Businesses that operate within the unincorporated boundaries of Beaufort County must renew their County business license by April 30 or face penalties for being late. Renewal information and forms are being mailed to all business owners at this time.

The SC General Assembly passed Act 176, SC Business License Tax Standardization Act, to streamline the business license process by creating the same process for taxing jurisdictions across the state. The new regulations are as follows:

• As of January 1, 2022, all municipalities, and counties in South Carolina that levy a local business license tax must comply with the law.

Details of the Business License Standardization Act

• The standard due date is April 30.
• The standard license year is May 1- April 30.
• The standard calculation for business license tax using gross income will be based on prior calendar year or business fiscal year.
• The standard application will be accepted as approved by SC Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office.
• All businesses will be listed in the standard class schedule according to their North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.
• Standard class schedule will be used as adopted by SC Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office.