Does a Sole Proprietor Need to Register with the State of South Carolina?

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Does a sole proprietor need to register with the state of South Carolina?
Registration Requirements. South Carolina does not require sole proprietors to register with the Secretary of State’s office. Corporations (both for-profit and nonprofit), limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and LLCs must register with the state.
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You might be asking if you have to register your company with the state if you run a sole proprietorship in South Carolina. It depends on a few different circumstances, is the response.

First off, you don’t need to register with the state of South Carolina if you run your business under your own name. However, you must register your company with the South Carolina Secretary of State’s office if you conduct business under a “doing business as” (DBA) name rather than your own.

You must submit a “Certificate of Assumed Name” form to the Secretary of State’s office in South Carolina to register a DBA name. There is a $10 filing fee for this form, which can be submitted either online or by mail. After registering your DBA name, you must renew it every five years.

You might also need to apply for other licenses and permits in South Carolina in addition to registering your DBA name. Depending on the kind of business you run and where it is located, there are different requirements. To avoid any legal or financial repercussions, it is crucial to research and abide by all applicable local, state, and federal legislation.

You can ask for a “Letter of Good Standing” from the South Carolina Secretary of State’s office if you need to show documentation of your company’s good standing with the state. A Letter of Good Standing can be ordered online or by mail for a fee of $10. A Letter of Good Standing normally takes two to three business days to process.

Finally, you can use the Secretary of State’s online business entity search tool to see if a firm is registered in South Carolina. You can use this tool to look up South Carolina state-registered business entities and view registration details.

As a result, while single proprietors doing business under their own name are exempt from South Carolina’s registration requirements, those doing business under a DBA name are required to register their company with the Secretary of State’s office. Additionally, it’s critical to follow all applicable laws and regulations and acquire all required licenses and permits. The South Carolina Secretary of State’s office offers information to help you if you require evidence of good standing or wish to determine whether a company is actually in existence.