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LLC UnpackedEvery filing, unpacked: the fee, the form, the catch.

Unpacked · South Carolina

3 Best LLC Services in South Carolina (2026): Unpacked

Our 2026 stack of LLC formation services in South Carolina, top to bottom: Mainstay Filing ($199), SC Registered Agent.org ($199) and South Carolina Registered Agent.co ($199). Two parts make up the bill: $110 for South Carolina and $397 to $597 for three years of service.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Four things inside

State filing fee
$110, paid once
Next layer
Nothing to file
Registered agent
Yes, by law
Top of the stack
Mainstay Filing, SC Registered Agent.org then South Carolina Registered Agent.co

Our South Carolina picks, opened up

Prices come from each company's own page. See how we open it up.
Top of the stack

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a flat yearly bill

$199 a year plus $110 to the state

What puts Mainstay Filing first: one yearly price, $199, wraps formation and twelve months of registered agent service around the EIN application.

Is it the smallest bill? No. SC Registered Agent.org costs $200 less over three years, but only in South Carolina.

Inside the price

  • The formation filing, packed in
  • Registered agent across the full year
  • EIN application handled
  • State fees passed through without markup

Inside, the good

  • No fee for the EIN application
  • $199 a year covers filing, agent
  • No jump at renewal ($199)

Inside, the catch

  • SC Registered Agent.org renews for $100 less
  • Less to bundle in this state
South Carolina only

2. SC Registered Agent.org: best for a business that stays in one state

Year one $199, later years $99

SC Registered Agent.org sits second because $199 forms the LLC, and the agent renews each year at $99.

Inside the price

  • South Carolina formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • Then $99 yearly
  • $199 to form the LLC
  • Year one of the agent comes with it

Inside, the catch

  • $99 to apply for your EIN
South Carolina only

3. South Carolina Registered Agent.co: best for one-state companies

Year one $199, later years $99

South Carolina Registered Agent.co sits third because $199 forms the LLC, and the agent renews each year at $99.

It charges what SC Registered Agent.org charges.

Inside the price

  • South Carolina formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • Year one of the agent comes with it
  • Then $99 yearly
  • $199 to form the LLC

Inside, the catch

  • $99 to apply for your EIN

Inside each price

#PickYear oneRenewalTotal, 3 yearsWhat is inside
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597the formation filing, packed in; registered agent across the full year; EIN application handledOpen Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2SC Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397South Carolina formation filing; A first year of agent serviceOpen SC Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3South Carolina Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397South Carolina formation filing; A first year of agent serviceOpen South Carolina Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices as of November 13, 2026. The state's own fees are in the checklist below.

Opened up, question by question

How much does forming an LLC cost in this state?

$110 is the state's share. Add $199 if a service files in year one.

Add the recurring report and the state's fees reach $110 over three years. peek at scstatehouse.gov, confirmed October 2026

Which form is inside the filing, and where does it go?

The Articles of Organization is the filing, and the South Carolina Secretary of State is where it goes. Approval creates the LLC.

The law underneath: S.C. Code § 33-44-202. peek at scstatehouse.gov, confirmed October 2026

Must the LLC name a registered agent?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

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.

peek at scstatehouse.gov, confirmed October 2026

What is owed in later years?

No report falls due.

Can I file it myself instead of hiring a service?

Yes. Filing on your own costs only the state's fees, $110 over three years.

That $397 to $597 over three years is the price of handing off the paperwork and the agent role.

What put number one on top?

Mainstay Filing is strongest on what is inside the price, a layer worth 29% of the score.

Five layers set the order: total across three years (34%), what is inside the price (29%), price laid out in the open (14%), how the renewal behaves (12%) and how far it reaches (11%).

It still leads on what the price holds, by less than where a yearly report exists.

The five layers

South Carolina formation, unpacked

PartWhat is insidePeek at source
Fee to form$110peek at scstatehouse.gov, confirmed October 2026
Registered agentYes, by lawpeek at scstatehouse.gov, confirmed October 2026
State fees, years one to three$110The rows above, stacked
Every row above links to its official source. The final row is our own total of the filing, two reports and any minimum tax.

More boxes to open

Is the EIN application inside the price?

Only Mainstay Filing packs it in. Elsewhere it is $99 at SC Registered Agent.org and $99 at South Carolina Registered Agent.co.

What do the picks cost over three years?

Mainstay Filing stacks up to $597, SC Registered Agent.org stacks up to $397, South Carolina Registered Agent.co stacks up to $397, with state fees on top.

What do these numbers rest on?

Two kinds of source feed this page: South Carolina's official documents for what the state charges, and company price pages for what services charge.

Do I have to use a service?

Not required. The state takes filings from owners.

Are there yearly state fees?

No report falls due.

Which LLC service should I open first in South Carolina?

Mainstay Filing, because $199 a year contains the formation and a registered agent, with the EIN application tucked in. Then SC Registered Agent.org and South Carolina Registered Agent.co.

What the page rests on

  1. Unpacking S.C led us to scstatehouse.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  2. The Mainstay Filing South Carolina service page, opened November 13, 2026
  3. The SC Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  4. The South Carolina Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026