How to Start an LLC in Texas: Fees, Forms, and Timeline

How do you file an LLC in Texas yourself?

A Texas limited liability company is created by filing a certificate of formation with the Texas Secretary of State, and online filing is available ^[1]. The form for an LLC is Form 205 ^[2]. You can file it yourself in one sitting if you have the facts below ready.

1. Check the name. The name must follow chapter 5 of the Texas Business Organizations Code. You can ask the Secretary of State for a preliminary name check, but a preliminary clearance is not final, so do not order signs or sign leases until your certificate is filed ^[3].
2. Choose a registered agent. This is a person or company that accepts legal papers for the LLC at a Texas street address. The next section covers the rules.
3. Fill out Form 205. You give the LLC name, the registered agent and office, and say whether the LLC has managers. If it has managers, list each initial manager; if not, list each initial member. At least one person is required, and only one organizer is needed ^[3].
4. File online and pay. File directly with the state through the Texas Secretary of State online filing page at www.sos.state.tx.us. The filing fee for Form 205 is $300 as of November 2026 ^[4]. The certificate becomes effective when the Secretary of State files it, unless you pick a delayed date of up to 90 days after signing.
5. Get an EIN. Apply with the IRS after the state files your certificate (details below).
6. Sign a company agreement. Texas calls the operating agreement a company agreement. You keep it with your records; the Form 205 instructions do not ask you to file it.

Should your Texas LLC have managers?

Form 205 makes you choose. A member-managed LLC is run by its owners, so you list each initial member. A manager-managed LLC is run by one or more named managers, who may or may not own a share, so you list each initial manager instead ^[3]. Most one-owner businesses pick member-managed because the owner runs the business anyway. Manager-managed can suit a company with silent investors who want a share of the profits but no daily role. Whatever you pick, write the same structure into your company agreement so the two documents match.

If you are still choosing a business, our guides to starting a business and the startup cost calculator help you plan before you form the LLC.

How much does an LLC cost in Texas?

The one required state cost to form a Texas LLC is the $300 certificate fee, as of November 2026 ^[4]. Everything else is optional or comes later.

Cost	Amount (as of November 2026)	Source
Certificate of Formation (Form 205)	$300, online or paper	Texas SOS Form 806 [4]
Expedited handling (optional)	$50 standard, $500 next day, $750 same day	Texas SOS Form 806 [4]
Annual report with the Secretary of State	None	Texas SOS Form 806 [4]
Franchise tax report or Public Information Report	Filed every year by May 15	Texas Comptroller
EIN	Free	IRS

The Secretary of State's fee schedule (Form 806, revised 09/26) lists $300 for a certificate of formation and the three optional expedite fees shown above. It lists no report fee for LLCs ^[4].

The yearly obligation is with the Texas Comptroller instead. Texas LLCs, including single member LLCs, are taxable entities for the franchise tax ^[6]. For report years 2026 and 2027, an entity with total revenue at or below the $2,650,000 no tax due threshold owes no franchise tax, but it must still file a Public Information Report by May 15 ^[5]. Owing no tax is not the same as filing nothing: the report is still due every May 15.

Texas costs more to form than the other launch states we cover. California charges $70 ^[7], Florida $125 in total ^[8], Georgia $100 ^[9] and North Carolina $125 ^[10], all as of November 2026.

See our LLC by state hub to compare, or the California LLC guide and Florida LLC guide for those states.

Do you need a registered agent in Texas?

Yes. Form 205 asks for a registered agent and a registered office, and the rules are specific ^[3]:

• The agent can be an individual resident of Texas, or a business entity that is registered to do business in Texas.
• The LLC cannot act as its own registered agent.
• The registered office must be a street address where legal papers can be delivered in person. It may not be only a mailbox service or a telephone answering service.
• The agent must agree to serve, in writing or electronically. You do not file that consent with the form.

Many owners name themselves as the agent if they live in Texas and are usually at a fixed address during business hours. If you move often, work from a home you do not want on public records, or live out of state, a commercial registered agent is the usual alternative. That is a paid service, and its fee is in addition to the state fee.

What comes after filing?

Once the Secretary of State files your certificate, the LLC exists. A few tasks remain before you open for business.

• EIN. The IRS issues an EIN for free, and "you never have to pay a fee for an EIN." The IRS also advises forming your LLC with the Secretary of State before you apply, or your application may be delayed ^[11]. Use the EIN to open a business bank account.
• Company agreement. Write down who owns what share, who manages, how profits are split and what happens if a member leaves. Even a one-member LLC benefits from one, because it shows the business is separate from you.
• State tax registration. The franchise tax report or Public Information Report is due to the Comptroller by May 15 each year. If you sell taxable goods or services, check with the Comptroller whether you also need a sales tax permit.
• Local licenses and names. Cities and counties set their own permits for food, signs, home businesses and building use. Check with your city and county before you open.

Should you file yourself or use a formation service?

Filing yourself is enough for most single owners and small teams. Form 205 is short, and the state charges the same $300 whether you or someone else submits it ^[4]. An online formation service can prepare and submit the form for you, and some also act as your registered agent. Their fee is in addition to the state fee.

	File yourself	Online formation service
Paid to the state	$300	$300, paid through the service
Service fee	None	Extra, on top of the state fee
Time to prepare	About as long as it takes to gather names and addresses	Similar: you still answer the same questions
Registered agent	You or someone you choose	Often offered as a separate yearly service
What you still do	Everything below	EIN, company agreement, Comptroller report, local permits

A service does not change the state fee, and it does not file your yearly Comptroller report unless you pay for that too. Read what is included before you buy.