Setup: No standard processing time found on the pages read. Texas Express offers next-day ($500) and same-day ($750) service for formations, in person only.Remote setup possibleOfficial site
Texas Secretary of State registers LLCs and corporations for a $300 filing fee; both owe franchise tax only above a revenue threshold but file an annual information report.
State filing fees
Fees as published by the state. A formation service and a registered agent cost extra.
LLC · Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company (Form 205)Includes: State filing of the LLC Certificate of Formation, online through SOSPortal or by mail.Not included: Registered agent with a Texas street address (required; an LLC cannot be its own agent; price set by the agent). Credit card payments add a convenience fee (the Secretary of State pages give 2.7% of fees in one place and $0.25 plus 2.25% in another). Optional in-person expedite: next-day $500 or same-day $750 per document on top of the filing fee. Franchise tax and the annual information report are not due at formation.
300 USDOfficial
Corporation · Certificate of Formation - For-Profit Corporation (Form 201)Includes: State filing of the Certificate of Formation for a for-profit corporation, online through SOSPortal or by mail.Not included: Registered agent with a Texas street address (required; price set by the agent). Credit card payments add a convenience fee (the Secretary of State pages give 2.7% of fees in one place and $0.25 plus 2.25% in another). Optional in-person expedite: next-day $500 or same-day $750 per document on top of the filing fee. Franchise tax and the annual information report are not due at formation.
300 USDOfficial
Each year
LLCNo franchise tax is owed when annualized total revenue is at or below $2,650,000 (2026 and 2027 reports); a Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report is still filed each year by 15 May. No filing fee was stated on the pages read. Above the threshold the rate is 0.75% (0.375% for retail or wholesale) of taxable margin.
0 USD a yearOfficial
CorporationNo franchise tax is owed when annualized total revenue is at or below $2,650,000 (2026 and 2027 reports); a Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report is still filed each year by 15 May. No filing fee was stated on the pages read. Above the threshold the rate is 0.75% (0.375% for retail or wholesale) of taxable margin.
0 USD a yearOfficial
The company
Registered agent. Yes. A Texas LLC or corporation needs a registered agent (an individual Texas resident or an entity registered in Texas) at a street address in Texas; the entity cannot act as its own agent and a mailbox or answering service alone is not enough.
Owner privacy. No. The LLC Certificate of Formation must name and give the address of each initial manager, or of each initial member if the LLC has no managers.
State taxes and fees. Texas charges a franchise tax on LLCs and corporations of 0.75% of taxable margin (0.375% retail or wholesale), with no tax due at or below $2.65 million of annualized revenue. The state constitution bars a tax on individual net income.
Texas has the highest formation fee in this set, $300 for both an LLC and a corporation.
A franchise tax report or Public Information Report is due each 15 May; a late franchise tax report carries a $50 penalty and a failed filing can lead to forfeiture.
The Secretary of State is moving filings from SOSDirect to the new SOSPortal; the card-fee wording differs between pages.
Texas has no personal income tax and the franchise tax is levied on margin, not net income; tags no-state-income-tax and no-annual-fee are not given because franchise tax can apply.
The entity must give an initial mailing address in the certificate of formation for Comptroller correspondence.
Not published
We could not find these on the sources we read: the processing time.
Setup Costs