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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 2 · Texas

The Texas Registered Agent Unit (2026): 6 Tasks and the 3 Best Agents

Ranked for 2026, the services worth hiring for naming a registered agent in Texas are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), TX Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Texas Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year). The 6 tasks below cover what Texas requires of a registered agent, who may serve, which address counts and how to put the agent on record.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

The requirement
Yes
sos.texas.gov (page read October 2026)
What recommended services charge
$99 to $149 a year
From company pricing pages
Recurring report
No fee
comptroller.texas.gov (page read October 2026)
Unit tasks
6
In order

What this unit teaches

  • The legal requirement
  • Who is eligible and the address test
  • Naming the agent with the state
  • The agents we picked

Who we would hire in Texas

Five published criteria decide the order; read them on how we grade.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent under one price

Our first pick$149 per year (renews at $149)

Start the list with Mainstay Filing, because a $149 yearly agent fee that is identical across all fifty states.

TX Registered Agent.org is $150 lower across three years; this service still ranks higher because it does more of the work.

What the price covers

  • A Texas street address for the record
  • Free scans of legal papers served on the company, sent the business day they arrive
  • Up to three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • Works in all fifty states
  • $149 each year, no increase

What to weigh

  • Higher by $50 a year
  • An agent-only plan, so no report filing
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. TX Registered Agent.org: best for one-state companies

Local choice$99 per year (renews at $99)

Pick number 2 is TX Registered Agent.org, where $99 a year, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

What the price covers

  • An in-state office address
  • Served papers are scanned into your account

What works

  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing
  • Price $99; renews at $99

What to weigh

  • A single-state service
  • It does not file the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report
Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for a second local choice

Local choice$99 per year (renews at $99)

Pick number 3 is Texas Registered Agent.ai, where $99 a year, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

TX Registered Agent.org and this service cost the same.

What the price covers

  • An in-state office address
  • Served papers are scanned into your account

What works

  • Price $99; renews at $99
  • Less each year than Mainstay Filing

What to weigh

  • A single-state service
  • It does not file the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report
Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Grades and prices together

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2TX Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Texas Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. The state bills the same whichever agent you name.

Naming a Texas registered agent, task by task

  1. Task 1

    The Texas rule in brief

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Source: sos.texas.gov (page read October 2026)

  2. Task 2

    Find out who is allowed to serve

    A Texas resident, including an owner, officer or employee, or an organization registered or authorized in Texas with a business office at the registered office. The company cannot be its own agent, and the agent has to consent. The rule comes from Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201.

  3. Task 3

    The address rule

    The address has to be a street address where papers can be handed to the agent during normal business hours. A mailbox service or answering service alone does not qualify.

    A service gives you a Texas street address so yours stays off the filing.

  4. Task 4

    Serve yourself or use a professional

    Qualify and you can serve yourself. A professional from the list runs $99 to $149 per year.

  5. Task 5

    Record the appointment

    A new LLC lists its agent on the Certificate of Formation (Form 205), sent to the Texas Secretary of State. An LLC that swaps agents files an amendment with the same office.

    Source: sos.texas.gov (page read October 2026)

  6. Task 6

    Keep the agent record accurate

    Texas learns your agent's details through the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report (no fee, every year, due May 15), and state notices about it go to the registered agent.

    Source: comptroller.texas.gov (page read October 2026)

Texas agent costs

EntryPaid toCost
Agent serviceThe service$99 to $149 a year
From year twoThe service$99 to $149 a year
Repeating reportState officeNo fee
State fees were read from the official pages named in the sources. Three years means the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where there is one.

The reasoning behind the order

Assignments the price completes makes up 31% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in Texas.

An agent who can come with you to any state beat TX Registered Agent.org's lower price.

Short answers

Can a Texas LLC go without a registered agent?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own registered agent?

Yes, once you pass the tests for who may serve and which address counts, in tasks 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes; the Texas Secretary of State accepts change filings, and task 5 says what to send.

What does a registered agent cost in Texas?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The yearly item is the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, which has no fee.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Mainstay Filing, TX Registered Agent.org and Texas Registered Agent.ai, from highest grade to lowest.

Reading list and sources

  1. Everything about Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source above traces to comptroller.texas.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  2. Everything about Texas report due date above traces to statutes.capitol.texas.gov, a page we reread in August 2026.
  3. Everything about Tex above traces to sos.texas.gov, a page we reread in August 2026.
  4. Everything about Texas registered agent statute above traces to sos.texas.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  5. Texas service page of Mainstay Filing, taken on November 13, 2026
  6. pricing page of TX Registered Agent.org, taken on November 13, 2026
  7. pricing page of Texas Registered Agent.ai, taken on November 13, 2026