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Written by: Natalie Fell
Natalie is a business writer with experience in operations, HR, and training & development within the software, healthcare, and financial services sectors.
Edited by: David Lepeska
David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.
Published on August 14, 2022
Updated on April 9, 2024
If you’re starting an LLC in South Carolina, the business entity formation process is one of the first and most important hurdles. This step can be terribly complex and time-consuming, which is why many entrepreneurs turn to professional formation services.
But which are the best LLC formation services in South Carolina? This article takes a closer look, stepping into an entrepreneur’s shoes, to help you choose the service that puts you on the road to success.
Here we summarize our top picks for business formation services in South Carolina.
Best Value
Best Registered Agent Service
Best Turnaround Time
Best Legal Assistance
Best for Small Budget
Best for Speedy Processing
ZenBusiness offers a range of plans tailored to the needs of South Carolina entrepreneurs.
Their Starter plan, priced at $0 plus South Carolina state fees, ensures a smooth business initiation process by covering the business name availability search and providing full support during the formation of your South Carolina LLC.
For a more comprehensive package, their Pro plan at $199 plus state fees brings together the Starter plan’s offerings, a South Carolina-specific operating agreement template, an EIN, an annual compliance service, and a speedier rush filing.
Lastly, businesses looking for a full suite of services might consider their Premium plan. At $349 plus South Carolina state fees, it includes all Pro services, a diverse business document template library, a domain name, a website, and a dedicated email for your South Carolina LLC.
ZenBusiness stands out as the top choice for LLC filing in South Carolina, thanks to its affordable base service, starting at $0 plus state fees, and its unwavering 100% accuracy guarantee.
Furthermore, ZenBusiness operates as a Public Benefit Corporation, indicating their commitment to not just profits but also fostering a sense of community, reminiscent of nonprofit organizations.
Beyond merely forming a South Carolina LLC, ZenBusiness extends a host of additional services, ranging from registered agents to essential business tools. However, potential clients should note that availing of these might increase the overall costs.
Historically speaking, the feedback from South Carolina businesses and beyond for ZenBusiness has been overwhelmingly positive.
ZenBusiness offers valuable services for budding entrepreneurs. While registered agent services are an add-on, their excellent customer support, user-friendly site, and positive reviews make them a top choice.
Northwest’s package, priced at $39 plus South Carolina state fees, provides a comprehensive suite of services tailored for your South Carolina LLC. This includes the business formation process, complimentary registered agent services for a year, a dedicated business address in South Carolina, a customized operating agreement for your state, and several other advantageous features.
This package presents significant value, especially for a South Carolina LLC. Notably, the inclusion of registered agent services and a state-specific operating agreement — both crucial components for any LLC — make it a standout choice.
However, it’s essential to note that even if you decide against utilizing the registered agent services, the package price remains unchanged.
Renowned for its registered agent services, Northwest Registered Agent is a trusted name in the industry. Serving South Carolina businesses, they are recognized for their personalized customer support and swift notification of any official correspondence, ensuring your South Carolina LLC remains compliant and informed.
We recommend Northwest Registered Agent because of their transparent pricing, outstanding customer service, and a commitment to maintaining your privacy. They pride themselves on personalizing their approach to meeting your registered agent needs, which are their specialty.
Swyft Filings provides an array of packages tailored for your South Carolina LLC. Starting with the Basic package, for just the South Carolina state fees, you’ll receive a business name verification, articles of organization preparation, and document filing with the state of South Carolina. This package also grants you online access to your documents and promises lifetime customer support.
Stepping up, the Standard package, at $199 plus South Carolina state fees, encompasses all offerings of the Basic package and further provides you with a tailored operating agreement and an EIN. Moreover, this package ensures that South Carolina LLCs can conveniently set up their inaugural meetings with custom banking resolution services and organizational minutes.
Swyft Filings’ Premium package, priced at $299 plus the state fees for South Carolina, includes every feature of the Standard package, along with the benefits of expedited filing. The package boasts a range of tools for your South Carolina LLC, like a business document library, timely compliance notifications, and a business domain and website. Additionally, the digital LLC kit offers a company “seal”, a ledger for ownership transfer monitoring, and personalized ownership certificates.
Renowned for its commendable customer support, Swyft Filings has consistently received positive feedback from clients, cementing their reputation in South Carolina and beyond.
Swyft Filings offers fast processing but doesn’t include registered agent services in their packages, making additions somewhat costly. However, they provide good value overall and strong customer support.
In South Carolina, LegalZoom’s Basic plan is priced at only state fees. This package ensures a business name availability search specifically tailored for South Carolina LLCs and the business formation service within the state, bolstered by comprehensive customer support. Clients can also look forward to a digital welcome packet tailored for South Carolina businesses and a professional business website. Additionally, access to your LLC formation documents online, relevant to South Carolina regulations, is always available.
Their Pro plan, priced at $249, not only encompasses everything in the Basic plan but also provides a South Carolina-specific operating agreement, an EIN, a business license guide tailored to South Carolina standards, and initial phone consultations with specialists familiar with the state’s unique business landscape.
Opting for the Premium plan, at $299, ensures South Carolina LLCs receive all services from the Pro plan. Additionally, they benefit from unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations, allowing for changes to your South Carolina LLC for 30 days. This premium package also guarantees hands-on guidance from a business attorney well-versed in South Carolina’s legal framework.
LegalZoom’s edge lies in the expansive array of legal services and documents they offer, all fine-tuned for the South Carolina business environment.
LegalZoom’s services are easy to use and they offer great customer experience. They offer a wider variety of legal services and have been in business for more than 20 years. Overall, they’re a great one-stop shop for all of your business formation and legal needs.
Value: Excellent
Turnaround Time: Fast
Help and Support: Good
Customer Satisfaction: Excellent
Ease of Use: Excellent
For South Carolina LLCs, the Silver package, priced solely at state fees, facilitates the preparation and filing of the articles of organization tailored to South Carolina’s guidelines. The package also provides unlimited name searches in line with South Carolina’s availability checks, complimentary registered agent services for one year within the state, business tax consultation, business banking account offer, and lifetime compliance alerts. Lifetime alerts mean that Bizee will remind you of any reporting due dates based on SC requirements. You’ll also get access to a personalized online dashboard and unlimited phone and email support.
The Gold package, at $199, offers everything from the Silver package, coupled with a South Carolina-specific operating agreement template, banking resolution, an EIN tax number, and the filing of IRS Form 2553, which allows LLCs to reap the tax benefits of an S Corporation. It costs $199.
Lastly, the Platinum package, priced at $299, extends all the advantages of the Gold package and introduces expedited filing specific to South Carolina LLC timelines. You’ll also gain a domain name and business email setup, which is pivotal for a strong digital presence in South Carolina. Furthermore, South Carolina business owners will find immense value in the included business contract templates. These encompass over 25 distinct contracts, meticulously crafted and reviewed by attorneys familiar with South Carolina’s business landscape.
Bizee provides substantial value, especially with their Silver package that costs only state fees and includes a year of registered agent service. For first-time entrepreneurs looking to save, Bizee stands out in the competition.
Filenow presents a Starter plan tailored for South Carolina LLCs at just $49. This plan incorporates company compliance alerts relevant to South Carolina regulations, a tax consultation designed for the state’s business environment, and a specialized business bank account setup within South Carolina.
Their Premium plan, priced at $199 for South Carolina businesses, goes a step further. It includes a complimentary year of registered agent services within South Carolina, an operating agreement attuned to South Carolina’s guidelines, an EIN, a banking resolution designed for South Carolina LLCs, a set of business contract templates, and a swift 24-hour processing time specific to the state’s filing system.
What sets Filenow apart, especially for South Carolina LLCs, is their rapid processing times and a customer-centric money-back guarantee. Their Premium plan, customized for the South Carolina market, undoubtedly offers remarkable value.
Filenow’s Premium plan is an exceptional value based on what you get for the price. It’s less expensive than similar plans offered by competitors. They also offer fast turnaround times, and a money back guarantee.
A business formation service handles the business formation process for you, making it nearly seamless while offering additional services that can make life easier for a new business owner. Whether you’re forming a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation, a business formation service takes care of all the red tape, freeing you up to focus on growing your business.
With so many business formation services to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which is best for you. There are four essential elements that can help you make your decision.
Each service offers various products and services, and their plans are all designed differently. You may need some services but not others, so you need to choose the service that offers everything you need. For example, only some of the providers offer annual report filing.
If it’s important to you to get that task off your plate, you’ll want a service that offers that feature. Another feature you might need is a digital dashboard where you can always access your business formation documents.
You’ll want to choose a service that has everything you need to make starting and running your business as easy as possible.
Of course, you’ll want to get the best value for your money!
Compare the cost of each service for everything you need. The price can really add up when you start adding extras, so be careful not to go too far. You also want to get good value and great customer service, so if you’re considering the cheapest service, check the reviews to see how people feel about it.
Business formation turnaround times vary with each service, so if you’re in a hurry to get your business up and running, you’ll want to look for the quickest service. You don’t want your order to sit in an office for too long before your paperwork gets filed with the state. Some services differentiate themselves with fast turnaround times, so if they also offer good value, that might be your best choice.
One good way to learn about the quality of anything you’re buying is to listen to what people are saying about it. When we review services we look at Better Business Bureau and TrustPilot ratings and reviews. You should look at both positive and negative reviews to find out what people love about the service and about issues customers have encountered.
Remember that fake reviews are common, so you’ll have to take some of the reviews with a grain of salt.
As an entrepreneurial advisory site, we take our responsibilities seriously. We understand that countless entrepreneurs, and potential entrepreneurs, rely on our judgments and insights, particularly when it comes to creating their business.
As a result, our writers do their utmost to gain a comprehensive understanding of the services offered and the actual customer experience. In nearly every case, we:
Thanks to this full immersion in the actual customer experience, our reviewers are able to provide the most complete and insightful analysis of various LLC formation services.
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