Registered Agent Services for Texas LLCs

Texas's Registered Agent Requirement

Under the Texas Business Organizations Code, every LLC must maintain a registered agent and registered office in Texas. The Certificate of Formation (Form 205) requires a Texas street address for the registered office, where the agent is located and available to accept service of process and official state mail.

Who Can Serve as a Texas LLC's Agent

The registered agent must be an individual Texas resident or an organization registered or authorized to do business in Texas. According to the Texas Secretary of State's own guidance, the LLC itself cannot serve as its own registered agent, but its officers, owners (members), or employees may act as the registered agent personally, as long as they have a qualifying Texas address. This is similar to the rule in Florida and California, which also bar the entity from being its own agent while allowing an associated individual to serve.

Changing Your Registered Agent

To switch registered agents, file Form 401, the Statement of Change of Registered Office/Agent, with the Secretary of State, for a $15 fee. This is one of the lower change fees among the states, compared with $25 in Florida or up to $100 in Alabama.

How the Agent Requirement Connects to the Franchise Tax Filing

Texas is unusual in that it has no traditional annual report filed with the Secretary of State. Instead, every LLC files a Franchise Tax Report and Public Information Report (Form 05-102) with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts by May 15 each year. For 2026 to 2027 reports, an LLC with annualized total revenue at or below $2,650,000 owes no tax but still must file the Public Information Report. A report filed after May 15 carries a $50 penalty even when no tax is owed, and failing to file the Public Information Report can forfeit the LLC's right to transact business in Texas. Your registered agent is who receives any state correspondence about this requirement, so keeping that address current matters even though the filing itself goes to the Comptroller, not the Secretary of State.

Using a Registered Agent Service in Texas

Many Texas LLC owners, especially those running the business from home or without a consistent office during business hours, use a paid registered agent service instead of listing themselves. This also keeps a home address out of the Texas Secretary of State's public entity search. Our Texas registered agent guide and our Texas LLC guide cover how this fits alongside Texas's formation and franchise tax requirements.

Foreign LLCs Registering in Texas

An LLC formed in another state that wants to do business in Texas registers as a foreign LLC using Form 304, which also requires naming a Texas registered agent as part of that application, separate from any agent the LLC has in its home state.

Texas's Franchise Tax Threshold Changes Periodically

The no-tax-due revenue threshold is adjusted over time; the $2,650,000 figure applies to 2026 to 2027 reports specifically. Check the Texas Comptroller's current threshold each filing season rather than assuming it stays the same every year.

SOSPortal Replaced Older Filing Systems

Texas's online filing system, SOSPortal, replaced SOSDirect and SOSUpload as the single online filing method; confirm you are using the current system when filing a registered agent change or any other Secretary of State filing.

An Owner Acting as Agent Still Needs a Qualifying Address

If you plan to serve as your own LLC's registered agent as an owner or employee, you still need an actual Texas street address, not a P.O. box, where you are available during business hours; being an owner alone does not waive the address requirement.

Not Legal or Tax Advice

Texas has no personal income tax, but every LLC is still subject to the franchise tax described above. Talk to a tax professional about how the no-tax-due threshold and Public Information Report apply to your specific LLC.