A South Carolina Corporation is created when the SC Secretary of State approves the Articles of Incorporation. A record of the South Carolina Corporation is added to the list of Corporations which have officially registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State.  Once a Corporation is registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State, that Corporation immediately has both reporting and tax obligations which incur penalties if the obligations are not met by the required deadlines.  

If you've registered a South Carolina Corporation with the South Carolina Secretary of State and want to cease business activities you have to let the SC Secretary of State know that you intend to close your company.  Only after the SC Secretary of State has made sure that all of the obligations of the South Carolina Corporation have been fulfilled will the Secretary of State approve of the closure of the company.

When the South Carolina Secretary of State approves the closing of a SC Corporation, that South Carolina Corporation is said to be Dissolved.   The process of Dissolving a South Carolina Corporation is called South Carolina Corporation Dissolution.

All outstanding debt of a South Carolina Corporation must have been paid or discharged before the SC Secretary of State will approve Dissolution of a South Carolina Corporation.

As soon as a South Carolina Corporation is registered with the SC Secretary of State, that Corporation is responsible for recurring obligations of the South Carolina Secretary of State and the South Carolina Department of Revenue.  If the South Carolina Corporation does not file reports or pay taxes then that SC Corporation could be responsible for penalties which go up as time goes by.

Unless you Dissolve your South Carolina Corporation with the South Carolina Secretary of State that SC Corporation will be responsible for all recurring fees and penalties.

South Carolina Corporation Dissolution is one part of a larger process commonly called the "Winding Up" process.

There are things you need to do before you can request approval of Corporation Dissolution from the South Carolina Secretary of State; and things that you have to do after the SC Secretary of State has approved Dissolution of the South Carolina Corporation. 

What you have to do both before and after the South Carolina Corporation is Dissolved largely depends on how much stock, if any, has been issued and how much and what kind of debts and liabilities that the South Carolina Corporation has.  If the South Carolina Corporation has not commenced business then the SC Corporation Dissolution process is easier.

1. Hold a Board of Directors meeting and record a resolution to Dissolve the South Carolina Corporation
   
   If a Board of Directors has been appointed for the South Carolina Corporation then the Board is required to adopt a resolution to Dissolve the SC Corporation. Minutes of the meeting must be recorded and retained in the business records. If the Board of Directors has not been appointed then the Incorporator(s) have to apply for Dissolution of the South Carolina Corporation.
   We can transcribe and compile minutes or approvals into a form that is legally recognized by the South Carolina Secretary of State.
2. Hold a Shareholder meeting to approve Dissolution of the South Carolina Corporation
   
   If a South Carolina Corporation has issued shares of stock then a majority of Corporate Shareholders must approve the Dissolution plan. The approval actions should be documented and kept in the business records.
   
   If no shares have been issued then the South Carolina Corporation Dissolution process is easier.
   If necessary, we can transcribe and compile minutes into a form that is legally recognized by the South Carolina Secretary of State.
3. File all required Annual Reports with the South Carolina Secretary of State
   
   The South Carolina Secretary of State will not approve the Dissolution of a SC Corporation until all required reports have been filed.
   We can file any required Annual Report with the SC Secretary of State.
4. Clear up any business debts
   
   All creditors of a South Carolina Corporation should be given notice of the pending Corporation Dissolution. Each creditor should be given a mailing address to which they may submit claims as well as a deadline by which claims may be submitted.
   
   While the South Carolina Secretary of State does not legally require the publication of a Notice of Dissolution of a South Carolina Corporation, publication is a good way to notify anyone who might have a claim against the South Carolina Corporation.  Evidence of publication might prove useful down the line if someone makes a claim against the SC Corporation after the South Carolina Corporation has been dissolved.
   
   
5. Pay all taxes and administrative fees owed by the South Carolina Corporation
   
   The South Carolina Secretary of State will definitely not approve the Dissolution of a South Carolina Corporation until all outstanding taxes and applicable registration and administrative fees have been paid.

1. Distribute all remaining assets of the South Carolina Corporation
2. Close all business bank accounts of the South Carolina Corporation
3. Cancel all local business licenses and permits
4. File Form 966 with the IRS
5. Cancel the IRS account associated with the SC Corporation's Federal Tax ID (EIN)

1. Distribute all remaining assets of the South Carolina Corporation
   
   If the South Carolina Corporation has any remaining assets, these may be divided according to the Shareholders' ownership interests in the SC Corporation. All distributions to Corporate Shareholders must be reported to the IRS. If there are any business accounts that have been opened for the South Carolina Corporation then those accounts must be closed. If Corporate business accounts are left open there may be liability and obligations of the Dissolved South Carolina Corporation which could lead to legal problems.
   
   
2. Close all business bank accounts of the South Carolina Corporation
   
   If there are any business accounts that have been opened for the South Carolina Corporation then those accounts must be closed. If Corporate business accounts are left open there may be liability and obligations of the Dissolved South Carolina Corporation which could lead to legal problems.
   
   
3. Cancel all local business licenses and permits of the SC Corporation
   
   If the South Carolina Corporation has obtained any state, regional, county or city business licenses or permits, each of those must be cancelled to avoid any reporting or fiscal obligations of the South Carolina Corporation. This includes business registration licenses as well as reseller permits.
   
   
4. File IRS Form 966
   
   All Dissolved South Carolina Corporations must file IRS Form 966 with the US Internal Revenue Service. This filing is required within 30 days after the final Dissolution plan is approved. Filing IRS Form 966 lets the Federal Government know that the South Carolina Corporation has been legally Dissolved so that it may take the appropriate actions.
   We can prepare IRS Form 966 for you to file.
5. Cancel the IRS account associated with the SC Corporation's Federal Tax ID (EIN)
   
   A Federal Tax ID, or Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN), is like the Social Security Number for the South Carolina Corporation.  Once the IRS links an EIN to a South Carolina Corporation, that EIN stays with the South Carolina Corporation even after the Company has been Dissolved by the South Carolina Secretary of State.
   
   When the IRS processes the final tax return for the South Carolina Corporation, they automatically make the EIN inactive.  However, the account associated with the EIN is not automatically closed.  Closing the account associated with the EIN lessens the likelihood of any problems with the EIN account, or with the IRS, in the future.
   
   If you should decide to revive the South Carolina Corporation down the line the IRS will reactivate the old EIN for your new Business.
   
   Before a South Carolina Corporation can close an EIN account, it must be in Good Standing with the IRS.  The South Carolina Corporation must have filed all required tax returns and paid any applicable fees and penalties due to the IRS.  The South Carolina Corporation cannot close its EIN account until the IRS has received payment for any tax amounts the Company may owe.
   We can prepare the formal documents which you can sign and submit to the IRS in order to close the account associated with your EIN.

The time it takes to Dissolve a South Carolina Corporation varies depending on how long it takes to complete the actions that are required in each specific case - holding meetings, closing accounts, distributing assets, etc.

Once the initial actions are completed, the South Carolina Secretary of State usually takes around 7-10 business days to process the Articles of Dissolution.

Processing times for South Carolina Corporation Dissolution filings vary depending on the work load of the Secretary of State's staff.  We've found that normal processing of South Carolina Dissolution filings takes the state around 7-10 business days.

We are dependent on, and have no control over, the staff and systems of the South Carolina Secretary of State . In our experience 7-10 business days is the time it usually takes the South Carolina Secretary of State to process a South Carolina Dissolution filing. We get your South Carolina Corporation Dissolution filing to the SC Secretary of State ASAP. Once it is at the state we have no control over the South Carolina Dissolution approval process.

The total cost to Dissolve a South Carolina Corporation varies depending on exactly what is required for each specific SC Dissolution. We charge $249 plus any state fees for our South Carolina Corporation Dissolution services. This includes:

• Same day processing
• Transcribe minutes of Board of Directors meeting which proposes Dissolution
• Transcribe minutes of Shareholders meeting at which Dissolution was approved
• Prepare and file Articles of Dissolution with the South Carolina Secretary of State
• Prepare US IRS Form 966 for you to sign and file
• Prepare documents to cancel Federal EIN account
• Certified copy of Dissolution filing from SC Secretary of State
• Priority Mail Delivery of all documents
• Unlimited Customer Support

We also offer these South Carolina Corporation Dissolution services separately as explained on the right side of this web page.

If there are Foreign Corporations in states other than South Carolina that are tied to the Domestic South Carolina Corporation then each of those Foreign Corporations must be Dissolved before the South Carolina Corporation is legally Dissolved.

The Dissolution of a South Carolina Corporation can be revoked by filing Articles of Revocation of Dissolution with the SC Secretary of State within 120 days of the date on which the South Carolina Secretary of State approved the SC Corporation's Dissolution.

The company name of a Dissolved SC Corporation may not be used by another South Carolina Corporation or LLC within 120 days of the date on which the South Carolina Secretary of State approved the Dissolution of the SC Corporation. After 120 days the company name becomes available to any South Carolina Corporation or LLC. There are no protections on the use of a South Carolina company name after 120 days from the date of Dissolution.

There are no state of South Carolina requirements for the publication of a Notice of Dissolution of a South Carolina Corporation.

While the South Carolina Secretary of State does not legally require the publication of a Notice of Dissolution of a South Carolina Corporation, publication is a good way to notify anyone who might have a claim against the South Carolina Corporation.  Evidence of publication might prove useful down the line if someone makes a claim against the SC Corporation after the South Carolina Corporation has been dissolved.