A South Carolina LLC registers with the South Carolina Secretary of State for a $110 state filing fee and shields the owner's personal assets from business liability. South Carolina publishes member or manager details on the public record, so it is not an anonymous-LLC state; the four anonymous states are Wyoming, New Mexico, Delaware, and Nevada. There is no annual report unless the LLC elects corporate tax treatment, and state personal income tax up to 6.2% applies to pass-through profit. This guide covers the formation steps, cost, tax, series-LLC rules, and the privacy path through a Wyoming or New Mexico anonymous LLC.
A South Carolina LLC is a business entity filed with the South Carolina Secretary of State that separates the owner's personal assets from company debts and lawsuits. Formation costs a $110 state fee. The state administering the filing is South Carolina, with its capital in Columbia. Owners are called members, and the LLC runs as member-managed or manager-managed. Profit passes through to the members' personal tax returns by default, so there is no separate federal entity-level income tax. The structure fits freelancers, e-commerce sellers, real estate holders, and non-resident founders who want a US company with a clean liability boundary.
A South Carolina LLC is fully operational in 5-10 business days end-to-end. The state accepts the Articles of Organization within 1-3 business days, the EIN follows in 5-7 days, and bank approval lands 8-10 days after the EIN. Day 0 is a 5-minute WhatsApp intake. Anonymousllc.co files the Articles of Organization the same day, then starts the EIN application once the state stamp arrives. US-resident founders receive the EIN online in about one day; non-resident founders receive it in 5-7 days by fax. Bank applications go to four or five partner banks at once, so a single slow institution does not hold up the account.
A South Carolina LLC costs $407 all-in through Anonymousllc.co: a $297 service fee plus the $110 state filing fee. That single price covers the filing, registered agent for year one, operating agreement, EIN, and four to five US bank applications. Filing without help costs only the $110 state fee, but the founder handles name checks, the operating agreement, the EIN, and bank applications alone. From year two onward, the recurring cost is $100/year for registered agent service, since South Carolina charges no annual report fee unless the LLC elects corporate tax treatment. Add-on services are priced separately: EIN $99, ITIN $299, BOI $150 per report. The $110 state fee is a one-time charge at formation, not a yearly cost, so it does not repeat, and the $407 total is fixed with no upsells.
No. South Carolina requires either members or managers to be disclosed on public state records, so a South Carolina-only filing does not hide ownership. The four anonymous states are Wyoming, New Mexico, Delaware, and Nevada. Founders whose top priority is keeping ownership off public records form a Wyoming or New Mexico anonymous LLC and foreign-qualify into South Carolina when local operations demand it. See /wyoming-anonymous-llc/ or /anonymous-llc/ for the privacy path. A commercial registered agent keeps the founder's home address off South Carolina filings, but it does not remove the member or manager names the state requires. Wyoming keeps owners off the record at $397 all-in.
South Carolina levies personal income tax up to 6.2% on pass-through LLC profit. The IRS treats a single-member LLC as a disregarded entity and a multi-member LLC as a partnership by default, with no federal entity-level income tax. A single-member LLC reports profit on Schedule C of the owner's Form 1040; a multi-member LLC files Form 1065 and issues K-1s to members. An LLC elects S-corporation treatment on Form 2553 to cut self-employment tax once net income exceeds roughly $40,000-$60,000. Non-resident owners of a foreign-owned single-member LLC file Form 5472 with a pro-forma Form 1120 each year.
South Carolina requires no annual report unless the LLC elects corporate tax treatment. An LLC taxed as a corporation files an annual report with its South Carolina corporate return; a default pass-through LLC files none. This is a real advantage over states with a mandatory yearly filing. The only recurring maintenance cost for a pass-through South Carolina LLC is the $100/year registered agent. Anonymousllc.co tracks any filing that applies and submits it as part of registered agent service, so an LLC that later elects corporate treatment stays in good standing without the owner watching the calendar.
Yes. Every South Carolina LLC must maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in South Carolina to receive service of process and state mail. A PO Box does not qualify. Anonymousllc.co provides South Carolina registered agent service at $100/year, included free in year one of any formation package. The agent forwards state notices and legal service the same day it arrives and keeps the founder's own address off public filings. See /south-carolina-registered-agent/ for full coverage details.
No. South Carolina does not authorize statutory series LLCs. A founder who wants a series structure forms in a state that permits it - Delaware and Texas are the two largest - and foreign-qualifies into South Carolina. A series LLC holds separate asset pools under one parent entity, each with its own liability shield. South Carolina statute has no equivalent, so real estate investors and fund managers who need siloed liability form elsewhere. Anonymousllc.co structures the parent entity in an authorizing state and registers it to do business in South Carolina where operations require it.
Yes. Non-US residents form South Carolina LLCs without an SSN, ITIN, or visa, and never need to visit the United States. South Carolina places no citizenship or residency condition on LLC ownership. Anonymousllc.co files the Articles, obtains the EIN by fax without an SSN, provides the South Carolina registered agent address, and submits US bank applications remotely. The founder handles the entire process from abroad over WhatsApp. A non-resident who wants ownership privacy pairs this with a Wyoming or New Mexico anonymous LLC that foreign-qualifies into South Carolina. The bank applications go to Mercury, Relay, Bluevine, and other partners remotely, so a funded US account lands by day 10-12 without any travel.
Choose Wyoming when owner anonymity or lower ongoing cost matters more than a South Carolina home-state filing. A Wyoming LLC is $397 all-in, keeps members off public records, and charges no state income tax. South Carolina makes sense when the business has a physical presence in the state - a storefront, employees, or property - because local operations require registration where the work happens. A common structure is a Wyoming anonymous LLC that foreign-qualifies into South Carolina, combining Wyoming privacy with South Carolina compliance. New Mexico is the lowest-cost anonymous option at $347 with no annual report. Anonymousllc.co scopes both the Wyoming-plus-foreign-qualification structure and the direct South Carolina filing during intake, so the founder compares real totals before deciding which path fits the business.
The Anonymousllc.co South Carolina package includes the state filing, registered agent for year one, a South Carolina-specific operating agreement, the EIN, and four to five US bank applications, for $407 all-in. Founders receive the stamped Articles of Organization, the operating agreement, the EIN confirmation letter (CP-575 or 147C), and bank application confirmations. Everything runs over WhatsApp with no US visit required. For founders who prioritize anonymity, the same team forms a Wyoming anonymous LLC at $397 all-in and handles the South Carolina foreign qualification. That combined structure gives the founder Wyoming owner privacy with a valid South Carolina registration for local operations, invoiced as a single total.
5-minute WhatsApp intake. 5-10 day turnaround.