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Texas state guide · Formation

How to form a
Texas LLC

Forming a Texas LLC is a filing, not a ceremony. Here is the actual process — what gets submitted to the Texas Secretary of State, how long approval takes, and what arrives in your inbox when it's done.

Filing agencyTexas Secretary of State
State filing fee$300
Typical approval2–3 business days (online)
Franchise tax floor~$1.3M revenue

The filing, in plain English

A Texas LLC is created when the Texas Secretary of State, Business and Public Filings accepts your Certificate of Formation and issues a certificate. Everything else — the EIN, the operating agreement, the bank account — happens around that central act. Our $299 flat service walks through all of it; you pay the Texas filing fee of $300 separately, directly to the state.

Most founders forming a single-member Texas LLC are done in 2–3 business days (online) of standard processing time. Multi-member filings take about the same; the additional complexity lives in the operating agreement, not at the state.

Texas note

Texas has no annual report for LLCs, but every LLC must file an annual Public Information Report and Franchise Tax Report with the Comptroller. LLCs with annualized revenue under the no-tax-due threshold of roughly $1.3M owe $0 in franchise tax, but must still file. Above the threshold, franchise tax is calculated on margin and ranges from 0.375% to 0.75%.

The six steps we take

  1. I.

    Confirm your name is available

    We check your chosen LLC name against the Texas Secretary of State database before anything is submitted. If the first choice is taken, we call before filing — we do not submit a filing you did not authorize.

  2. II.

    Draft the Certificate of Formation

    A formation specialist prepares the Articles to Texas's exact format, with your members, registered agent, principal office address, and effective date.

  3. III.

    Submit electronically

    Filed through the Texas Secretary of State's online system. Your Texas registered agent of record is our Austin office for the first year.

  4. IV.

    Texas approves the LLC

    Approval typically arrives in 2–3 business days (online). We watch the queue daily and forward the stamped certificate the moment it clears.

  5. V.

    We obtain the EIN

    Once the LLC is approved, we file SS-4 with the IRS to get your Employer Identification Number — the federal tax ID you need to open a business bank account.

  6. VI.

    We deliver the bank-ready packet

    Stamped certificate, EIN letter, custom operating agreement drafted to your ownership structure, and your registered agent confirmation. You sign the operating agreement and open the account.

What you need to have ready

Before we file, we need a handful of decisions from you. None of them are heavy, but we have to confirm each one on the reservation call:

  • A Texas LLC name — ending in "LLC," "L.L.C.," or "Limited Liability Company," distinguishable from other Texas entities.
  • A principal office address — home, commercial, or mail-forwarding. Becomes part of the public record.
  • Members — the individuals or entities that own the LLC. Texas allows single-member LLCs.
  • Management structure — member-managed (most common) or manager-managed. We draft the operating agreement to match.
  • An effective date — either immediately on approval, or a future date if you want a January 1 start for tax reasons.

What's included in the $299 flat fee

State filingCertificate of Formation, by a formation specialist
EIN includedFederal tax ID, issued by the IRS after approval
Operating agreementDrafted to your ownership structure — not a template
Registered agentOne year included in Texas, Austin on file

The $299 is a flat service fee for everything on our side. Texas's state filing fee of $300 is paid directly to the Texas Secretary of State and is the same whether you file with us or on your own. There are no upsells — no basic, plus, or premium tiers. One price, four things.

Ready to form in Texas?

$299 flat, plus Texas's $300 state fee.

Reservation takes three minutes. A formation specialist in Austin handles the rest.

Start your Texas filing