Having a Texas registered agent is a requirement of every registered business in the state.
You can’t complete the formation of your LLC (or other company structure) in Texas (and other states) without having designated a registered agent.
A registered agent provides:
- An official registered office address for the business
- A postal address to receive correspondence
- A physical address for receiving any service of process (in a lawsuit for example)
Who Can Be a Texas Registered Agent?
In simple terms, a Texas registered agent is a person or business entity that has a physical address in the state (a post office box is not sufficient).
So that means that you can:
- Serve as your own registered agent (if you are resident in Texas)
- You can designate a friend or family member – or your lawyer or accountant – as your registered agent
- OR … you can do what most people do and hire a reputable online business services company to provide registered agent service.
Requirements of a Texas Registered Agent
There a number of requirements to be a registered agent in Texas, which is why most people choose to go with a registered agent service.
Texas’s corporations law sets out these requirements for registered agents:
“Generally, an individual Texas resident or an organization that is registered or authorized to do business in Texas with a business office at the same address as the entity’s registered office may consent to serve as the registered agent. Although an officer, owner, or employee may serve as an entity’s registered agent, an entity may not serve as its own registered agent. An entity may contract for the provision of registered agent services from another business entity, such as a service company. The secretary of state, or other governmental agency or authority, cannot serve as an entity’s registered agent.”
No matter who you choose to be your registered agent, they need to be physically present at the address provided to the state during standard business hours.
What will my Texas Registered Agent do For Me?
Aside from allowing you to form your LLC or other company structure in the state of Texas, your Texas registered agent service supports your business in three main ways: administrative, legal and compliance. It also offers a couple of advantages in terms of privacy and discretion, which we will detail below.
Administrative
Your Texas registered agent service will receive all your mail and either forward it on to you, or scan it and upload it to a portal where you can view it.
This includes all correspondence with the state of Texas relating to your business.
Legal
The registered agent provides a physical address to receive hand-delivered service of process (SOP) paperwork regarding any legal action being taken against your company. We all hope this doesn’t happen, but it is always a possibility and a registered agent is required to fulfil this function for your company. If your registered agent receives any legal documents, they will let you know and forward the documents to you promptly.
Compliance
Your registered agent helps ensure that your business files any required paperwork on time. Each state has its own schedule of required corporate filings – annual reports, tax payments or documents etcetera.
A registered agent service keeps track of these dates (which are subject to change) and emails you to remind you when filings are due. This ensures your business remains in good standing and doesn’t receive any fines or other actions including dissolution.
Texas LLCs don’t have to file and annual report and. However a No Tax Due Report and Public Information Report must be filed every year as part of the LLC’s annual tax return.
Privacy & Discretion
Having a registered agent service as opposed to using your own address gives you more privacy. For example, if you use your home or private office, that will become publicly available on the state’s Business Entity Search Page.
There’s also the additional discretion that a registered agent service provides – no one wants their neighbour, employees or clients to be present when a business has to accept service of process in the event of legal action.
National Coverage
The other key advantage using an online registered agent service (we reviewed our favourites below) as opposed to going it alone or using a local company is that a national firm allows for expansion to other states.
If you are setting up in another state, then you’ll need a registered agent there too. Doing it with a service means you can pay a little extra and add that state to your account and they will deliver documents for that entity via the same online account dashboard that you are familiar with.
Our Top Texas Registered Agent Services Reviewed
We recommend choosing one of the four national registered agent services below to be your Texas registered agent (hint, sometimes it is simplest and best to choose the same service to form your Texas LLC and be your Texas registered agent as there are savings to be made and it is simpler that way).
Each service has it’s own pros and cons, which we have summarized below. Once you have chosen, click on the Get Started link on the corresponding service and get the best available price to set up your Texas Resident Agent.
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best value  | Price: $99 per year
| 9.4 | Visit site |
Best customer service  | Price: $125 per year
| 9.3 | Visit site |
Great value  | Price: $119 per year
| 9.1 | Visit site |
Best no frills  | Price: $99 per year
| 9 | Visit site |
Strong brand  | Price: $299 per year
| 8.9 | Visit site |
Forming a Business (LLC) in Texas
Of course choosing a registered agent is just one part of forming a business entity in Texas.
We’ve summarised the other main steps for forming an LLC (the appropriate entity for most situations) well as showing you where appointing a registered agent fits in the process.
- Choose a business name. Be sure to choose something that’s unique to your business, is easy to pronounce (helps with word of mouth) and fits with your business. It also needs to not be an business name that is already in use in Texas. You can check this with the state’s Business Entity Search.
- Appoint your registered agent. We discussed this throughout so won’t repeat ourselves here other than to say we recommend a registered agent service.
- File your formation documents: The main document you need to file initially is the Articles of Organization. Annual filings will include the annual report, but you don’t have to do that until your LLC (Limited Liability Company) is up and running.
Texas Business Fast-Facts
- Size of Texas economy: $2000bn in Gross Domestic Product Business Formation Speed: five to seven business days
- Cost (state fees) to Form a Business: $300 for LLCs
- Annual Reports: not required
Texas Registered Agent Service FAQs:
How much does a Registered Agent Service Cost?
A registered agent service is typically around $100 per year (although some can cost several hundred dollars per year).
What about a Texas-only (as opposed to national) registered agent service?
There are local firms that offer a registered agent service and they are perfectly fine for some people. The only area in which these local firms suffer in comparison to the four services that we prefer is their dashboards are usually not as user friendly and these firms can’t service your needs if you need to expand into another state.
How to Change Your Texas Resident Agent?
It is possible of course to change your Texas registered agent if you have an existing service. To do this you need to fill out the correct Appointment of New Registered Agent form and submit it to the Secretary of State.
Can I Be My Own Registered Agent in Texas?
Yes, if you are physically resident in Texas but there are drawbacks to this, particular if you use your home address as the registered address of the business.
Are There Other Options For Registered Agent Services?
Yes, for sure. We’ve included what we think are the best, but in this post we’ve reviewed the 11 main national registered agent services.
