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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor walkthrough 1 · Texas

Texas LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 7 Stages and the 3 Best LLC Services

Ranked for 2026, the services worth your call for forming an LLC in Texas are Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199), TX Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Expect 7 stages and a $300 state fee.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Formation fee
$300
sos.texas.gov, seen in October 2026
Recurring report
No fee
Deadline on the state's schedule: May 15
State cost, years 1 to 3
$300
Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Stages
7
Listed below

By the end you will know

  • How forming an LLC works in Texas
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • What happens once the LLC exists
  • How the picks compare

Our shortlist for Texas

Cost over three years leads, then work taken off your desk, year-two price, Texas fit and honest pricing (scoring page).

Our call

1. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for a lean Texas start

Best overall$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

If you only phone one company, make it Texas Registered Agent.ai, because expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

It beats Mainstay Filing on three-year cost, and cost is a big slice of how we rank.

The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report is not in the price, so you file it every year.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $199 above the state fee
  • The agent renews at $99
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing more

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

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

Focused on Texas$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Second place goes to TX Registered Agent.org, since expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report is not in the price, so you file it every year.

Texas Registered Agent.ai and this service cost the same.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • Year-one agent service costs nothing more
  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • The price leaves out the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Mainstay Filing: best for new owners who want it done for them

All fifty states$199 yearly plus the $300 state fee

Pick number 3 is Mainstay Filing, where it wraps the filing, your registered agent and the Public Information Report into $199 a year, and the renewal does not budge from $199.

Three years here run $200 above Texas Registered Agent.ai, and cost is 32% of our ranking.

The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report is covered too (no state fee applies).

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Public Information Report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • The EIN stage is part of the package
  • A flat $199 every year
  • Renews for $199

What to watch

  • $100 a year more than Texas Registered Agent.ai at renewal
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The services compared

#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.
2TX Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Plan for $300 more in state fees, whichever row you pick.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Settle on the company name

    Look your name up on the Texas register at the Texas Secretary of State. It takes a few minutes and spares you a rejected filing.

    See whether the web address is open while you are at it.

  2. Stage 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.

    You can hire whichever recommended service you like for this.

    Check it yourself: sos.texas.gov, seen in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Do it yourself or pay someone

    Skipping the service saves $199; it also means you fill in every form. Our picks are listed in order.

  4. Stage 4

    The paper to file is the Certificate of Formation

    What you need: the Certificate of Formation (Form 205), a check or card for $300, and the Texas Secretary of State as the address. For the curious, see Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 3.005.

    Check it yourself: sos.texas.gov, seen in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Get your EIN

    Once the state says yes, apply to the IRS for the LLC's federal tax ID. A proper business account is hard to open without it. This stage is part of what Mainstay Filing sells.

  6. Stage 6

    Document how the company runs

    Even if you are the only owner of a Texas LLC, write one anyway and file it with your records.

  7. Stage 7

    Prepare for next year

    The filing that returns on schedule is the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report (no fee, every year, by May 15). A late one carries $50.

    Check it yourself: comptroller.texas.gov, seen in October 2026

Costs, stage by stage

EntryGoes toPrice
Setting up the LLCThe state$300
State reportThe stateNo fee
Penalty for filing lateThe state$50
Optional serviceThe provider$199 at the start
Three-year state totalThe state$300
The state's fees come from official pages, listed below. Over three years they add up to the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why Texas Registered Agent.ai is first

Three-year bill makes up 32% of the score, and that is where pulled ahead in Texas.

Texas Registered Agent.ai totals $397 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing runs $200 higher.

Texas questions

What does Texas charge to form an LLC?

Budget $300 to file. Service fees on our list run $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Mail or upload the Certificate of Formation (Form 205) to the Texas Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Texas require each year?

Circle the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report on your calendar: no fee, every year, May 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Permitted. You pay $300, do the filing and line up a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Go with Texas Registered Agent.ai: $199 on top of the state fee, and the first year of agent service is already in there, then $99 a year. Then TX Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing.

Where we got the facts

  1. Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source: go straight to comptroller.texas.gov, checked October 2026.
  2. Texas report due date: go straight to statutes.capitol.texas.gov, checked August 2026.
  3. Tex: go straight to sos.texas.gov, checked August 2026.
  4. Texas registered agent statute: go straight to sos.texas.gov, checked October 2026.
  5. Texas Registered Agent.ai: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  6. TX Registered Agent.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  7. Mainstay Filing: Texas service page, opened November 13, 2026