How to Get a Texas DBA (Assumed Name)

Filing a DBA in Texas

In Texas, DBA registration is required, but how you register a DBA depends on the type of business you own. Incorporated business entities like LLCs and corporations can get a DBA by filing a Texas Assumed Name Certificate with the Secretary of State and paying the $25 filing fee. Unincorporated businesses like sole proprietorships and general partnerships must file with the county clerk in the county where their principal office is located (forms and fees vary).

What’s on this page?

What is a Texas DBA?

Do You Need a DBA?

Why Hire Us File Your Texas Assumed Name Certificate?

How to Register Your Texas Assumed Name

Doing Business Successfully Under a Texas DBA

Texas DBA FAQs

What is a Texas DBA?

What’s a DBA or, as they’re called in Texas, an assumed name? It’s simple. A DBA (“doing business as” name) is any name you choose to operate under that isn’t your legal business name. In short, a DBA is a pseudonym or nickname for your business.

A DBA can be an incredibly useful marketing tool for rebranding, expanding, and increasing your business’s credibility.

Is a DBA a type of business?

No. A popular misconception about DBAs is that a DBA is a type business, but it’s not. A DBA is just a name.

In contrast to business entities like LLCs and corporations, DBAs don’t offer business owners liability protection. This is a crucial distinction because some sole proprietors and general partnerships get DBAs thinking that a DBA creates a legal separation between themselves and their business. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case.

To get liability protection and keep your personal assets safe, you need to form a legal business entity like an LLC or corporation.

Do You Need a DBA?

There are many reasons to register a DBA in Texas, but here are a few of the most common:

Rebrand

A lot of businesses start using a DBA because they begin offering different products or services, or because their mission has changed. For example, if you started off as a computer repair company, but now you do exclusively software coding, you might go by the DBA “Longhorn Software Services” instead of your registered business name, “Longhorn Computer Repair, LLC.”

Expand

Some businesses use a DBA to open up a new location or start a new business line without having to form an additional business entity. For instance, brick-and-mortar restaurant might get a DBA to operate a food truck under a different name. A business may also market different products under unique DBAs to create the impression that each product is made by a separate business.

Increase Credibility

If you’re a sole proprietor, the legal name of your business is simply your own legal name. For that reason, many sole proprietors register a DBA to operate under a more professional name or a name that better conveys their business purpose. As an example, you might use the DBA “Longhorn Software Services” instead of doing business as Mary Lopez.

Why Hire Us to File Your Texas Assumed Name Certificate?

Registering your Texas DBA with Texan Registered Agent LLC can save you time and help you avoid annoying paperwork. Why file with us?

• We’ve got local expertise and experience – Our professional filers here in Austin know how to get your Assumed Name Certificate submitted with speed and accuracy so that your filing is accepted the first time.

• We’re dependable and convenient – If you hire us to file your DBA, we’ll take care of everything. We’ll make sure the process goes smoothly and that your approved certificate is uploaded to your online account as soon as your filing is accepted.

• We can help increase your privacy – As your registered agent, we offer free use of our business address. If you choose to use our address in place of your own on your formation filings (for example, if you work from a home office and don’t want to put your home address on the public record), you can also use this address on your DBA filing.

What’s the cost?

We’re always transparent about our prices:

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How to Register Your Texas Assumed Name

According to Chapter 71 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, any business that operates under a DBA in Texas must register that name. In fact, intentionally using a DBA without filing is classified as a Class A misdemeanor (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 71.202) and is punishable by a fine of up to $4,000, up to one year of jail time, or both.

An incorporated business (corporations, LLCs, LLPs, registered series, registered foreign entities) registers by filing an Assumed Name Certificate with the Secretary of State.

An unincorporated business (sole proprietors, general partnerships) registers by filing a certificate with the county clerk in the country where the business either (a) maintains its principal office or (b) conducts business if the business does not have an office in any county.

1. Make Sure Your Desired DBA is Available

There are two basic naming rules for DBAs in Texas:

1. Using the registered legal name of an incorporated business entity—the name listed on an LLC’s or corporation’s Certificate of Formation—is not allowed.

2. Businesses are not required to include an entity identifier such as “LLC,” “Ltd,” “Inc,” or “Corp” as part of their DBA but are prohibited from using an identifier that does not apply to their business. For example, an LLC cannot use “Inc” as part of its assumed name.

You can check name availability using the Taxable Entity Search.

2. File an Assumed Name Certificate

Once you’ve got your DBA name, you’ll need to file your Assumed Name Certificate. Here’s information for state- and county-level filers:

Filing a DBA at the State Level:

» Required information:

To file as an incorporated business, you’ll need to include the following information on your filing:

• Assumed name
• Legal entity name
• Entity type
• Entity file number from the Secretary of State (if applicable)
• Jurisdiction of formation
• Principal address (street or mailing address permitted)
• Period of duration (the full registration of 10 years, the number of years the assumed name will be used if less than 10 years, or the exact date your business will stop using the assumed name)
• The county or counties where the assumed name will be used
• Signature of authorized person

» Filing fee:

The cost to file is $25. If you pay a credit card, you’ll also be charged a small convenience fee.

» Where to file:

Currently, the Secretary of State doesn’t offer online filing for assumed names. You can download an Assumed Name Certificate and then file by mail or in person.

Mail:
Secretary of State
PO Box 13697
Austin, Texas 78711-3697

In-person:
James Earl Rudder Office Building
1019 Brazos
Austin, Texas 78701

Filing a DBA at the County Level:

Most counties will have an assumed name certificate that you can fill out and submit to the county clerk’s office. Certificates can vary slightly from county to county, but the required information remains the same (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 71.052).

As an example, see the Harris County Assumed Name Records Certificate of Ownership for Unincorporated Business or Profession.

» Required information:

As an unincorporated business, you’ll need to provide the following information:

• Assumed name
• Business type
• The residential address(es) of the business owner(s)
• The address of the business’s principal office (if applicable)
• Period of duration (how long the business will use the name; not to exceed 10 years)
• A statement that the business will be conducting business under the assumed name in the county where it is registered as the business type indicated on the form
• Owner signatures

The certificate must be notarized.

» Filing fee:

Filing costs vary depending on the number of business owners. The base fee is $24. You must pay 50 cents per additional owner (military veterans are exempt from this charge). You may also need to pay extra to have your form notarized.

» Where to file:

You’ll need to file with the county clerk’s office in the county where your principal office is located or where you conduct business (if you don’t have an office).

Find your county clerk’s office using the Secretary of State’s List of County Clerks.

Doing Business Successfully Under a Texas DBA

Renew Your Assumed Name

In Texas, you must renew your assumed name every 10 years. If you want to continue using the same DBA, just file a new Assumed Name Certificate before your previous filing expires. Whether you file at the state or county level, the fee to renew is the same as the fee to register.

Get a Business Bank Account

One important aspect of operating under a DBA is making sure that your money stays organized. One way to keep your finances in order is to open a separate business bank account for your DBA. This way, you can separate income made under your legal business name from income made under your DBA, income made under different DBAs, and/or personal and business income if you’re a sole proprietor.

Look for a bank that offers low fees on checking accounts and low-interest rates on borrowing but high-interest rates on savings accounts.

Establish Your Business Presence Online

Once you start doing business under your assumed name, you’ll need to start marketing under that name and establishing your business online so that customers can find you and your services. That means launching a website for your DBA and creating new social media accounts.

Strengthen your branding with a website, domain (also known as a web address), and email address that match your DBA, and a separate phone line with a custom voicemail message and outgoing caller ID, too. If you’re sharing contact information with another business name or using your personal contact information, you’ll end up confusing customers and you may not appear very professional.

Texas DBA FAQs

Is DBA registration required in Texas?

Yes. To legally use an assumed name in Texas, you must register that name with either the Secretary of State (incorporated businesses) or your county clerk’s office (unincorporated businesses).

When do I need to renew my assumed name registration?

Assumed name registrations must be renewed every 10 years. The same form is used for both registration and renewal. The fee is also the same.

How much does it cost to file a Texas Assumed Name Certificate?

It costs $25 to file an Assumed Name Certificate with the state. At the county level, it costs $24 plus $.50 per additional business owner.

Can I register more than one DBA?

Yes. You can register as many DBAs as you like in Texas, but you have to file a separate certificate and pay the fee for each name.

Can I use my Texas DBA in a different state?

To use your DBA in a different state, you must register both your business and your DBA in that state and pay the associated filing fees.

Do I need an EIN for my DBA?

No. Because a DBA is not a business entity, you do not need a separate EIN for the business you do under your DBA.

Does filing an Assumed Name Certificate keep other businesses from using the same name?

No. Filing a DBA in Texas does not give your business exclusive rights to that name, and any other business (or several) can use the same DBA. You can find out if another business is using the name you want by searching state or county records.

Are there any penalties for doing business under a DBA without filing an Assumed Name Certificate?

Yes. Intentionally doing business under an assumed name without registering that name is a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable with up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000, or both.

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