Your South Carolina Corporation name can identify the type of products and services your business will provide; or it may be the name of the founder; or it can be a combination of the two or something else.

In any case, the South Carolina Corporation name that you choose must be distinguishable from the name of any other registered South Carolina Corporation or other business entity and the name must also be different from any reserved names on record with the state of South Carolina.  Your South Carolina Corporation name must not imply that it was formed for a purpose other than that stated in your Articles of Incorporation; and your South Carolina Corporation name must not be a name that is likely to mislead the public.

South Carolina state law restricts the use of certain words and phrases in Corporation names.  The name of a South Carolina Corporation also must include the word "Corporation" or "Incorporated" or an abbreviation of one of these words.  If you choose us to help you for a new South Carolina Corporation we will make sure that the name you have chose complies with all South Carolina requirements.

It's important to choose a good name for your South Carolina Corporation because if you want to change it after you incorporate you will have to file amended Articles of Incorporation with the South Carolina Secretary of State (and pay a fee).

Every South Carolina Corporation must have an address that is physically located in the state of South Carolina.  This address is "registered" with the South Carolina Secretary of State.  The Registered Address is where official and legal correspondence can be delivered.

The individual or company that is registered with the state of South Carolina to receive all correspondence on behalf of the South Carolina Corporation is called a "Registered Agent".  You may act as your own Registered Agent, however, many South Carolina Corporations hire a Registered Agent because they don't have a physical address within the state of South Carolina or to provide a distinct level of privacy.

All South Carolina Corporations are required to have a Board of Directors.  Directors are the people who will set policies for your South Carolina Corporation and manage the business and its resources.  In the majority of small corporations directors are the owners. The Articles of Incorporation or Corporate Bylaws may define specific qualifications for Directors. 

The Board of Directors is responsible for creating rules, approving budgets and distributing profits to shareholders. One of the most important duties of the Board of Directors is electing Officers for your South Carolina Corporation.  The same person may be a Director and an Officer at the same time.  Directors need not be residents of the state of South Carolina or shareholders of the South Carolina Corporation unless the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws require it.

Normally Directors for your South Carolina Corporation are elected for a term of one year.  Elections are held at the annual meeting of Shareholders.  The Directors serve until the next annual Shareholders meeting.

The Board of Directors elects Officers for your South Carolina Corporation in accordance with the Corporate Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation.  Officers serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Corporation.  Officers handle the day to day operation of the South Carolina Corporation.

Unless specifically prohibited by the Corporate Bylaws or Articles of Incorporation, in a South Carolina Corporation the same person may hold more than one Corporate Office at the same time.  However, there are certain legal affairs in which the same person cannot act in more than one capacity.

One Officer - usually the Secretary - is given responsibility for preparing Minutes of Directors and Shareholders meetings and for authenticating records for the South Carolina Corporation. 

The South Carolina Corporate Income Tax Rate is 5%.   You may form an S Corporation in South Carolina.  S Corporations may "pass through" all corporate profits to the shareholders (owners) who then pay tax at their applicable personal rate.  S Corporations do not pay any South Carolina Corporate Income Tax.

In order to form a Corporation in South Carolina you must file Articles of Incorporation with the South Carolina Secretary of State.  The Articles of Incorporation must include certain specific information about your South Carolina business. If the Articles do not conform exactly to state of South Carolina requirements they will be rejected.  You may subsequently amend the Articles of Incorporation for your South Carolina Corporation but you will have to pay a fee to the state of South Carolina in order to make the changes official.

A Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, is used by the IRS to identify a business entity.  An FEIN is like a Social Security Number for your South Carolina Corporation.  All South Carolina Corporations are required to have an FEIN.

Corporate stock is evidence of ownership of a South Carolina Corporation.  When you form your South Carolina Corporation, you will need to determine what type of stock and the number of shares of each type that you want to authorize.  You do not have to sell the number of shares that are authorized.  Many small South Carolina Corporations hold 100% of the shares.

Stockholders in a South Carolina Corporation are entitled to voting rights or dividends of the Corporate profits or both.  Whoever owns over 50% of the stock of the South Carolina Corporation is able to make all Corporate business decisions.  South Carolina Corporations usually hold at least 51% of the corporate stock in order to retain control of the South Carolina Corporation.

The Board of Directors holds an initial meeting to elect Officers, authorize issuance of stock and adopt the Corporate Bylaws.  Bylaws are the internal rules of your South Carolina Corporation.  They are adopted by the Board of Directors and vary widely from Corporation to Corporation.  Commonly bylaws include the number of seats on the board of directors; how Directors are elected; how meetings of Directors and Shareholders are to be conducted; what Officers the South Carolina Corporation will have and a description of each of their duties. 

As your company grows over time, you may amend your bylaws as necessary.  Bylaws generally cannot be amended by the Board of Directors unilaterally.  A vote by the majority of Stockholders of the South Carolina Corporation is usually required to amend the Corporate Bylaws.  Bylaws may include any rules for managing the business and conducting corporate affairs.  Almost anything may be written into the Bylaws, however, the Bylaws must not be in violation of any federal or South Carolina law or the South Carolina Corporation's Articles of Incorporation.  A copy of the Corporate Bylaws should be maintained at the Corporation's principal South Carolina office.

Note that forming a South Carolina Corporation doesn't take the place of obtaining a business license, tax registration certificate, or other required business permits.  A South Carolina Corporation merely creates an ownership structure that limits the owners' personal liability.  You may still need to take care of getting set up to do business with your local government.

Depending on the nature of the business and the location of your South Carolina Corporation you may need to get one or more city business licenses or permits.  The business licenses or permits that are required for your South Carolina Corporation vary depending on your business activities and the specific locations within the state of South Carolina in which you want to conduct business.

If your South Carolina Corporation will be selling products in South Carolina you may be required to obtain a Reseller's Permit from the appropriate South Carolina state agency.  If your South Carolina Corporation will be selling products in South Carolina you will also be responsible for all applicable local and state of South Carolina sales taxes if there are any.

Every South Carolina Corporation must hold corporate and shareholder meetings, at least annually, and must keep minutes of each meeting on file.  A copy of the minutes is evidence that the meetings took place and includes all resolutions that were adopted.  The minutes of each meetings must be open for inspection by any Shareholder or Director.  This meeting requirement is often overlooked and comes into play when the South Carolina Corporation is challenged for any reason.  Keeping proper meeting minutes and documenting resolutions made and approved by the Directors is a formality that could save your South Carolina Corporation a lot of potential trouble.

In South Carolina an Initial Annual Report must be submitted when a SC company files its Articles of Incorporation with the SC Secretary of State. The fee for the South Carolina Corporation Initial Annual Report is included in the filing fees.

If a South Carolina Corporation does not file an Initial Annual Report with the SC Secretary of State within 60 days after starting Business in South Carolina, penalties will accrue.

A South Carolina Corporation does not file Annual Reports with the SC Secretary of State. The South Carolina Corporation files its Annual Report, as part of the SC Corporate tax return, with the South Carolina Department of Revenue.

The SC Corporation Annual Report is due the 15th day of the third month after the close of the South Carolina Corporation tax year. For example, if the tax year ends on Dec 31 for a South Carolina Corporation the SC corporate tax return, along with the Annual Report, is due by March 15 of the following year.

You can reach the SC Department of Revenue by telephone at 1-844-898-8542 or you can email the department at CorpTax@dor.sc.gov.