Texas LLC Cost: $300 to File + Franchise Tax / PIR (2026)

Make your Texas business official. Have your LLC paperwork prepared and filed so you can focus on getting your business off the ground.

• Your business name checked before filing.
• Your formation paperwork prepared and submitted.
• Your formation documents together in an online account.

$0 service fee + $300 state filing fee

Start my Texas LLC

Filing service by ZenBusiness. Choose Starter for the $0 service fee. State follow-up charges and optional services and renewals are separate.

We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no additional cost to you.

Get the paperwork handled and your company underway

With ZenBusiness, you provide the details and its team handles the Texas formation filing. You get electronic documents and customer support by phone, chat and email.

Use your approved LLC records to open a company bank account, organize your ownership agreement and do business under the company name. The state-specific costs and next steps below help you plan what comes after approval.

What it costs to start a Texas LLC

A Texas LLC costs $300 to file Certificate of Formation with the Texas Secretary of State. Texas has no classic SOS annual report for LLCs—budget the Comptroller franchise tax / PIR cycle instead.

Start with the SOS Form 806 fee schedule and the Texas Secretary of State filing resources. These are government charges, separate from anything a formation company bills you.

Budget example: $300 for formation plus the recurring state filing in the table is the lean government path—before insurance, local permits, or professional help.

Franchise tax rates and EZ computation rules live on the Comptroller site—not in the SOS $300 formation fee.

Choose the services you want with your filing

Starter’s base formation service does not renew. Registered-agent service, an EIN service, an operating agreement and faster preparation are optional purchases.

The preselected website-builder trial renews at $15/month after 30 days; you can remove it at checkout. Optional Worry-Free Compliance is free for the first year and renews at $199/year. Registered-agent service is listed separately at $199/year; first-year promotions may differ.

Review the services and renewal terms in your order. Provider details checked October 14, 2026 against ZenBusiness’s formation plans.

How to start your Texas LLC

Use your company details to get the formation paperwork prepared and submitted. Here is how the filing service works:

1. Enter your business details. Choose Texas, your company name and the information requested for the filing.
2. Review your services and order. Select Starter for the $0 base service fee. ZenBusiness prepares and submits the formation document from your answers.
3. Save your approved company records. Once the filing office accepts the paperwork, use the documents to finish your banking and business setup.

Your Texas filing checklist and required next steps

1. Check the name on SOSDirect; reservation $40.
2. Name a Texas registered agent and complete Form 205 details.
3. File the Certificate of Formation and pay $300 (plus optional expedite).
4. Save SOS evidence, then set up Comptroller accounts as required.
5. Calendar May 15 for franchise tax / PIR.

Check your proposed name in the Texas business search.

Assumed names (DBAs) are a separate SOS filing ($25 on Form 806) when you operate under a name other than the exact legal name—formation alone does not register every trade name you might use on marketing materials.

How long does approval take?

SOS timing depends on channel and expedite tier. ZenBusiness preparation is separate from SOS review.

Can I file directly with Texas?

Yes. You can prepare and submit the filing yourself through the Texas official LLC filing service. A formation service handles preparation and submission from the information you provide. The government charges and required follow-up steps above still apply.

Choose your Texas registered agent

Texas formation is only the SOS half of the story. The Comptroller’s franchise tax / PIR rules are where many new LLCs stumble—especially when tax is $0 and owners assume “nothing is due.”

You can serve as your own agent if you maintain a Texas registered agent with a street address in Texas. SOS filings are public—plan address fields carefully.

Texas franchise tax & Public Information Report (not an SOS annual report)

After formation, treat ongoing entity reporting as a Comptroller workflow:

• Due date: generally May 15 (next business day if weekend/holiday).
• 2026 no-tax-due threshold: $2.65 million annualized total revenue.
• Public Information Report (PIR): LLCs subject to this reporting requirement file Form 05-102, including when revenue is below the no-tax-due threshold. Form 05-167 (OIR) is for other entity types, not an alternative LLC form. The old No Tax Due Report is discontinued for report years 2024 and later. Check the Comptroller’s filing requirements and exemptions.
• Risk: Ignoring Comptroller filings can lead to forfeiture and SOS reinstatement costs.

Officer/director (or authorized person) signatures on the PIR matter—treat it like a real compliance filing, not optional paperwork.

Do not tell yourself “no annual filing” just because the tax computes to zero.

Get your Texas LLC filing underway

Put the formation paperwork in ZenBusiness’s hands. Starter has a $0 service fee plus the applicable Texas charges detailed above.

Start my Texas LLC

Continue to ZenBusiness to enter your details and review your order. Optional services and renewal details.

We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no additional cost to you.

Put your approved LLC to work

• Document how the LLC works. An operating agreement can set ownership, contributions, decision-making, distributions, and exit arrangements. Texas’s filing office generally does not require you to file the agreement with the formation paperwork—keep it with your company records. For multiple owners, resolve disagreements before money or contracts are committed.Use the basic LLC operating agreement tool as a starting point.
• Get an EIN when needed. Form the entity first, then use the free IRS application if eligible. A paid EIN service handles the application for you. Save the confirmation for banking and tax records.
• Open your business bank account. Ask the bank for its document checklist and establish a bookkeeping process. Use the correct legal business name on applications and contracts; keep any trade-name registrations consistent. When you are ready to borrow, see where Texas small businesses can get a loan.
• Complete taxes and operating approvals. LLC formation does not itself select S-corporation taxation or issue a professional license. The IRS explains LLC tax classifications. Identify the state and local requirements for your actual work before opening.
• Check the current BOI rule. As of this review, FinCEN exempts entities created in the United States from beneficial-ownership reporting. A newly created domestic LLC generally falls within that exemption. Consult FinCEN directly for the current rule.

Insurance guidance for your Texas business

Match coverage to your services, employees, equipment and client contracts. Start with the relevant guide:

• Texas cleaning business insurance
• Texas food truck insurance
• Texas HVAC insurance
• Texas landscaping insurance
• Texas daycare insurance

Continue with the Texas business guide for the broader startup process.

Keep a simple compliance folder: filed Certificate, EIN letter, operating agreement, registered-agent contract, and every annual/franchise confirmation. When you hire a bookkeeper or attorney later, that folder saves hours.

After the state accepts the filing, update your contracts, invoices, and bank applications to use the exact legal name—including the LLC designator—unless you have also registered a trade name where required.
Mismatched names are a common reason banks and payment processors ask for extra paperwork.

Finally, revisit insurance once the entity exists. Clients and landlords often want the LLC named as the insured and may ask for additional insured status on certificates.
Entity paperwork alone does not transfer coverage from a personal policy to the company.

Texas LLC questions before you start

This guide is for creating a new Texas LLC. If you already have an LLC formed in another state, check Texas’s foreign-entity registration requirements before creating a second company.

Page updated October 14, 2026. State-source review: September 14, 2026. ZenBusiness package terms checked October 14, 2026.