South Carolina · Payroll registration
South Carolina payroll tax registration, done for you.
Two agencies and two numbers that look nothing alike. The Department of Revenue issues a nine digit Withholding File Number through MyDORWAY. The Department of Employment and Workforce issues a six digit Employer Account Number, and decides for itself whether you are liable at all.
Last updated:
Who you are dealing with
South Carolina Department of Revenue
- Handles:
- Employer withholding account
- System:
- MyDORWAY
- Form:
- Register online at MyDORWAY. There is no charge for the withholding account, and the number issued is a nine digit Withholding File Number
- Phone:
- 844-898-8542
South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce
- Handles:
- Unemployment insurance employer account
- System:
- SUITS, the State Unemployment Insurance Tax System
- Form:
- Submit the employer registration in SUITS. DEW determines the unemployment insurance liability or non-liability of the employing unit and issues a six digit Employer Account Number
South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, payroll registration
State fee. $0. There is no charge to register the withholding account, and none for the unemployment registration. Our flat fee covers preparing and filing each.
Our fee. $180 per state, flat. State fees are passed through at cost.
When you have to register
Register with Revenue for withholding, and file with Employment and Workforce if you have at least one employee. Note that DEW makes a determination of liability or non-liability rather than leaving you to self-assess, so the answer comes back to you.
What comes next
The South Carolina quirk to plan for is at the other end: if the withholding account is open for any part of the year, the annual WH-1606 is required rather than a fourth quarter WH-1605, so a March closure still owes the annual return.
How long it takes
South Carolina does not publish a turnaround we could confirm from either agency. Commercial guides quote a specific wait for the unemployment account number and we have not verified it, so we do not repeat it.
What we do
We work out which accounts you need, submit each registration, and hand you the account numbers, rates, and deposit schedules your payroll system asks for. One remote hire. $180 per state, plus state fees at cost. We submit within 2 business days. You keep the client. We never email them.
Hiring in more than one state? State payroll tax registration covers the withholding and unemployment accounts payroll software will not open.
What makes South Carolina harder than average
- Two numbers, two lengths, two agencies. A nine digit Withholding File Number from Revenue and a six digit Employer Account Number from Employment and Workforce. Payroll software asking for one and given the other fails in a way that is easy to misdiagnose.
- Liability is determined, not assumed. Employment and Workforce decides whether the employing unit is liable or non-liable. That is more helpful than a threshold to interpret, and it means waiting for an answer rather than proceeding on your own reading.
- New hires have their own 20 day clock. All employers report newly hired employees within 20 days of the first day of work, separately from either registration.
- The year-end trap starts at registration. Because the WH-1606 annual return is required if the account was open for any portion of the year, opening an account in December still creates an annual filing for that year.
How South Carolina compares
What triggers registration in South Carolina is not what triggers it next door. The table sets the thresholds side by side.
Questions and answers
How many South Carolina registrations do I need?
Two. Withholding with the Department of Revenue through MyDORWAY, and unemployment with the Department of Employment and Workforce through SUITS.
What numbers will I get?
A nine digit Withholding File Number from Revenue and a six digit Employer Account Number from Employment and Workforce. They are different lengths and not interchangeable.
Do I decide whether I am liable for unemployment tax?
No. Employment and Workforce determines the liability or non-liability of the employing unit and tells you. You file with them if you have at least one employee.
Is there a cost?
No. There is no charge to register the withholding account, and none for the unemployment registration.
What do you need from me to start?
The legal name and FEIN, entity type, South Carolina work locations, first payroll date, and headcount so the unemployment registration reflects it correctly.
Also in South Carolina
Agency details verified 2026-08-03
About the provider
Regcrest LLC is a document preparation and filing service based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, founded in 2026. It prepares and files state payroll and sales tax registrations, account closures, and resale certificates on behalf of the businesses that instruct it, and works behind accounting firms, bookkeepers, and payroll providers as well as directly with businesses.
Regcrest LLC is not a CPA firm and not a law firm. It gives no tax or legal advice. It files in all 50 states, and publishes a full page for the 29states it has verified against the agency's own material so far, each one showing the date it was checked. For anything that turns on your specific situation, ask a licensed accountant or attorney.