The Texas Secretary of State keeps the record of every LLC, corporation and partnership formed in the state. Its Business and Public Filings team, the Corporations Section, takes new filings, amendments, name reservations and certificates. Since September 29, 2026 all of that runs through SOSPortal, which replaced the older SOSDirect system.
Two things make Texas different from most states. Searching costs money unless you order something. And there is no annual report at the Secretary of State: the yearly filing is a franchise tax report with the Texas Comptroller, due May 15.
How to search Texas business records
Open SOSPortal, accept the terms and log in, then go to Search & Order Records and pick Business Filings. You can look up a company by its name, its 10 digit SOS file number or its registered agent. Each search costs $1, waived if you order a document from the results.
| Official business search | webservices.sos.state.tx.us/termsandconditions/tac.html (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Name availability check | Yes (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| What a result means | Preliminary only: "A final determination cannot be made until the document is received and processed" (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
A record shows the entity's legal name, file number, type, status, formation date and registered agent. If you only need to know whether a company may still do business, the Comptroller's account status search answers that for free.
What a Texas status means
Texas uses its own words for company status. "In Existence" is the normal active state. "Forfeited Existence" is the one to watch: it usually follows unpaid franchise tax.
| Status shown | What it means |
|---|---|
| In Existence | Active. The entity has not dissolved, forfeited its formation document, withdrawn, terminated, merged, converted or otherwise ended. |
| Forfeited Existence | Inactive. The corporation or LLC failed to file its franchise tax return or pay the tax. The SOS changes the status when the Comptroller certifies the delinquency. |
| Voluntarily Dissolved or Voluntarily Terminated; Involuntarily Dissolved or Terminated; Judicially Dissolved or Terminated; Revoked; Expired; Withdrawn; Merged; Converted; Consolidated; Cancelled; Terminated; Law Repealed | Inactive status terms. |
Status wording from direct.sos.state.tx.us, checked .
Texas filing fees
Texas charges the same $300 to form an LLC or a for-profit corporation. Registering a company from another state costs more, at $750. Card payments carry a small processing charge on top.
| Form an LLC | $300 (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $300 (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Form a nonprofit | $25 (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $750 (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $40 (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: No annual report fee at the Secretary of State. The Comptroller requires an annual franchise tax report (or No Tax Due / PIR filing); no filing fee. The same applies to a corporation. (comptroller.texas.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | SOS certificate of fact $15 (long form with filing list $25; certified copies $1 per page plus $15). Comptroller Certificate of Account Status and the online account status search are free. (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Faster processing | Standard expedite $50; next day $500; same day $750; preclearance of a filing instrument $50; expedited certificate or certified copy request $10. (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Texas. State fees are separate.
Speed costs extra. The standard expedite adds $50 per document, and same day service is far more expensive, so plan ahead when a deadline is close.
The yearly report: franchise tax, due May 15
Your yearly filing goes to the Comptroller of Public Accounts. Most small companies owe no tax, because revenue sits under the no tax due threshold, but they must still file the Public Information Report or the Ownership Information Report. Missing it costs a flat $50 penalty, and a long silence can cost the company its right to do business in Texas.
The fee, the due date, late penalties and the filing steps are in our Texas annual report guide.
Business name rules in Texas
An LLC name must end with "limited liability company", "limited company" or a short form such as LLC. The name must be distinguishable in the state's records from every existing filing entity, reservation and registration.
| LLC name must include | "limited liability company", "limited company", or an abbreviation of those terms (for example LLC, L.L.C.) (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Corporation name must include | Corporation names must include an identifier such as "Co.", "Corp." or "Inc." (company, corporation, incorporated, or abbreviations) (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Words that are limited | Name may not indicate or imply a business the entity is not authorized to pursue, or falsely imply a government affiliation. Professional entities have profession-specific naming requirements. (sos.texas.gov, checked ) |
| How different a name must be | Name must be "distinguishable in the records of the secretary of state" from existing filing entities, registered foreign entities, name reservations and registrations. The SOS cannot file a name that is the same except for the organizational identifier unless the existing entity gives written notarized consent. Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code 5.053; rules at 1 Tex. Admin. Code ch. 79, subch. C. (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $40 (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 120 days; renewable in the 30 days before expiry; reservations are generic and work for any filing entity type (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Reservation form | sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms/501_boc.pdf (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
You can hold a name for 120 days with Form 501. A reservation in Texas works for any type of filing entity, so you can decide later whether to form an LLC or a corporation.
Registered agent rules
Every Texas entity needs a registered agent: an individual Texas resident or a domestic or registered foreign entity, with written or electronic consent, and a registered office at a street address suitable for service during business hours (not just a mailbox or answering service). An LLC cannot act as its own registered agent. (sos.texas.gov, checked )
To change the agent or the registered office, file a change statement in SOSPortal. Our guide on changing your registered agent explains the order of steps.
Proof of good standing in Texas
Texas splits proof of standing between two offices. The Secretary of State issues a certificate of fact about the company's existence. The Comptroller issues a certificate of account status about franchise tax. Banks and other states usually ask for one or both.
What it costs, where to order it and what blocks it are in our Texas good standing guide.
Assumed names (DBA)
Both. Corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs and foreign filing entities file an Assumed Name Certificate (Form 503) with the Secretary of State, $25, lasting up to 10 years. Sole proprietors, general partnerships and estates file with the county clerk. A certificate does not stop others using the same assumed name. (sos.state.tx.us, checked )
Contact the Texas Secretary of State
| Office | Texas Secretary of State (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Business & Public Filings (Corporations Section) (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Robert S. Howden (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Phone | (512) 463-5555 (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Mailing address | Business & Public Filings, Office of the Texas Secretary of State, PO Box 13697, Austin, TX 78711-3697 (USPS). Express delivery: 1019 Brazos, Austin, TX 78701 (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
| Street address | 400 W. 15th Street, Austin, TX 78701 (lobby for in-person services) (sos.state.tx.us, checked ) |
For a quicker answer, have the SOS file number ready when you call. Certificate requests have their own address at the Corporations Section, listed on the copies and certificates page.
Sources
- www.sos.state.tx.us/contact.shtml: office name, division, mailing address, street address, phone, contact page, hours. Checked .
- www.sos.state.tx.us/about/sosbio.shtml: officeholder. Checked .
- www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/index.shtml: business search. Checked .
- www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/namefilingsfaqs.shtml: name check, search disclaimer, name rule, name reservation term, assumed names (DBA). Checked .
- www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/instructions/304.shtml: LLC name endings. Checked .
- www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/formationfaqs.shtml: corporation name endings. Checked .
- www.sos.texas.gov/corp/instructions/205.shtml: restricted words, registered agent rule. Checked .
- www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms/806_boc.pdf: name reservation fee, LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, expedite fees, certificate fee. Checked .
- www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms_boc.shtml: name reservation form. Checked .
- comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/: report fee. Checked .
- direct.sos.state.tx.us/help/help-corp.asp?pg=ov: status terms. Checked .