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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Primer 1 · Texas

LLC Formation in Texas (2026): 7 Moves and the 3 Best LLC Services

Our 2026 marks for starting an LLC in Texas: Mainstay Filing ($199), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199) and TX Registered Agent.org ($199), highest first. The primer has 7 moves. The state charges $300.
From the Founder Primer desk

Start here

Charged by the state
$300
Check it yourself at sos.texas.gov; we read it in October 2026
Recurring report
No fee
Official timing: May 15
State cost, years 1 to 3
$300
Service fees excluded
Moves
7
Each one explained

You will know

  • How starting an LLC works in Texas
  • What the registered agent rule asks
  • How to stay in good standing
  • Which services we pick and why

The Texas shortlist

Five published criteria set the order; read them on how we score.

Start with this $199 a year

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a Public Information Report that someone else files

We start with Mainstay Filing: the founder pays $199 a year and skips three separate vendors for filing, registered agent and Public Information Report.

You pay $200 more than at Texas Registered Agent.ai across three years and keep less of the paperwork.

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

Inside the price
  • We prepare and file the formation
  • Registered agent all year
  • Public Information Report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • State fee at cost
In its favor
  • The EIN step is in the price
  • Renewal stays at $199
  • $199 a year covers filing and agent and report
Against it
  • A $100 yearly premium over Texas Registered Agent.ai
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Texas focus $199 plus state fee, $99/yr after

2. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for a bootstrapped formation

Texas Registered Agent.ai is a fair second choice: $199 up front and no agent fee in year one; $99 a year from year two.

Make time for the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year; it is not in the price.

Inside the price
  • The Texas formation, prepared and sent
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • $199 to form
  • A free first agent year
  • $99 yearly from year two
Against it
  • The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report stays with you
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
Visit Texas Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Texas focus $199 plus state fee, $99/yr after

3. TX Registered Agent.org: best for founders who file their own reports

TX Registered Agent.org is a fair third choice: $199 up front and no agent fee in year one; $99 a year from year two.

Make time for the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year; it is not in the price.

It costs the same as Texas Registered Agent.ai.

Inside the price
  • The Texas formation, prepared and sent
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • $199 to form
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • A free first agent year
Against it
  • The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report stays with you
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
Visit TX Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All prices in one table

# Service First year From year two Three-year total
1 Mainstay Filing $199 $199/yr $597 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Texas Registered Agent.ai $199 $99/yr $397 Visit Texas Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 TX Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 Visit TX Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. The $300 state fee is not in these figures.

Formation in order

  1. Move 1

    Choose a name

    Name search comes first. Use the records at the Texas Secretary of State.

    Look up the matching domain at the same time.

  2. Move 2

    Who is the 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.

    The registered agent job comes with each pick.

    Where this comes from: Check it yourself at sos.texas.gov; we read it in October 2026

  3. Move 3

    DIY or hire help

    Without a service you pay the state $300, nothing more. Any of our picks adds $199 and handles the paperwork.

  4. Move 4

    Send in the Certificate of Formation

    This is the filing that creates the company: the Certificate of Formation (Form 205), sent to the Texas Secretary of State with $300 (Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 3.005).

    Where this comes from: Check it yourself at sos.texas.gov; we read it in October 2026

  5. Move 5

    Apply for an EIN with the IRS

    The IRS issues EINs, not Texas. Apply after approval and hand the number to your bank. Hire Mainstay Filing and the EIN application is handled.

  6. Move 6

    Put ownership rules in writing

    Who owns what, who decides what: that lives in the operating agreement, an internal paper outside the Texas filing.

  7. Move 7

    Handle Texas's recurring filing

    Every year the LLC files the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report; deadline May 15. File late and add $50.

    Where this comes from: Check it yourself at comptroller.texas.gov; we read it in October 2026

Costs, move by move

Cost item Goes to Cost
Setting up the LLC State agency $300
State report State agency No fee
Late filing penalty State agency $50
Filing service (optional) Service $199 for year one
State total, three years State agency $300

We get the three-year state number by adding the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax. Service fees stay separate.

How the marks came out

The deciding criterion: to-dos the price takes off you, at 38% of the mark.

Texas wants the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year, so a price that files it beat a lower one that leaves it to you.

Texas quick answers

Which Texas fees apply to a new LLC?

The state fee is $300. Services we rank charge $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

Move 4 shows how to fill out the Certificate of Formation (Form 205) and where it goes: 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?

Texas requires the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year, at no cost, with the deadline stated as May 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state accepts filings directly from owners, so you need no service. Expect $300 and a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Pick Mainstay Filing: $199 yearly puts the filing, a registered agent and the Public Information Report in someone else's hands. Behind it: Texas Registered Agent.ai and TX Registered Agent.org.

More primers

Sources, so you can check us

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