Find answers to some of our most frequently asked questions!

Small Business Development Centers are located throughout South Carolina and are dedicated to providing assistance with the various aspects of planning, starting, and running a successful business. 

There is also SCORE, a nonprofit association of volunteer executives with years of business experience who are ready to help.  

Business Licenses are typically issued locally by the county or municipality where your business is located. There is no statewide business license. 

Check with the city/county/town in which your business will be operating. If the business is operating in multiple areas, you will need to get licenses for each location.

You can register online with the South Carolina Secretary of State. 

Sole proprietors do not need to register with the Secretary of State, but you can still use their online database to determine if a business name is already in use by a business entity.

Check out our new hire checklist. 

Apply for your free federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) tax ID with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 

There is not a statewide process to register DBA (Doing Business As) names, so we recommend that you add your DBA name to your local business license and Retail License. 

Federal agencies use the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to classify businesses by industry. You'll need to determine the NAICS code that best aligns with your business when applying for a Retail License.

Learn about business changes on our Change Address, Name, Registered Info page.

Find information and resources for closing your business on our Changing or Closing a Business page.