Cheapest LLC formation in Texas

What does the state of Texas charge to form an LLC?

Texas sets these fees, and they're the same whoever files the certificate. Provider prices on this page are quoted before them.

The $300 charge for the certificate of formation is the only fee every new Texas LLC pays.¹

A name reservation, $40 for 120 days, is optional. It's worth paying only when something will hold up the filing; an owner ready to file can check the name and file.⁵

An LLC that already exists in another state pays a different fixed fee. Registering it in Texas costs $750, more than forming a new Texas LLC. Owners who form in another state for a lower fee and then register in Texas pay both.⁶

Some charges are absent here. Texas has no newspaper publication (the rule was repealed in 2003), and we found no official page that states a filing fee for the yearly Public Information Report. The state-by-state picture is on the requirements by state page.³

What raises the cost of a Texas LLC?

Speed, the registered agent, the franchise tax calendar and checkout add-ons are what push a Texas bill above the state fee. Most of them are choices you make before filing; the report date is not.

Texas Express

The state's paid speeds are added to the filing fee. Standard Expedited costs $50 per document; those filings move ahead of regular submissions, with a turnaround of typically 2 to 3 business days. Next-Day $500 and Same-Day $750 cost more than the certificate itself. They pay off only when a date forces it, such as a lease that needs the LLC to exist. A provider's own expedite service is a separate charge. InCorp, for example, lists a $50.00 InCorp expedite fee and says "any state expedite fee is charged in addition".^{7, 8}

The registered agent

Unless a member serves, the agent is a cost that comes back every year. There are three ways to cover it.

• Have a member act as agent. The law allows an individual who is a resident of this state, so a Texas member can do it for free, at the cost of a personal street address on file. The Texas registered agent guide has the conditions.⁹
• Take a bundled first year, then pay the renewal.
• Buy the agent alone at a provider's standalone price.

Changing agents later costs $15 on Form 401. Switching away from a costly renewal is cheap at the state, so the risk sits in your current provider's notice and refund terms. How to change a registered agent covers the order: new agent on file first, cancellation after.¹⁰

The franchise tax report

Texas has no Secretary of State annual report; instead, LLCs file an annual Franchise Tax Report with a Public Information Report (PIR) with the Comptroller. At or below the revenue threshold no tax is due, but an information report is still required, and missing the date costs a $50 penalty even then. If the LLC is forfeited over franchise tax, reinstating it costs $75 and requires a Comptroller tax clearance letter and an available name. Staying compliant in Texas has the calendar.^{3, 4, 11}

Add-ons and subscriptions

Checkout pages offer an EIN, an operating agreement, a business address and compliance plans. Compliance plans are often sold around a yearly "annual report", so ask whether a plan files the Texas franchise tax report before paying for it. ZenBusiness's Starter, for one, includes Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr), so it becomes a yearly charge after the free year.¹²

Which providers have the lowest published prices for a Texas LLC?

The table below shows each provider's agent price, renewal and cheapest package. Rows follow our score, highest first, with ties in editorial order, not price.

What decides the real cost is how the agent is paid for in the first year and what it costs afterwards. The next table lines those up.

A few rows need a second look.

Bizee's Basic package is the only one listed here that pairs a free package with an agent year, which makes year one equal to the state fee. Bizee's order page varies by state, so confirm the $0 + state fee price at checkout. Year two then costs $149/year (ongoing annual fee) for the agent. See the Bizee review.^{2, 16}

ZenBusiness's Starter package does not renew, but the agent is a separate purchase (50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC), and the bundled compliance plan starts billing after its free year.^{12, 14}

Tailor Brands' Lite package leaves out the agent, so the cheapest Tailor Brands route is Lite plus the standalone agent at $199/year. Its Essential plan, $199/yr plus state fees, is a yearly charge rather than a one-off fee.^{13, 25}

doola's Starter plan, $297/yr, includes the agent, but the plan itself renews, so the yearly cost is the plan price, not an agent fee.²⁶

Northwest's corporation page describes its formation price, $39 + State Fees, as "a total that includes one year of registered agent service"; its LLC page doesn't say so, so confirm that applies to an LLC order.^{27, 28}

Rocket Lawyer's agent needs a paid membership. Standard, $149/year, doesn't include it, so the lowest membership with the agent is Plus at $249/year, on top of the agent price.²⁹

Harbor Compliance's renewal stops only with notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term, so a missed date adds a full term.³⁰

For agent prices without formation, see cheapest registered agent services. Registered agent services in Texas compares document handling and exit terms, and Texas LLC formation services compared covers what each package files.