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How to start an LLC in Texas

Every step to form your LLC in Texas, with the state's fees and the official page for each. Checked against the state's own pages on September 30, 2026.

Filing fee
$300
Regular report
Depends on the business
What you file
Certificate of Formation
Where
The Texas Secretary of State

Get the free checklist It follows these steps with you, for your business, and keeps track of what's done.

What an LLC costs in Texas

Filing Certificate of Formation with the Texas Secretary of State$300
The regular report that keeps it in good standingDepends on the business
An EIN from the IRSFree
A registered agentFree if you're your own; a service charges a yearly fee

The state's fees only. Card or handling fees, a registered agent service, local licenses and taxes come on top where they apply. Checked against official sources on September 30, 2026. It's general information, not legal or tax advice.

Step by step

In the order most owners do them. Each step says where it happens and links to the official page.

  1. With the state

    Check your name is free

    Search the Texas Secretary of State's business records to check no business already uses your name, or one too close to it. An LLC's name must also end with "LLC" or a similar ending.

    Search business names (opens the official site)

  2. Your records

    Choose a registered agent

    In Texas, your registered agent must agree to serve before you name them; you affirm this when you file, and you keep their signed consent (the state doesn't need a copy). The agent is a Texas resident or an organization registered to do business in Texas (not your own business), at a street address in Texas that isn't just a mailbox or answering service, where they can be served during business hours.

  3. With the state

    File your Certificate of Formation

    File it with the Texas Secretary of State, online through SOSPortal (you'll need an account) or by mail or in person. The state's fee is $300; paying online by card adds $0.25 plus 2.25% of the amount, and you can also pay online by bank transfer (ACH). Once it's filed, your LLC exists.

    File online (opens the official site)

  4. Your records

    Write an operating agreement

    It sets out who owns the LLC, how decisions are made and what happens if someone leaves. It isn't filed with the state: keep it with your records. A lawyer can help you write one.

  5. With the IRS

    Get an EIN from the IRS

    An Employer Identification Number is your business's tax number, for taxes, hiring and a bank account. Apply once your Certificate of Formation are filed. It's free from the IRS: with a Social Security number or ITIN, you can apply on the IRS's own site and get it at once. Watch out for look-alike sites that charge for it.

    Apply for an EIN on IRS.gov (opens the official site)

  6. With the state

    Register for state taxes

    If you'll sell, lease or rent goods, or sell taxable services, in Texas, apply to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts for a sales and use tax permit; it's free online, though the Comptroller may require a security bond, and the permit takes 2-3 weeks to arrive. Employers register with the Texas Workforce Commission for unemployment tax within 10 days of becoming liable (generally once you pay $1,500 in wages in a quarter or have an employee in 20 different weeks of a year); it's free online.

    Register for state taxes (opens the official site)

  7. City or county

    Check local licenses and permits

    Texas has no general state business license; your certificate of formation stands in for one. Some business activities need a state license or permit, listed in the Governor's Texas Business Licenses & Permits Guide, and your city or county may need its own licenses, permits or zoning approval. The Governor's Business Permit Office can help you find what applies to you.

    Find your local requirements (opens the official site)

  8. Your records

    Open a business bank account

    Keep the business's money apart from your own: it keeps your records clear at tax time, and keeps the LLC separate from you. Banks usually ask for your filed Certificate of Formation and your EIN.

  9. With the state

    Put the franchise tax reports in your calendar

    Texas has no annual report with the Secretary of State. Instead, your LLC files a Public Information Report with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts by May 15 each year, starting the year after it's formed; you can file online. If its annualized total revenue is over $2.65 million (the threshold for 2026 and 2027 reports), it also files a franchise tax report and pays the tax; at or below that, it owes no tax. A late franchise tax report costs $50, plus penalties on late tax. If reports aren't filed, the Comptroller can forfeit the LLC's right to do business in Texas (it generally can't sue or defend itself in a Texas court, and its members and officers can be liable for certain of its debts), and the Secretary of State can then forfeit its registration.

    About annual reports (opens the official site)

Questions about an LLC in Texas

How much does it cost to start an LLC in Texas?

The state's fee to file Certificate of Formation is $300. Its regular report costs an amount that depends on the business. An EIN from the IRS is free.

Does Texas require a yearly report for an LLC?

Yes. Texas asks every LLC for a regular report or payment to stay in good standing. What it costs depends on the business: the step below says how it works and where to file.

Can I form an LLC in Texas myself?

Yes. You file Certificate of Formation with the Texas Secretary of State and pay the state's fee, and the steps above show where. You don't need a lawyer, though one can advise on your situation. PressUp's free checklist follows these steps with you.

Is this legal or tax advice?

No. PressUp isn't a law firm or an accountant. This guide is general information from Texas's official pages, checked on September 30, 2026. For advice about your own situation, ask a lawyer or an accountant.

Where this comes from

Texas's official pages, read on September 30, 2026:

LLC guides for other states