If you will be operating a limited liability company (LLC) in Texas, then you need to know the costs for registering your business with the Texas Secretary of State. The fees mentioned below are in effect as of June 2018, but both the type and amount of fees could be changed at any time. For up-to-date information on the forms and cost of operating an LLC in Texas, visit the Secretary of State online.

Your LLC is required to designate a registered agent in Texas. If your LLC meets the requirements for having a properly staffed office in Texas, you may be able to have an owner or employee serve as the registered agent. Otherwise, you will need to hire a registered agent, which will probably cost from about $50 to $500 per year.

Start-up costs for a Texas LLC

A new LLC that is being formed in Texas needs to file a Certificate of Formation—Limited Liability Company (Form 205) with the Texas Secretary of State, and pay a $300 filing fee.

If you need a certified copy of the Certificate of Formation, there is a $30 fee. If you need a Certificate of Status, there is a $5 fee. If you wish to reserve a name for your LLC for a period of 120 days before registering, you may file an Application for Reservation or Renewal of Reservation of an Entity Name (Form 501), and pay a $40 fee.

Costs for registering a foreign LLC in Texas

If you have formed an LLC in another state, and wish to conduct business in Texas, then you will need to register your LLC with the Texas Secretary of State as a foreign LLC. This is done by filing an Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 304) and paying a filing fee of $750.

If you need a certified copy of the Application for Registration, there is a $30 fee. If you need a Certificate of Status, there is a $5 fee. If you wish to reserve your LLC’s name for a period of one year before registering, you may file an Application for Registration of an Entity Name (Form 502), and pay a $40 fee.

A yearly cost of an LLC in Texas

There are no annual registration fees imposed on LLCs in Texas. However, your LLC may need to file an annual franchise tax statement with the Texas Comptroller. For more information on the Texas franchise tax, see the Comptroller’s website.

If certain changes are made by the LLC, such as amending the articles of organization or changing the registered agent, the Texas Secretary of State must be notified on the appropriate form and a fee must be paid. The fee is $15 for most changes; however, changing the registered agent requires an additional $15 for a consent form signed by the registered agent.

The basic total cost of forming an LLC in Texas is $300. The basic total cost of registering a foreign LLC in Texas is $750. The optional costs of a certified copy of the filing document, a certificate of status, and hiring an outside registered agent could raise this total by between $85 and $535.