Best registered agent services in South Carolina

How is this list ordered, and what did we compare?

The list runs by our score, highest first, with tied scores in editorial order, and every provider is measured against the same published facts on price, renewal, documents, cancellation and refunds.

Our score is built only from cited facts: customer satisfaction, breadth of service and dashboard, and value and cost. The method and each provider's breakdown sit on how we score. We don't test services or buy them. Trustpilot ratings appear in the table as a separate third-party figure with their source, and we leave them as published.

"Score" is our editorial score out of 10, built from published facts: half from the Trustpilot rating, the rest from breadth of services, dashboard and mail scanning, and package value and two-year cost (how we score; scores approved 2026-10-14). We don't test services. Trustpilot ratings are third-party, cited to Trustpilot, and not adjusted.

For each provider we looked at its agent price and renewal, how documents and lawsuit papers get to you, whether it sells a business address separate from the agent's, and its terms on auto-renewal, cancellation and refunds. Every fact comes from the provider's own site or terms, or is labelled as supplied by the provider. Where a provider doesn't publish something, the paragraph says so. What an agent does in general is in what a registered agent does; this page sticks to picking a paid one for a South Carolina LLC.

What in South Carolina law changes how you pick an agent?

Three rules shape the choice: who the statute lets serve, the split between the designated office and the agent's address, and the absence of a yearly report for an LLC with default tax treatment.

Who the statute accepts

S.C. Code Ann. § 33-44-108 reads: "An agent must be an individual resident of this State, a domestic corporation, another limited liability company, or a foreign corporation or foreign company authorized to do business in this State." A national service fits through the business categories in that sentence, and so can a friend's company, since the list includes another limited liability company. An owner who lives in the state can also act as agent. The trade-offs of doing that, and the full address rules, are on our South Carolina registered agent guide.¹

Two addresses, two jobs

The statute asks every LLC to keep an office, which need not be a place of business in this State, and separately an agent and street address of the agent for service of process on the company. Whoever you hire, the agent's address goes in the agent field, which is true of every agent and no special feature. The statute lists the office and the agent as separate items, and the state facts we cite don't say whether an agent's address or a provider's separate business address can serve as the designated office. Ask the Secretary of State before relying on either.¹

Little or nothing for an annual report service to file

The Department of Revenue says an LLC not taxed as a corporation is not subject to the annual report or the License Fee. Report-filing and reminder features that agent services advertise therefore have no South Carolina report to handle for an LLC with that default treatment. The picture changes if the LLC elects corporate tax treatment. In the Department's words, "An LLC taxed as a corporation is not exempt": such an LLC owes the corporate License Fee (minimum $25) and starts with the CL-1 Initial Annual Report. None of the provider facts we cite says whether its report service covers that Department of Revenue filing, so ask before you pay for it. Staying compliant in South Carolina sets out what each type of LLC owes.²

Resignation and switching

A move costs $10 on the Notice of Change of Designated Office, Agent or Address of Registered Agent. If a provider resigns instead, the SOS mails copies to the designated office and to the LLC's principal office, and the agency ends on the 31st day after filing. That notice lands at the designated office, so keep that office somewhere you read the post. Going without an agent isn't among the listed grounds for administrative dissolution, which turns on whether the LLC does not pay a fee, tax or penalty within 60 days after it is due. The statute requires an agent all the same. The order of steps for a switch is in how to change a registered agent.^{1, 3}

How do the registered agent services compare in South Carolina?

Each provider has its own heading below, in the same order as the table, with its published price, renewal, document handling and exit terms set against South Carolina's rules.

Tailor Brands

Tailor Brands lists its agent at $199/year, renewing at $199/year (renews at the same price); both figures were supplied by the provider. Its page says it offers Registered Agent services for your LLC in all 50 states, and it offers an LLC dashboard with new-document notifications. Its agent terms put a limit on the address: "You must not designate or otherwise refer to the Registered Address as your business location in any public materials." For a public-facing address it sells a Virtual Address product, price not published. Auto-renewal is on by default for subscription services. Fees are non-refundable to the maximum extent permitted by law, and where a refund is issued, a $29 service fee comes off it. Its Essential formation plan bundles annual compliance (report filing and updates); for a South Carolina LLC not taxed as a corporation there is no state report for that to file. See the Tailor Brands review.^{4, 5, 6, 7, 8}

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness charges $199/year and renews at $199/yr, with 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC. You get scans, and its terms add: "Originals will not be forwarded unless the material being sent cannot be copied." For time-sensitive papers, its agent page mentions mail and overnight delivery to ensure you receive time-sensitive documents promptly. One clause to read before the second year: ZenBusiness may increase its fees for RA Services effective the first day of a RA Service Term. Cancelling is done by contacting customer support by phone, and a refund can be requested only if the service has not yet been used. Read the ZenBusiness review.^{9, 10, 11}

LegalZoom

LegalZoom's agent is $249/year (first-time registered agent customers). Its renewal wording reads "Renews at the purchase rate each year; rate subject to change." It sends email reminders about annual report deadlines via Compliance Calendar, which for a South Carolina LLC not taxed as a corporation has no state report to point at. You cancel by phone or online via My Account, and proof of new RA may be required, so have the Notice of Change on file first. Under its agent terms, prepaid fees are refunded only when LegalZoom terminates the service. LegalZoom doesn't state its state coverage on the pages we checked. See the LegalZoom review.^{12, 13}

Bizee

Bizee's agent is $149/year on its own, with renewal described as $149/year (ongoing annual fee), and forming an LLC with Bizee adds one year of Registered Agent Service for free. Service of process is mailed via FedEx with tracking, and the agent service includes free lifetime compliance notifications. Leaving means assigning a new registered agent with the state and notifying Bizee of the change; in South Carolina the state half of that is the Notice of Change. The Bizee pages we checked show no refund terms specific to the agent; its general policy says orders are generally refundable until payment is forwarded to a government entity. More in the Bizee review.^{14, 15, 16, 17}

Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings prices the agent at $149 per quarter ($596/year). Its FAQ separately says the service renews annually with reminders before renewal, a different cadence from the quarterly charge its own pricing shows. Papers go to your account with legal SOP typically within 2-3 hours, and it promises timely notifications of state correspondence. Its rule for leaving is that a replacement agent must be designated (or business dissolved) before cancellation. Refunds depend on the charge, with no published time window. See the Swyft Filings review.^{18, 19, 20, 21}

doola

doola quotes $297 per year for its agent, the same figure as its Starter formation plan ($297/yr), and it doesn't make clear whether that buys the agent alone. The agent is free with doola’s Formation Service, though doola doesn't say for how long. It offers same-day scans, while physical mail forwarding is not included in your base registered agent subscription unless otherwise stated in your plan. Its general terms say "Any recurring fees will automatically renew at the rates then in effect." To stop, the terms let you delete your account at any time. doola says it works with a non-resident without a US SSN, and it doesn't state its state coverage on the pages we checked. See the doola review.^{22, 23, 24, 25}

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest charges $125 per year and says it has offices in every state plus D.C. and Puerto Rico. Legal documents go to your online account, and it lists normal business mail scanned up to 5 docs per year free; its storage terms also mention a current 15 per year limit for legal documents, above which a fee may apply. One billing detail is particular to Northwest: agent customers are automatically enrolled in Compliance Services (annual report filing), billed in annual auto-pay. Its annual report service is $100 + state fees, charged at filing, so for a South Carolina LLC not taxed as a corporation, which files no state report, ask what that enrolment would ever charge. Mail forwarding is sold apart at $20/month in 24 select states. You can cancel your Service anytime by logging onto your account, with no cancellation fee, and purchases are non-refundable after 90 days. Read the Northwest review.^{26, 27, 28, 29, 30}

Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer lists its agent at $125 with a Plus or Pro membership, and the membership is a yearly charge of its own: Plus is $249/year, Pro $349/year. Count both when you compare it with the others. The agent renews for successive 1-year terms. Its terms say the service must be canceled prior to the renewal date to avoid recurring annual charges, and refund requests must come within 30 days of purchase. See the Rocket Lawyer review.^{31, 32, 33}

InCorp Services

InCorp sells the agent for $129/year and markets a $129 per year flat rate, while its terms of service let it bill the 'then current' fee. It lists legal documents scanned and delivered same day and an Entity Management System (EMS), included free. Service and fees continue until you meet a cancellation condition: dissolve entity, appoint new agent, or resign InCorp with fees. Refund requests must be made within 60 days of issuance of services. See the InCorp review.^{34, 35, 36}

Harbor Compliance

Harbor Compliance charges $99 first year (new customers) and renews at $159 annually; its page also notes that Multi-year prepay locks $99/yr for the prepaid years. Documents arrive in its Client Portal and Entity Manager. Non-renewal notice has to be given at least 90 days before the end of the current term; without it, the service renews for another term. Its fees are non-refundable. Read the Harbor Compliance review.^{37, 38}

What does a registered agent cost in South Carolina in year one and after?

Year one is the $110 fee for the Articles of Organization plus your agent's first-year price; from year two it is mostly the agent's renewal, since an LLC with the default tax treatment owes no state report fee.³⁹

That holds for an LLC not taxed as a corporation ($0). An LLC taxed as a corporation adds the corporate License Fee (minimum $25).²

The first-year and renewal columns differ for several providers.

• Bizee's agent costs nothing in the first year if you form with Bizee, then renews at $149/year (ongoing annual fee).¹⁵
• Harbor Compliance's new-customer price rises to $159 annually at renewal.³⁷
• ZenBusiness halves the first year for LLCs it forms.
• Swyft Filings bills by the quarter, so multiply before comparing.
• Rocket Lawyer's figure needs a paid membership on top.
• InCorp and LegalZoom both keep the right to change the renewal price.

If you expect to keep the LLC for years, the renewal column tells you more than the opening price. Formation totals are worked through in the cheapest ways to form a South Carolina LLC and South Carolina LLC formation services compared. For agent prices nationwide, see cheapest registered agent services, or line two providers up on our comparison page.