Registered agent required
Yes
sos.texas.gov (October 2026)
Registered agent guide · Texas
Texas Registered Agents (2026): State Rules, Fees and the 3 Best Agents
Short answer for Texas: Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year) and TX Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), which is the sequence we would follow for a registered agent in 2026. A registered agent is required for every Texas LLC, but the state itself collects no yearly report fee.
Texas: the figures
1st
of fifty for the state side of an annual budget
A low number means a small state bill, level with other states. Every state compared
Recurring report
No fee
The state sets the deadline as May 15. comptroller.texas.gov (October 2026)
State charges, per year
$0
The state side of a single year
Our Texas recommendations
Five criteria set the order, led by three-year service charges and the filings covered; the methodology has the weights.
1. Mainstay Filing: best for multi-state businesses
$149 per year, then $149 per year
Why Mainstay Filing leads: $149 a year with no increase at renewal, valid in every state.
It runs $150 above Texas Registered Agent.ai over three years. Our method weighs coverage at 26%, and the extra filings it handles make up for the gap.
What the price buys
- A Texas office address printed on the public record
- Anything served on the company is scanned and sent to you that business day, free of charge
- The first three letters from government agencies each year are scanned at no charge
- Also open to nonprofits, partnerships and corporations, not only LLCs
In its favor
- $149 per year
- A single provider for any state
Against it
- A yearly premium of $50 over Texas Registered Agent.ai
- Report filing sits with the formation package
2. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for a one-state business
$99 per year, then $99 per year
Number 2 is Texas Registered Agent.ai: a plan for Texas alone at $99 a year, with a renewal price of $99.
What the price buys
- Texas street address serves as the registered office
- You see scanned copies of whatever the agent receives
In its favor
- A lower annual price than the national option
- Price $99, renewal $99
Against it
- Single-state service
- Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report sits outside the price
3. TX Registered Agent.org: best for an office address inside the state
$99 per year, then $99 per year
Number 3 is TX Registered Agent.org: a plan for Texas alone at $99 a year, with a renewal price of $99.
Price for price, it equals Texas Registered Agent.ai.
What the price buys
- Texas street address serves as the registered office
- You see scanned copies of whatever the agent receives
In its favor
- Price $99, renewal $99
- A lower annual price than the national option
Against it
- Single-state service
- Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report sits outside the price
Prices side by side
| No. | Service | Yearly price | Renews at | Service charges, three years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mainstay Filing | $149 | $149/yr | $447 | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
| 2 | Texas Registered Agent.ai | $99 | $99/yr | $297 | Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
| 3 | TX Registered Agent.org | $99 | $99/yr | $297 | Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
Prices as published on November 12, 2026. State charges stay the same with any agent.
Agent cost calculator
Each agent's price is combined with the state charges that repeat (the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report from year two). Formation fees are not in the total.
Texas next to the states ranked around it
| Place | State | Yearly state fees |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ohio | $0 |
| 1st | South Carolina | $0 |
| 1st | Texas | $0 |
| 11th | New York | $4.50 |
| 12th | Pennsylvania | $7 |
The complete ranking applies one method to all fifty states.
Texas registered agent requirements under the statute
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. 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.
Who can act: 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. Legal basis: Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201.
Keeping a Texas LLC in 2026
One item recurs: the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, free every year, due May 15. The penalty for lateness is $50.
Why the list reads this way
Mainstay Filing won by scoring higher on paperwork the price takes on, worth 26%, with Texas Registered Agent.ai close behind.
Reach put it above Texas Registered Agent.ai.
Texas: common questions
Does every Texas LLC need a registered agent?
Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Who may act as the registered agent for Texas LLCs?
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.
What is the yearly price of registered agent service for Texas?
Among our picks the price is $99 to $149 a year.
What does the state itself charge an LLC each year?
Nothing. Texas has no yearly report fee, so no state charge repeats.
Which registered agents are recommended on this page?
Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year) and TX Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in order of preference.
Which registered agent is the best choice?
Mainstay Filing, because a $149 agent plan that travels with the company into any new state. Behind it come Texas Registered Agent.ai and TX Registered Agent.org.
Sources for this chapter
- Official page for Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source: comptroller.texas.gov, opened October 2026
- Official page for Texas report due date: statutes.capitol.texas.gov, opened August 2026
- Official page for Tex: sos.texas.gov, opened August 2026
- Official page for Texas registered agent statute: sos.texas.gov, opened October 2026
- Official page for Ohio Secretary of State: ohiosos.gov, opened August 2026
- Official page for Ohio Secretary of State: ohiosos.gov, opened August 2026
- Official page for South Carolina Secretary of State for formation: dor.sc.gov, opened August 2026
- Official page for South Carolina Secretary of State for formation: dor.sc.gov, opened August 2026
- Official page for South Carolina yearly filing: Annual report, official source: dor.sc.gov, opened October 2026
- Official page for New York Department of State, Division of Corporations: dos.ny.gov, opened August 2026
- Official page for New York Department of State, Division of Corporations: filing.dos.ny.gov, opened August 2026
- Official page for Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and: pa.gov, opened August 2026
- Official page for Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and: pa.gov, opened August 2026
- Mainstay Filing, Texas service page, on the company's page November 12, 2026
- Texas Registered Agent.ai, pricing page, on the company's page November 12, 2026
- TX Registered Agent.org, pricing page, on the company's page November 12, 2026