundreds. Most quotes are same-day.
How to appoint or change your registered agent in South Carolina
5 steps
to switch your registered agent in South Carolina.
Step 1: Confirm your new agent qualifies: for an LLC, an individual resident of South Carolina, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or a foreign corporation or company authorized to do business here
Step 2: For an LLC, complete the Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent (Form F0080) under § 33-44-109
Agent consent
Step 3: For a corporation, complete the Notice of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent or Both (Form F0077) under § 33-5-102 and include the new agent’s written consent on or attached to the statement
Submit
Step 4: File through the Secretary of State’s Business Entities Online system at businessfilings.sc.gov, or mail the PDF form with the state fee
South Carolina formLLC: Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent (F0080). Corporation: Notice of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent or Both (F0077)Records
Step 5: Keep the filed statement — and note that a corporation’s registered office and the agent’s business office must end up at the identical address
Change fee · Set by the stateAny state fee for this change is confirmed with you before anything is filed.
We handle the whole swapCan you be your own registered agent in South Carolina?
Yes, if you are an individual who actually resides in South Carolina and can be found at a South Carolina street address. An entity cannot name itself — the LLC Act lists an individual resident, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or an authorized foreign company, never the company being represented. Your street address becomes a public record searchable by registered agent on the state’s own portal, and because the statute turns on whether you can be found there with reasonable diligence, a missed visit hands service to the Secretary of State and starts your clock five days after a letter is mailed. The full guide: Can you be your own registered agent?
Should you be your own registered agent?
Three honest questions about South Carolina. If you don’t need us, we’ll say so.
- Address privacyNow
- Reaching you with legal papers
- Other states
Is it fine if your home or office address goes on the public record?
As your own registered agent, the street address you list is the one that appears on South Carolina's public record.
Should you even hire a registered agent?
If you live in South Carolina, keep regular hours at a fixed address, and run one entity, you may not need us, and we will tell you so. A service earns its keep when you value privacy, travel, run more than one entity, or operate across state lines.
| What the job involves in South Carolina | Be your own agent | LLCity |
|---|---|---|
| Street address in SC for the agent | Your home or office, on public record | Our South Carolina address, your privacy kept |
| You must be reliably reachable to accept and forward service of process | On you, every business day | Always staffed, scanned the day it arrives |
| Multi-state coverage | One state only | All 50 plus DC and Puerto Rico, one login |
| Deadline tracking | On you | Reminders before every deadline |
| Served in front of clients | Possible | Never, it comes to us |
Why businesses in South Carolina choose LLCity
Your South Carolina registered agent
Same-day appointment, mail scanned on arrival, and compliance reminders before every deadline.
- Real South Carolina street address (no PO box)
- Every notice scanned the day it arrives
- One dashboard for every state you operate in
One login
Every entity and every state in a single dashboard.
Every deadline tracked
Yours fall when your states say they fall. We watch all of them.
Every entity
Add states and entities without adding vendors.
Managing agents for more than three entities?
One agent, one login, and every state deadline tracked for every entity you own.
Put South Carolina’s deadlines in your calendar
Set your formation date and download reminders for every recurring South Carolina filing — or have us email them.
No LLC annual report — South Carolina LLCs file nothing recurring with the Secretary of State
Corporate annual report (South Carolina Department of Revenue)
Next due: April 15, 2027 · repeats yearly · Corporations only: due the fifteenth day of the fourth month after the taxable year closes — April 15 for a calendar-year corporation
South Carolina does not ask the same thing of every entity, so each line above says which entity it belongs to. Not sure which is yours? Call 212-202-5750 and we will confirm it before anything is filed.
Dates sourced from the South Carolina filing office and carrying the month we last checked them. Schedules change — we confirm everything before anything is filed.
South Carolina registered agent FAQ
Do I need a registered agent in South Carolina?
Yes. Every South Carolina LLC and corporation must continuously maintain an agent in the state with a South Carolina street address. The LLC Act (§ 33-44-108) calls it an agent for service of process at a designated office; the Corporation Act (§ 33-5-101) calls it a registered agent at a registered office. Same job, different words on the forms.
Can I be my own registered agent in South Carolina?
Yes, if you are an individual who actually resides in South Carolina. The company itself cannot serve — the statute lists an individual resident, a domestic corporation, another LLC, or an authorized foreign company. The catch is that your street address is public and searchable by agent name, and if you cannot be found there, service shifts to the Secretary of State.
Does a South Carolina LLC file an annual report?
No. South Carolina LLCs file no annual report with the Secretary of State — there is nothing recurring to miss at that office. Corporations are different: they file an annual report with the South Carolina Department of Revenue with the corporate tax return, due the fifteenth day of the fourth month after the taxable year closes.
What happens if my South Carolina LLC has no registered agent?
Service of process moves to the Secretary of State. Under § 33-44-111(b), if you fail to maintain an agent or the agent cannot be found at the listed address, the Secretary of State becomes your agent, mails the papers to your designated office, and service takes effect five days after mailing — whether or not the letter ever reaches you.
How do I change my registered agent in South Carolina?
File a statement of change with the Secretary of State. An LLC uses the Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent (F0080) under § 33-44-109; a corporation uses the Notice of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent or Both (F0077) under § 33-5-102, with the new agent’s written consent attached. Filing is online through Business Entities Online.
Figures verified against the South Carolina Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings (sos.sc.gov/online-filings/business-entities) · Last updated September 2026
Appoint LLCity as your South Carolina registered agent
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