Incorporate in Texas

How Our Texas Incorporation Service Works

We process your order quickly, file your Certificate of Formation, and equip you with all the tools you need for success—including 1 year of Texas Registered Agent service and free basic mail forwarding. If you’re in need of a unique suite number, we also have 3 full-service mail forwarding options you can choose from. Need a DBA? We can do that, too. Just sign up at checkout.

Professional incorporation, local registered agent service, privacy protection and mail forwarding: we satisfy all of your business needs.

• Quick and Easy Certificate of Formation Filing
• Texas Business Address to Protect Your Privacy
• 1 Year of Texas Registered Agent Service
• Free Basic Mail Forwarding
• Free Bylaws, Initial Resolutions, & Stock Certificates
• Free Domain Name for One Year (up to $25 value)
• Free Website, SSL, Email, and Phone Service for 90 Days
• Annual Corporation Compliance Reminders
• Access to Additional Business Services, including Trade Name filings
• Local Customer Support from Texas Business Experts

Note that if you already have a corporation in another state and are looking to do business in Texas you’ll have to register as a Foreign Corporation in Texas. We can take care of that for you!

Why Incorporate with Texan?

There are a lot of companies out there promising fast, easy Texas incorporation. So why choose Texan Registered Agent? Well for starters, we’re actually here in Texas. When you go with a huge, national conglomerate you get what you pay for, which often means filing mistakes, avoidable delays, frustrating phone interactions and price hikes from one year to the next. We’re small, we’re local and we handle everything in-house: this means we’re better able to protect your privacy, more efficient than our competitors, and poised to provide the best customer service around. 

Plus, our $35/year registered agent service saves you the most money, year after year. This price will stay the same, no matter how long you do business with us. Here’s a closer look at some of the perks of our unbeatable Texas incorporation package.

Transparent Pricing

At Texan Registered Agent, we believe in upfront pricing.

Optional Add-Ons

That doesn’t mean we don’t offer additional services! With Texan Registered Agent, you can choose from supporting business services, such as:

Texan Business Presence

Get what you need to start doing business right away:

• Domain Name. Choose your own domain name and claim your piece of the web.
• Website & SSL. Get a secure, open source website that you control.
• Email. Connect your website to your inbox with a business email address.
• Phone Line. Use a business phone line (with a TX area code) instead of your own, without having to buy a new phone. Your number can be accessed on your own device with our phone app (compatible with iOS or Android).

Your domain name is FREE for a year (up to $25 value), and all other services are FREE for the first 90 days, then $9/month individually, or $28.80/month total when you keep all services (20% savings).

Our prices are the lowest in the state, and our service is beyond what most formation services are able to offer. We don’t just set you up with a company then call it a day, we give you what you need to help your business thrive.

Quick and Easy Filing

No one is faster than Texan Registered Agent when it comes to preparing and submitting your corporation. Our expert filers fill out and digitally file your Certificate of Formation so you don’t have to.

You shouldn’t have to wait to get your business up and running. With Texan Registered Agent, you won’t. Let us handle every aspect of your corporation formation: preparation, filing, follow up and annual compliance. Our experts leave nothing to chance.

A Texas Business Address

According to Texas Business Organizations Code Sec. § 5.201, all Texas business entities must have a Texas registered agent with a street address in Texas. This registered address will become your official Texas business address, listed permanently in the public record.

When you hire us to form your Texas corporation, we’re also your Texas registered agent for 1 full year (with the option to renew). We list the address of our Austin office for your business and let you use this address for every director of your company. This address is a reputable commercial building that we own, which means you get stability, privacy and a boost of credibility all by having us form your corporation.

Free Mail Forwarding

Our Texas incorporation package includes free basic mail forwarding—up to 3 regular mail scans per year. If you don’t expect to receive much non-state mail for your Texas corporation, this is a great option. Just as with any official mail we receive for your business, we’ll send you a notification when you have a new document to view in your account. For business owners who want full-service mail forwarding and a unique suite number, we have 3 additional options you can add at checkout.

BOI Report Filing

Filing a BOI report is mandatory for most corporations in the U.S.—which means it’s just one more things to remember and keep track of. Failing to file this report on time can result in fines of up to $500 / day (see: BOI Small Entity Compliance Guide). Why not let business experts file it for you? For just $25, we’ll take care of your BOI filing.

Corporate Forms & Reminders

Corporations are more formal than other Texas entities, and they require a bit more legal upkeep. Our incorporation package includes free, customizable business documents you can use for official record-keeping, including corporate bylaws, initial resolutions, and stock certificates.

We also provide compliance tracking to make sure you don’t miss important deadlines, like the Public Information Report. Texas corporations are required by law to file this report annually, by May 15. If your annual revenue is above $2.47 million, you’ll also need to file a Texas Franchise Tax Report. Failing to file could result in your corporation being automatically terminated by the state.

Managing a company is a full-time job, and every year there are countless Texas business owners who miss this all-important deadline and end up having their entity dissolved. We’d like to make sure that doesn’t happen to you, which is why we send reminders to your client account to let you know the Franchise Tax Report deadline is approaching. For a nominal fee, you can even hire us to file it for you.

Local Support

If you’re going to form a Texas corporation, why would you hire someone in an office in Delaware or New York to handle your filing? Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Our filers are real Texans working at our Austin registered office, right down the street from Bull Creek.

Our staff has a deep understanding of how the Texas Secretary of State expects to see business filings. We work here every day, and our direct knowledge of Texas filings allows us to provide faster and more efficient service to all of our clients.

Ready to get started? Hire Texan to form your corporation and get $35 Texas registered agent service.

DIY Texas Corporation

Every day we get calls from clients who are interested in forming their corporations on their own. We fully support the DIY spirit. Below you will find our guide to forming a Texas corporation on your own.

Before You File

1. Name Your Corporation

Every Texas corporation needs a name. You should review the legal restrictions for Texas corporations to be sure you do not violate state law. It is also worth taking the time to do a simple Texas business name search. This will tell you whether or not the name you are considering is already in use by another business.

You cannot register a name that is already used by another company. If you try, your filing will be rejected by the Texas Secretary of State.

2. Designate a Registered Agent

A Texas corporation cannot be formed without a registered agent. Your registered agent’s job is to accept important state and legal mail on your company’s behalf and submit it promptly to you. According to Texas law, your registered agent must have a physical street address in Texas, which will go on the public record.

We offer the best value registered agent service in Texas: $35 a year, every year.

3. Write Your Bylaws

According to Texas Business Organizations Code Sec. § 21.057, your corporation’s board of directors must hold an initial meeting to adopt corporate bylaws which lay out the ownership corporation and the management of your company.

These bylaws are not filed with any government agency, but they should be written early on so that you can lay out the rights and obligations of shareholders, directors and corporate officers. This creates less confusion as your company grows.

Submitting Your Certificate of Formation

Articles

The Texas Certificate of Formation is divided into different sections. The first section is made up of various Articles.

Article 1: Entity Name and Type

List the name of your corporation here exactly as you want it to officially appear.

Article 2: Registered Agent and Office

List the name and address of your Texas registered agent. The address must be a physical address. It cannot be a PO box. While you can appoint a business to act as your registered agent in Texas, you cannot appoint your own corporation.

Article 3: Directors

Under Texas law, for-profit Texas corporations need to list the name and address of at least one director on their Certificate of Formation. When we form your corporation, we can list our address here instead of your own. If your corporation will have additional directors, make sure to include their names in your bylaws.

Article 4: Authorized Shares

You must list the number of shares of stock you are authorizing at this time. Authorizing shares of stock is the process of creating shares. These shares will be issued to your shareholders at your initial shareholders meeting.

You are also required to list the par value of your shares, if any. Par value is not the actual value of your shares, but rather the lowest possible value that your stock can be sold for. If you are authorizing stock of different classes, you must also list each class of stock and its par value, as well as the relative rights of each class of stock.

Article 5: Purpose

You are not required to add anything to this section, as it is already filled in with the basic state law: your corporation is organized to conduct lawful purposes.

There is, however, space to include supplemental information if you wish to.

Execution

Organizer

You must list the name and address (street or mailing) of your organizer. The organizer is the individual who prepares and submits your Certificate of Formation. If you hired Texan Registered Agent to form your corporation, we would sign as your organizer.

Effectiveness of Filing

Your Certificate of Formation can take effect on one of three dates:

• When the document is filed by the Secretary of State
• At a later date, no more than 90 days after filing
• Upon a specific future event, no more than 90 days after filing

If you want your corporation to begin its official existence upon a specific future event, you must describe in detail the event. For example, you may decide that your corporation will not become effective until your shareholders have raised $10,000. However, if the event does not come to pass within 90 days of filing, then the Secretary of State will not process your corporation.

Signature

The document must be signed and dated by your organizer.

After You File

1. Get an EIN

Every corporation is required to obtain an EIN. You can apply for an EIN at the IRS website for free.

2. File Your BOI Report

As of January 1, 2024, certain business entities (including most corporations) are required to file what’s known as a Beneficial Ownership Information Report (BOI) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). This filing is free. Though some corporations—like financial institutions—are exempt, the vast majority of corporations are not. A beneficial owner is someone with a large stake in your company, which could mean an officer, a board member, or someone with at least 25% ownership stock. In addition to your company’s name (including DBAs), tax ID, and jurisdiction of formation, your BOI must include your beneficial owner’s:

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Residential address
• Copy of an accepted form of ID (like passport or driver’s license)

The timeline for submitting your BOI report depends on when your company is formed. If before 2024, you have an entire year (until January 1, 2025). If during the 2024 calendar year, you have 90 days. If your company is formed anytime from January 1, 2025 on, you have 30 days to file.

3. Public Information Report

Beginning in 2024, Texas corporations and other businesses making less than $2.47 million in annual revenue don’t need to file a TX Franchise Tax Report. However, they do need to submit a Public Information Report to the Texas Comptroller by May 15 each year. This report is free to file.

You can submit your Public Information Report by mail to:

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
PO Box 149348
Austin, TX 78714-9348

4. Ongoing Maintenance and Compliance

Your Texas registered agent will help you maintain compliance with state law by forwarding to you any official notifications issued by the Secretary of State, as well as any service of process delivered to their registered office.

If you hire Texan Registered Agent, you will also have access to all Texas corporation filing forms in your online account. With these forms you can file amendments, address changes, mergers, foreign registrations and all other maintenance documents throughout the life of your business.