Dissolving a company in South Carolina
The state-level facts for closing an LLC or corporation in South Carolina: the dissolution filing, its fee, whether tax clearance comes first, and the tax obligations that keep accruing until the filing is accepted. Every fact links to the official government source it was read from.
South Carolina LLC
- Dissolution filing
- Articles of Termination (S.C. Code 33-44-805) — filed with the South Carolina Secretary of State. (official source)
- Filing fee
- $10 (official source)
- Tax clearance before filing
- Not required before the dissolution filing. (official source)
- Corporate License Fee / annual report (corporate-taxed entities only)
- An LLC not taxed as a corporation is not subject to the SCDOR annual report or License Fee. An LLC taxed as a corporation follows the corporate rules: returns and the minimum $25 annual License Fee are required through the SCSOS-recorded termination date. (official source)
- Final state return
- File the final return for the LLC's tax classification (SC1065 partnership return, owner's SC1040 with federal Schedules C/E/F for single-member, or SC1120/SC1120S if corporate-taxed) with the Final box checked; do not file the final return until the termination is recorded with the Secretary of State. (official source)
Worth knowing
- SCDOR will not accept a final return until the Secretary of State has recorded the termination or cancellation; the entity remains in business until then.
- Failure to file all required returns can result in the account being forfeited by the Secretary of State.
- Reinstatement after administrative dissolution requires a Certificate of Tax Compliance (C-268, $60 non-refundable, valid 30 days) plus an Application for Reinstatement with the Secretary of State.
South Carolina corporation
- Dissolution filing
- Articles of Dissolution (S.C. Code 33-14-103) — filed with the South Carolina Secretary of State. (official source)
- Filing fee
- $10 (official source)
- Tax clearance before filing
- Not required before the dissolution filing. (official source)
- Corporate License Fee and annual report (Schedule D of the corporate return)
- Corporate returns with the annual License Fee (minimum $25, paid a year in advance) are required from the charter date through the dissolution or withdrawal date recorded with the Secretary of State, even with no income or activity. A License Fee is generally not required on the final return because it was prepaid (S.C. Code 12-20-80). (official source)
- Final state return
- File a final SC1120 (or SC1120S) with the Final box checked and the income tax period end matching the stamped dissolution date recorded by the Secretary of State; SCDOR then closes the corporate account. (official source)
Worth knowing
- SCDOR will not accept a final return until the Secretary of State has recorded the dissolution or withdrawal; a domestic corporation remains in business until its SCSOS account is closed.
- The License Fee is paid a year in advance, so no License Fee is generally due with the final return (S.C. Code 12-20-80).
- A corporate return is required for every year from charter through the recorded dissolution date, even with no income or activity (minimum $25 License Fee annually).
- Reinstatement after administrative dissolution requires a Certificate of Tax Compliance (C-268, $60 non-refundable, valid 30 days) plus an Application for Reinstatement with the Secretary of State.
Closing a company is more than the state filing — payroll accounts, sales-tax permits, franchise-tax finals, federal returns, and creditor notices all have their own order and deadlines. A Winddown runbook sequences all of it for your specific company, with drafted consents and creditor notices included.
Sourced from the official pages linked above; facts we could not verify against an official source are shown as links rather than numbers. Requirements and fees change — the linked pages are authoritative. General information, not legal or tax advice.