State filing information
South Carolina
Business tax filing in South Carolina: state returns, sales tax, other business taxes, and the federal dates that apply everywhere.
- South Carolina corporate income tax returns for calendar-year filers are due April 15.
- South Carolina partnership returns are due March 15.
- South Carolina sales and use tax returns are due on the 20th of the following month.
- Other business taxes in South Carolina: Corporate license fee (annual); Initial corporate license fee (CL-1); Active trade or business income entity-level tax (elective, 3%).
- The next federal deadline that applies in South Carolina is Q3 2026 estimated tax payment (Form 1040-ES) on .
Corporate income tax return
Partnership / S corporation returns
Sales tax return
Other business taxes
South Carolina Department of Revenue
Other business taxes
| Tax | Who owes it | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate license fee (annual) | C corporations and S corporations doing business in SC: 0.1% of capital stock and paid-in or capital surplus plus $15 (i.e., $15 + $1 per $1,000), minimum $25 | Paid with the corporate return: 15th day of the 4th month (SC1120, April 15 calendar year) or 15th day of... |
| Initial corporate license fee (CL-1) | New corporations: file the Initial Annual Report of Corporations (CL-1) and pay a one-time $25 initial license fee to SCDOR within 60 days of initially doing business... | Within 60 days of commencing business in SC (one-time) |
| Active trade or business income entity-level tax (elective, 3%) | Qualifying partnerships and S corporations that elect entity-level taxation on Form I-435 (annual election, tax years 2021+) | With SC1065 / SC1120S, 15th day of the 3rd month (March 15 calendar year) |
Rules in full
Corporate income tax
Corporate income tax of 5% on SC taxable income. All corporate taxable entities other than S corporations and tax-exempt organizations file annually on or before the 15th day of the 4th month after the close of the taxable year; return and payment due together.
Extension. File SC1120-T (Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File a Corporate Tax Return) with payment of any income tax and license fee by the...
Partnerships and S corporations
S corporations owe the annual corporate license fee (0.1% of capital stock and paid-in surplus plus $15, minimum $25) filed with SC1120S; LLCs not taxed as corporations and partnerships do not owe the license fee or annual report. Nonresident withholding: 5% of nonresident shareholders'/partners' SC taxable income (SC1120S-WH / with SC1065), due 15th day of the 3rd month, waived for owners providing an I-309 affidavit or included in a composite return. PTE election: beginning tax year 2021 a qualifying partnership or S corporation may elect annually (by the return due date including extensions) to have its active trade or business income taxed at the entity level at a flat 3%, computed on Form I-435 attached to SC1065/SC1120S; income taxed at entity level is not subject to nonresident withholding.
Sales and use tax
Due date. Returns due the 20th of the month following the reporting period (e.g., January period due February 20).
Filing frequency. Monthly by default; a taxpayer must request SCDOR approval (MyDORWAY web message or email to SalesTax@dor.sc.gov) to file quarterly or annually. Taxpayers with SC tax liability of $15,000 or more per filing period must file and pay electronically.
Annual report
Due Bundled with the corporate income tax return: Schedule D (annual report) is... (South Carolina Department of Revenue...)
Notes
SC is unusual in that the corporate annual report is a schedule of the SCDOR income tax return rather than a Secretary of State filing. The 2025 corporate instructions update IRC conformity through December 31, 2024; no 2024+ change to due dates or the license fee formula was found.
Federal dates that apply in South Carolina
- SEP15TueIndividuals & Sole ProprietorsQ3 2026 estimated tax payment (Form 1040-ES)
- SEP15TuePartnershipsForm 1065 extended return (Form 7004), tax year 2025
- SEP15TueS-CorporationsForm 1120-S extended return (Form 7004), tax year 2025
- SEP15TueC-CorporationsQ3 2026 corporate estimated tax (Form 1120-W)
- OCT15ThuIndividuals & Sole ProprietorsForm 1040 extended return (Form 4868), tax year 2025
- OCT15ThuC-CorporationsForm 1120 extended return (Form 7004), tax year 2025
Sources
- https://dor.sc.gov/ official
- https://dor.sc.gov/business-income-taxes/corporate official
- https://dor.sc.gov/business-income-taxes/corporate/c-corporation official
- https://dor.sc.gov/business-income-taxes/corporate/corporate-faqs official
- https://dor.sc.gov/tax/c-corp/filing-req official
- https://dor.sc.gov/sites/dor/files/forms/SC1120I.pdf official
- https://dor.sc.gov/business-income-taxes/corporate/s-corporation official
- https://dor.sc.gov/business-income-taxes/partnership official
- https://dor.sc.gov/sites/dor/files/forms/SC1065_2025.pdf official
- https://dor.sc.gov/sites/dor/files/forms/I435.pdf official
- https://dor.sc.gov/sales-use-tax-index/sales-tax official
- https://dor.sc.gov/sales-use-tax-index official
- https://www.taxjar.com/sales-tax/south-carolina
Checked 2026-09-01; researcher confidence 0.88. Corrections with a link to the state's own page: contact@businesstaxdeadlines.com.