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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class session 2 · South Carolina

South Carolina Registered Agent Class (2026): 6 Assignments and the 3 Best Agents

For getting a registered agent in South Carolina in 2026, the class favorites are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), SC Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and South Carolina Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), graded from first to last. 6 assignments cover the rule, who is eligible, the address test and the filing.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Class overview

Is a registered agent required?YesLook at scstatehouse.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Agent price range$99 to $149 a yearFrom company pricing pages
Assignments6Each one explained

Class goals

  • Why South Carolina wants an agent on file
  • Eligibility and address rules
  • Naming the agent with the state
  • How the picks compare

If you want someone else to file

Graded on the grading page: three-year tuition (30%), homework done (34%), year-two tuition, fit with the South Carolina class and fees a student can read.
Highest grade

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent at one price

First year $149; renewal $149

Mainstay Filing gets first place, and the reason is that an agent fee of $149 a year that holds across all fifty states.

You pay $150 extra across three years compared with SC Registered Agent.org, and you keep less of the paperwork.

Covered by the tuition

  • A registered office in South Carolina
  • Scans of papers served on the company, free and on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Strengths

  • Works in all fifty states
  • $149 a year, same at renewal

Weak spots

  • SC Registered Agent.org is $50 a year lower
  • An agent-only plan, so no report filing
One-state plan

2. SC Registered Agent.org: best for owners based in the state

First year $99; renewal $99

SC Registered Agent.org makes a respectable second: a street address inside the state for the registered office, at $99 a year.

Covered by the tuition

  • A physical address in South Carolina
  • Online copies of legal papers

Strengths

  • A flat $99 yearly
  • Under Mainstay Filing on price

Weak spots

  • No help in other states
One-state plan

3. South Carolina Registered Agent.co: best for an in-state mailing address

First year $99; renewal $99

South Carolina Registered Agent.co makes a respectable third: a street address inside the state for the registered office, at $99 a year.

Its prices match SC Registered Agent.org's, so either works.

Covered by the tuition

  • A physical address in South Carolina
  • Online copies of legal papers

Strengths

  • A flat $99 yearly
  • Under Mainstay Filing on price

Weak spots

  • No help in other states

Grades and prices together

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2SC Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit SC Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3South Carolina Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit South Carolina Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Every agent leaves the state fees unchanged.

The South Carolina agent, in order

  1. Assignment
    1

    Learn the requirement

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

    Textbook page: Look at scstatehouse.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Who can take the role

    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. (S.C. Code § 33-44-108)

  3. Assignment
    3

    Use an office address that qualifies

    The address has to be a street address in South Carolina for the agent, stated in the articles. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Paying a service keeps your home address out of public records.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Serve yourself or use a professional

    Owners who qualify can name themselves, and the graded agents charge $99 to $149 each year.

  5. Assignment
    5

    Report the agent's details

    Your filing with the South Carolina Secretary of State is where the agent gets identified, and any change means a fresh filing at that office.

    Textbook page: Look at scstatehouse.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  6. Assignment
    6

    Update when things change

    No South Carolina report is due, so the agent appointment is the one thing to watch.

The bill

Line itemGoes toCost
A professional agentThe service$99 to $149 a year
Every year afterThe service$99 to $149 a year
The state's fees come from official pages, listed below. Added up over three years they are the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why Mainstay Filing is first

Homework the price does settled first place in South Carolina. It is worth 34% of the grade, and the rest comes from tuition across three years, year-two tuition, fit with the state class and fees a student can read.

One agent for every state beat the one-state plan.

South Carolina pop quiz

Is a registered agent required in South Carolina?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

An owner can serve if eligible; the tests are in assignments 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Change whenever you like through the South Carolina Secretary of State, as assignment 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in South Carolina?

$99 to $149 per year for the agents listed.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

No yearly report fee.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Pick Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, $149 at renewal, and the same plan is on offer in every other state. Then SC Registered Agent.org and South Carolina Registered Agent.co.

Keep learning

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. The S.C lesson rests on scstatehouse.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  2. South Carolina service page from Mainstay Filing as of November 13, 2026
  3. pricing page from SC Registered Agent.org as of November 13, 2026
  4. pricing page from South Carolina Registered Agent.co as of November 13, 2026