Skip to content
Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 2 · Texas

Texas Registered Agent Walkthrough (2026): 6 Stages and the 3 Best Agents

My advice for 2026: when naming a registered agent in Texas, start with TX Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and Texas Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), best first. Work through the 6 stages below and your registered agent is sorted out.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Legally required?
Yes
We pulled this from sos.texas.gov in October 2026
Yearly cost of the agents we recommend
$99 to $149 a year
As each company lists them
Recurring report
No fee
We pulled this from comptroller.texas.gov in October 2026
Stages
6
In order

Walkthrough goals

  • What the law says
  • Who can act as agent
  • How an agent gets on record
  • Who we would phone as agent

Texas: our recommended services

Ranked on the scoring page: three-year cost (32%), work taken off your desk (32%), year-two price, fit with Texas rules and honest pricing.

Our call

1. TX Registered Agent.org: best for owners based in the state

Number one pickYear one $99; then $99

If you only phone one company, make it TX Registered Agent.org, because $99 a year buys you a Texas agent who keeps an office in the state.

Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and three-year cost is 32% of the ranking.

What you get

  • A physical address in Texas
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • Beats Mainstay Filing on the yearly bill
  • $99 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • No help in other states
  • It will not help with the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report
Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in several states

Any stateYear one $149; then $149

Pick number 2 is Mainstay Filing, where $149 a year with a single provider, however many states the LLC ends up in.

TX Registered Agent.org comes in $150 cheaper across three years, enough to keep this one out of first.

What you get

  • An office address inside the state
  • Papers served on the company are scanned for you, no charge
  • Up to three government mailings a year are scanned for free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • $149 per year
  • Works in all fifty states

What to watch

  • $50 yearly more than the local option
  • It will not file your yearly report
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for an in-state mailing address

In-state serviceYear one $99; then $99

Third place goes to Texas Registered Agent.ai, since $99 a year buys you a Texas agent who keeps an office in the state.

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

What you get

  • A physical address in Texas
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • Beats Mainstay Filing on the yearly bill
  • $99 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • No help in other states
  • It will not help with the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report
Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Every price in one table

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1TX Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner 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.
What each company posted on November 13, 2026. No agent moves the state fees.

Naming a Texas registered agent, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Begin with the rule

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

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sos.texas.gov in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    See who is eligible

    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. Legal basis: Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201.

  3. Stage 3

    Use an office address that qualifies

    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.

    The record shows the service's address instead of yours.

  4. Stage 4

    Serve yourself or bring in a pro

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

  5. Stage 5

    Make the agent official

    A brand-new LLC lists its agent on the Certificate of Formation (Form 205), which goes to the Texas Secretary of State. Swapping agents later means filing a change with the same office.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sos.texas.gov in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Update when something changes

    Budget for the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report at no cost every year, due May 15. Notices about it arrive through the registered agent.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from comptroller.texas.gov in October 2026

The bill

ItemWho gets paidCost
Agent serviceThe service$99 to $149 a year
Renewing the agentThe service$99 to $149 a year
Repeating reportState agencyNo fee
Here is how the three-year state row is built: filing fee, then the report in each of years two and three, then any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

The thinking behind the order

On three-year bill (32% of the score) finished first, with right behind.

TX Registered Agent.org costs $297 across three years, saving you $150 compared with Mainstay Filing.

Common questions

Is having a registered agent the law in Texas?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

Yes, if you pass the eligibility and address tests in stages 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

You can. An existing LLC files a change with the Texas Secretary of State; see stage 5.

What does a registered agent cost in Texas?

The agents we recommend charge $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

No fee for the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report.

Which registered agent would you choose?

TX Registered Agent.org ranks first and Mainstay Filing and Texas Registered Agent.ai follow; TX Registered Agent.org wins on three-year bill.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source advice comes from: comptroller.texas.gov, viewed October 2026.
  2. Where the Texas report due date advice comes from: statutes.capitol.texas.gov, viewed August 2026.
  3. Where the Tex advice comes from: sos.texas.gov, viewed August 2026.
  4. Where the Texas registered agent statute advice comes from: sos.texas.gov, viewed October 2026.
  5. The pricing page at TX Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026
  6. The Texas service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  7. The pricing page at Texas Registered Agent.ai, viewed November 13, 2026