Skip to content
LLC 101 Guide

Course unit 1 · Texas

Starting an LLC in Texas (2026): 7 Tasks and the 3 Best LLC Services

Our 2026 Texas picks for setting up an LLC, strongest to weakest, are Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and TX Registered Agent.org ($199). 7 tasks make up the unit; the state's own price tag is $300.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

Fee to form
$300
Look it up at sos.texas.gov; our reading dates from October 2026
Recurring report
No fee
Mark the calendar: May 15
Three-year state cost
$300
Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Unit tasks
7
Listed below

What this unit teaches

  • The Texas formation paper, its price and where it goes
  • What the agent rule says
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • Which services we recommend and why

Texas: our recommended services

Cost over three years leads, then assignments completed, renewal price, Texas fit and plain pricing (grading page).

Top of the class

1. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for a small first bill

Best overall$199 the first year, $99 after

Texas Registered Agent.ai comes out first, and the reason is that $199 gets you started and the agent costs nothing in year one; from year two it is $99.

A smaller three-year total than Mainstay Filing earns it first place; cost counts 34%.

Filing the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year is your own homework.

What the price covers

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • No agent fee in year one

What to weigh

  • The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report remains your responsibility
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for skipping the Public Information Report paperwork

All fifty statesFirst year $199; renewal $199; state fee extra

Mainstay Filing is a solid second-place option: $199 a year hands over three assignments at once: the filing, the registered agent and the Public Information Report.

It runs $200 above Texas Registered Agent.ai over three years, and cost is 34% of the grade.

Sending in the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report is part of the service, and the state asks nothing for it.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Public Information Report filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • The official fee, nothing added

What works

  • No jump at renewal ($199)
  • It prepares the EIN application too
  • A single $199 yearly price, Public Information Report included

What to weigh

  • After year one it costs $100 more each year
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. TX Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

In-state service$199 the first year, $99 after

Third goes to TX Registered Agent.org, since $199 gets you started and the agent costs nothing in year one; from year two it is $99.

Filing the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year is your own homework.

It lists the same prices as Texas Registered Agent.ai.

What the price covers

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 and the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one

What to weigh

  • The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report remains your responsibility
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Texas Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3TX Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices come from each company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. None of the rows includes the $300 state fee.

The unit, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Pick a name and see whether it is free

    Your first assignment is a name search with the Texas Secretary of State, so you do not file under something a neighbor already uses.

    If the first name fails, you want another ready.

  2. Task 2

    Line up a registered agent

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

    Hire any one of the recommended services for this task.

    Source: Look it up at sos.texas.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Compare doing it alone with paying for help

    You can file yourself for $300, or pay $199 more for a service. Our recommended services sit at the top of this unit.

  4. Task 4

    Put together the Certificate of Formation

    What you need: the Certificate of Formation (Form 205), $300, and an address at the Texas Secretary of State to send it to; see Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 3.005.

    Source: Look it up at sos.texas.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Get an EIN

    After Texas approves the LLC, ask the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; banks and payroll companies want it. If you hire Mainstay Filing, the EIN application is taken care of.

  6. Task 6

    Get the owners' agreement signed

    Ownership and decision rules live in the operating agreement, an internal paper that is no part of the Texas filing.

  7. Task 7

    Handle Texas's recurring filing

    The filing that repeats is the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report (no fee, every year, by May 15). Lateness adds $50.

    Source: Look it up at comptroller.texas.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

What this unit costs

What forReceiverCost
Formation feeGoes to the state$300
Report sent to the stateGoes to the stateNo fee
Late filingGoes to the state$50
A filing service (optional)The provider$199 for year one
Three years of state feesGoes to the state$300
The state numbers are official Texas fees, sourced below. The three-year line combines the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

How the grades came out

On course fee across three years (34% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Count three years and Texas Registered Agent.ai totals $397, $200 below Mainstay Filing.

Common questions

What does a Texas LLC cost to start?

$300, paid to the state. A recommended service adds $199 in year one.

Which form creates the LLC?

Look for the Certificate of Formation (Form 205); the Texas Secretary of State is where it goes.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Texas require each year?

Send in the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year with no fee; the deadline is May 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

A service is optional. Owners can send the papers in with the $300 fee as long as they appoint a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Texas Registered Agent.ai, because the formation costs $199 beyond the state fee, and the agent renews at $99. After it come Mainstay Filing and TX Registered Agent.org.

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 Registered Agent.ai pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  6. Mainstay Filing Texas service page, opened November 13, 2026
  7. TX Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026