The short answer
- To form the LLC
- $300 to file the Certificate of Formation.
- Every year after
- Free (Public Information Report still required), due May 15. Franchise tax report with the Comptroller; no tax due at or below the $2.65M revenue threshold for 2026 and 2027.
- If you file late
- No flat late fee from Texas. After one missed report, Texas administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $75.
- Five years, filing it yourself
- $300: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.
Start your Texas LLC
Our service fee and the Texas filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Start your Texas LLCWhat's included
- Name availability check before we file
- Certificate of Formation prepared and filed with Texas
- Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
- Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
- Texas's after-formation deadlines in writing
- A real person by email
Texas LLC one-time costs
What Texas charges once, when the LLC is formed, and the optional costs that arrive at the same time. The state fee is the same whether you file yourself or use a service.
- Amount
- $300
- Notes
- Paid to Texas to file the Certificate of Formation. One time.
- Amount
- Set by the state
- Notes
- Expedite $50; next day $500; same day $750.
- Amount
- Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
- Notes
- Required in Texas; a street address in the state.
- Amount
- Free if you write it, or our self-help template after checkout
- Notes
- Not filed with the state.
- Amount
- Our fee, itemized at checkout
- Notes
- Optional. Our fee and the Texas filing & processing appear as separate lines before you pay.
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices; a few states charge a different amount on paper.
Texas LLC ongoing costs
What Texas charges to keep the LLC in good standing, when it is due, and what the state does when a report is late or missed.
- The state's rule
- Free (Public Information Report still required)
- Notes
- Filed with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, every year.
- The state's rule
- May 15
- Notes
- State wording: May 15; required even when no tax is owed.
- The state's rule
- None
- The state's rule
- After one missed report
- Notes
- Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.
- The state's rule
- $75
- Notes
- The state's total to reinstate after one missed report: reinstatement fee plus the missed reports and penalties it requires.
- The state's rule
- Set by the state
- Notes
- Franchise tax report with the Comptroller; no tax due at or below the $2.65M revenue threshold for 2026 and 2027.
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Due rules, penalties and dissolution triggers are read from each state's statute or filing office page; the reinstatement figure is the state's own total at that point.
Texas LLC annual fee
Texas's recurring requirement: free Public Information Report required yearly, due May 15; required even when no tax is owed. Texas calls the filing the Public Information Report, and it goes to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts at comptroller.texas.gov. The Public Information Report is due May 15, every year. In the state's words: May 15; required even when no tax is owed.
If you file late: No flat late fee published; a missed report still risks loss of good standing. After one missed report, Texas administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $75.
The due date, filing window and portal are covered step by step in Texas LLC annual report.
Other recurring obligations
- Texas franchise tax: file a Public Information Report (or Ownership Information Report); no tax due if at or below the $2.65M threshold for 2026-27; full report if above. May 15 annually, starting the year after formation. $0 if under threshold.
- Comptroller sales tax permit if selling taxable goods/services. before making taxable sales. free.
Texas LLC filing fee: $300
The filing fee is what Texas charges to file your Certificate of Formation, the document that creates the company. Texas charges $300. It is the one cost nobody can avoid: it is the same whether you file directly with the state or hire a service, and no legitimate service can waive it. Which form Texas uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in Texas.
Texas posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one.
Faster review from the state: Expedite $50; next day $500; same day $750.
By filing fee, Texas ranks 49 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.
Five-year Texas LLC cost: $300
$300 to form, plus nothing recurring from the state, comes to $300 paid to Texas over five years, assuming every report is filed on time. Franchise tax report with the Comptroller; no tax due at or below the $2.65M revenue threshold for 2026 and 2027. Taxes on the company's income, licenses and a registered agent service are separate.
See your exact Texas total before you pay
Our service fee and the Texas filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, each on its own line.
What the Texas state fee does not include
The filing fee buys the state's approval of the Certificate of Formation and nothing else. These are the costs that sit outside it.
- Registered agent. Texas requires one, with a street address in the state. Serving as your own agent is free; the address becomes public record. Our registered agent service can be added in the application. Texas registered agent requirements.
- Operating agreement. Not filed with the state and free if you write it yourself. Our self-help template is available after checkout.
- Business licenses and permits. Set by the city, county or licensing board for your line of business, not by the formation filing. Many Texas LLCs need none; a restaurant, contractor or salon usually needs several.
- Taxes. An LLC's income is taxed through its owners' returns unless it elects otherwise, and sales tax or employer registrations are separate state accounts with no formation fee attached. Franchise tax report with the Comptroller; no tax due at or below the $2.65M revenue threshold for 2026 and 2027.
- Filing service. Our fee is itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, with same-day submission as an option. The state fee is identical either way.
How to pay less for a Texas LLC
- File the Certificate of Formation yourself. Texas takes it online at sos.state.tx.us for the $300 state fee alone.
- Be your own registered agent if you have a Texas street address and are there during business hours. The trade-off is privacy: the address goes on the public record.
- Write your own operating agreement. No state charges for it and Texas does not file it.
- File the Public Information Report on time. Texas charges no late fee, but a missed report still leads to loss of good standing and dissolution.
- Skip state expedite unless a date depends on it. The state's standard queue costs nothing extra.
- Form where you do business. An LLC that operates in Texas but is formed elsewhere must register in Texas as a foreign LLC anyway, paying Texas's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.
How Texas compares
By filing fee, Texas is number 49 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.
- Filing fee
- $300
- Recurring
- Free (Public Information Report still required)
- Five-year total
- $300
- Filing fee
- $50
- Recurring
- None
- Five-year total
- $50
- Filing fee
- $100
- Recurring
- $25 a year
- Five-year total
- $225
- Filing fee
- $45
- Recurring
- $150 a year
- Five-year total
- $795
- Filing fee
- $125
- Recurring
- $35 a year
- Five-year total
- $305
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us.
Every state's fee is in LLC cost by state, and the case for and against forming elsewhere is in cheapest states to form an LLC.
Filing yourself vs. using us
Filing directly with Texas costs only the state's own fee: $300. The state takes formations at sos.state.tx.us. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the Texas filing & processing, for the name check, the Certificate of Formation prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and Texas's deadlines in writing. Both lines are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Sources
State fees verified October 2026; page last updated November 1, 2026. The figures above are read from Texas's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:
- sos.state.tx.us (sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms/205_boc.pdf)
- sos.state.tx.us (sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms/806_boc.pdf)
- sos.state.tx.us (sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms_boc.shtml)
- sos.texas.gov (sos.texas.gov/corp/options.shtml)
- comptroller.texas.gov (comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/)
Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from each state's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.
Texas LLC cost FAQ
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Texas?+
Texas charges $300. That is the state's own fee and it is the same whether you file yourself or use a service. If you have us file it, our service fee and the Texas filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Does Texas charge an annual fee for an LLC?+
Texas requires the Public Information Report every year but charges nothing to file it on time. Skipping it still has consequences: after one missed report, Texas administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $75.
When is the Texas LLC annual report due?+
The Public Information Report is due May 15, every year. In the state's words: May 15; required even when no tax is owed.
What is the late penalty for a Texas LLC report?+
Texas charges no flat late fee for a late LLC report. After one missed report, Texas administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $75.
Is there a franchise tax in Texas?+
Yes, in the sense that matters for budgeting: franchise tax report with the Comptroller; no tax due at or below the $2.65M revenue threshold for 2026 and 2027. It is assessed separately from the Public Information Report, by a different agency, and it is the state's charge, not ours.
How much is a registered agent in Texas?+
Nothing from the state: Texas charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in Texas and are there during business hours; the address becomes public record. A commercial registered agent charges a yearly fee that the agent sets, in exchange for keeping its Texas address on the record and forwarding what arrives.
Can I file the Texas Certificate of Formation myself?+
Yes. Texas accepts the Certificate of Formation directly from business owners at sos.state.tx.us, and you pay only the state's $300 fee. Texas posts its current processing times on its own site; we do not quote one. State expedite is optional: Expedite $50; next day $500; same day $750.
What does your service add to the state fee?+
Our service fee covers a name availability check, your Certificate of Formation prepared and filed, the approved documents emailed to you, and Texas's deadlines in writing. The Texas filing & processing is a separate line, and both are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Fees change; confirm the current amount with Texas before you rely on it.
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