Registered agent required
Yes
scstatehouse.gov (October 2026)
Registered agent guide · South Carolina
South Carolina Registered Agents (2026): State Rules, Fees and the 3 Best Agents
If you are choosing an agent for South Carolina this year (2026), begin with South Carolina Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and SC Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), working down the list. South Carolina does not charge a yearly report fee. What an owner keeps paying for is the registered agent.
What South Carolina charges
1st
out of 50 states, measured on one year of state charges
The smaller the number, the less the state charges (equal totals). See the full 50-state table
State charges, per year
$0
Fees that recur, shown per year
The South Carolina picks
How the order came about: three-year service charges first, then coverage, renewal, South Carolina fit and fee labeling (methodology).
1. South Carolina Registered Agent.co: best for companies that stay in South Carolina
$99 a year ($99 on renewal)
Why South Carolina Registered Agent.co leads: a plan for South Carolina alone at $99 a year, with a renewal price of $99.
Its three-year charges undercut Mainstay Filing's, and that criterion carries 34% of the score.
What the price buys
- Public record lists a South Carolina office location
- Process served on the company is scanned and uploaded
In its favor
- $99 annually
- Beats Mainstay Filing on what you pay per year
Against it
- Single-state service
2. Mainstay Filing: best for owners who plan to expand
$149 a year ($149 on renewal)
Our second pick, Mainstay Filing, earns its place since $149 yearly in South Carolina and the same everywhere else, with a renewal price of $149.
The three-year bill is $150 larger than South Carolina Registered Agent.co's, and cost is the heaviest of our criteria.
What the price buys
- An address inside the state, kept on file
- Anything served on the company is scanned and sent to you that business day, free of charge
- The first three letters from government agencies each year are scanned at no charge
- Also open to nonprofits, partnerships and corporations, not only LLCs
In its favor
- Works in every state
- A flat $149 a year
Against it
- $50 a year more than South Carolina Registered Agent.co
- It covers the agent role alone, so you send in the reports
3. SC Registered Agent.org: best for an office address inside the state
$99 a year ($99 on renewal)
SC Registered Agent.org comes after that: a plan for South Carolina alone at $99 a year, with a renewal price of $99.
South Carolina Registered Agent.co charges the same.
What the price buys
- Public record lists a South Carolina office location
- Process served on the company is scanned and uploaded
In its favor
- Beats Mainstay Filing on what you pay per year
- $99 annually
Against it
- Single-state service
The picks in numbers
| No. | Service | Yearly price | Renews at | Service charges, three years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina Registered Agent.co | $99 | $99/yr | $297 | Visit South Carolina Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
| 2 | Mainstay Filing | $149 | $149/yr | $447 | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
| 3 | SC Registered Agent.org | $99 | $99/yr | $297 | Visit SC Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
We took these prices from the companies' sites on November 12, 2026. State charges stay the same with any agent.
Yearly cost calculator
Each agent's price is combined with the state charges that repeat. Formation fees are not in the total.
South Carolina next to the states ranked around it
| Place | State | Yearly state fees |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | New Mexico | $0 |
| 1st | Ohio | $0 |
| 1st | South Carolina | $0 |
| 1st | Texas | $0 |
| 11th | New York | $4.50 |
The complete ranking applies one method to all fifty states.
The registered agent requirement in South Carolina
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a street address in South Carolina for the agent, stated in the articles. P.O. boxes are not accepted.
Accepted agents: A South Carolina resident, a South Carolina corporation, another LLC, or a corporation or company from another state authorized to do business in South Carolina. This follows S.C. Code § 33-44-108.
Yearly state fees for a South Carolina LLC
With no South Carolina report to file, the agent fee is the cost that repeats.
How we ordered the South Carolina picks
Three-year service charge decided first place in South Carolina. It counts for 34% of the score; the remaining criteria are paperwork the price takes on, year-two price, match to the state's calendar, fee labeling.
At $297 for three years, $150 less than Mainstay Filing, South Carolina Registered Agent.co wins on cost.
South Carolina: common questions
Does every South Carolina LLC need a registered agent?
Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Who may act as the registered agent for South Carolina LLCs?
A South Carolina resident, a South Carolina corporation, another LLC, or a corporation or company from another state authorized to do business in South Carolina.
What is the yearly price of registered agent service for South Carolina?
$99 to $149 a year, going by the picks here.
What does the state itself charge an LLC each year?
Nothing. South Carolina has no yearly report fee, so no state charge repeats.
Which registered agents are recommended on this page?
South Carolina Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and SC Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in the order we rank them.
Which registered agent is the best choice?
South Carolina Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and SC Registered Agent.org, in that sequence.
Sources for this chapter
- scstatehouse.gov supplies S.C, last opened August 2026
- dor.sc.gov supplies South Carolina Secretary of State for formation, last opened August 2026
- dor.sc.gov supplies South Carolina Secretary of State for formation, last opened August 2026
- dor.sc.gov supplies South Carolina yearly filing: Annual report, official source, last opened October 2026
- sos.nm.gov supplies New Mexico Secretary of State, Corporations and Business, last opened August 2026
- sos.nm.gov supplies New Mexico Secretary of State, Corporations and Business, last opened August 2026
- ohiosos.gov supplies Ohio Secretary of State, last opened August 2026
- ohiosos.gov supplies Ohio Secretary of State, last opened August 2026
- comptroller.texas.gov supplies Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source, last opened October 2026
- dos.ny.gov supplies New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, last opened August 2026
- filing.dos.ny.gov supplies New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, last opened August 2026
- South Carolina Registered Agent.co, pricing page, on the company's page November 12, 2026
- Mainstay Filing, South Carolina service page, on the company's page November 12, 2026
- SC Registered Agent.org, pricing page, on the company's page November 12, 2026