Start an LLC in Texas · All 50 states
Texas is a big market with a simple yearly rhythm: one formation filing, then a franchise tax report every May. It is not a privacy state. Here is the process, the real costs and who should form here.
By the Lobi Space compliance team. Current as of October 2026. Lobi Space is not a law firm and does not give legal advice; we prepare and file documents at your direction.
Step by step
Five steps from name to EIN. We handle the filing steps for you at your direction, and you keep the decisions.
The name needs an organizational designation, such as LLC, must be distinguishable from names on record, and cannot imply a government connection or a business you are not authorized to run.
A Texas resident or an entity registered in Texas, at a street address where papers can be served in person during business hours. The LLC cannot be its own agent, and a mailbox or answering service alone does not qualify.
Form 205 goes to the Secretary of State with a $300 fee. It lists a name and address for each governing person: every initial manager, or every initial member if there are no managers.
Texas calls the operating agreement a company agreement. It is not filed with the state. The IRS issues your EIN for free.
Every year, file a franchise tax report or, if your revenue is at or below the no tax due threshold, a Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report.
Want the general version first? Read how to set up an LLC and what every formation add-on actually is.
Costs
State fees only: what you pay once, what repeats and what is optional. You also need a registered agent in Texas. Ours is $95 per entity, per state, per year, through our partner network.
Compare our service fees on formation pricing.
| Item | State cost | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Formation (Form 205) | $300 | One time |
| Online card payment | $0.25 plus 2.25% convenience fee | If you pay by card online |
| Texas Express expedited handling | $50 standard expedited, $500 next day, $750 same day | Optional |
| Franchise tax | $0 at or below $2.65 million in revenue for 2026 and 2027 reports, otherwise 0.375% retail or wholesale, 0.75% other, or 0.331% on the EZ computation | Every year, due May 15 |
| Public Information or Ownership Information Report | Filed with the Comptroller | Every year, due May 15 |
Privacy
No. The Certificate of Formation must list a name and address for each governing person: every initial manager, or every initial member if the LLC has no managers. Each year the Public Information Report filed with the Comptroller lists the officers, directors and managers at the time it is filed.
Members of a manager managed LLC are not on the certificate, but the manager is. Real privacy in Texas usually means a holding company or a nominee manager with the paperwork to back it up, and that is a question for an attorney.
Federal reporting is not the issue it was: FinCEN's final rule of August 2026 removed beneficial ownership reporting for US companies and US persons. Read what changed in Anonymous LLC in 2026.
Timing
Filing online through SOSPortal is the faster route, and evidence of filing is emailed to the submitter. The Secretary of State does not publish a fixed standard turnaround on its formation instructions.
The Secretary of State's Texas Express page lists three paid tiers: standard expedited at $50 per document, typically two to three business days; next day at $500; and same day at $750, with a noon cut off for next day and same day.
Names
Registered agent
Ours is $95 per entity, per state, per year.
Is it right for you
Corporations
A Texas for-profit corporation also files a Certificate of Formation with a $300 fee and is subject to the same franchise tax and May 15 deadline. Its Public Information Report lists officers and directors.
We file corporations too. Pro and Premium include bylaws and initial corporate documents.
Taxes and publication
The Texas Constitution says the legislature may not impose a tax on the net incomes of individuals (Art. 8, § 24-a).
Businesses pay the franchise tax instead, with no tax due at or below $2.65 million in revenue for 2026 and 2027 reports.
Publication: Texas has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
Operating in Illinois
Forming in Texas does not take your company out of Illinois. If your Texas company has an office, staff or regular operations in Illinois, it generally has to register in Illinois as a foreign company before it does business here. For an LLC that is the Application for Admission to Transact Business, and the Illinois fee is $150, the same as forming a new Illinois LLC.
After that you pay both states every year: Texas's own annual costs plus the Illinois annual report, $75 for an LLC. You also need an Illinois registered agent with a street address here. That is the double cost most Illinois founders do not see coming, and it is why a business that only operates in Illinois is usually better off with an Illinois LLC.
If you do form in Texas and operate here, we can be your Illinois registered agent from our staffed office in Chicago.
We check the name, prepare the filing and send it at your direction. You get the documents and a team that answers the phone.
Filing service packages
One time service fees, prepared by a person you can call. The Texas state fee is passed through at cost and confirmed in your quote before anything is filed.
plus the Texas state fee, at cost
Your Texas LLC or corporation filed, with your EIN, by a team you can call.
Continue with StarterIncluded
plus the Texas state fee, at cost
Everything in Starter, plus the documents your bank asks for and a registered agent.
Continue with ProIncluded
plus the Texas state fee, at cost
Everything in Pro, plus your first annual report filed and the documents to run the company.
Continue with PremiumIncluded
All 50 states
Same packages, same team, any state. These are the guides founders ask us about most, with the state fee to file and the yearly cost to keep the company active.
Lobi Space is not a law firm, and no one on our staff, including our notary public, is an attorney licensed to practice law in Illinois. We prepare and file formation documents only at your direction, using the information you give us. We cannot give legal or tax advice, tell you which entity type to choose, or review your situation the way a lawyer would. For those decisions, talk to an Illinois attorney or a CPA.
Notice from our notary public (Illinois law, 5 ILCS 312/3-103)
I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN ILLINOIS. I AM NOT ALLOWED TO DRAFT LEGAL DOCUMENTS OR RECORDS, NOR MAY I GIVE LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY MATTER, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, MATTERS OF IMMIGRATION, OR ACCEPT OR CHARGE FEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THOSE ACTIVITIES.
Sources: Texas Secretary of State, checked October 2026. Written by the Lobi Space compliance team, current as of October 2026. State fees and rules change; we confirm the current fee before we file. This page is general information, not legal advice.
From $145 plus the Texas state fee. A person on our team checks the name, prepares the filing and sends it at your direction.
