Texas requires every LLC and corporation to keep a registered agent with a Texas street address. You can be your own agent (Generally, an individual Texas resident or an organization that is registered or authorized to do..., full wording in the be-your-own-agent guide). Changing your agent costs $15 for an LLC and $15 for a corporation. The Public Information Report (Form 05-102), filed with the Franchise Tax Report is due May 15. If you have no agent: A Texas filing entity may be served through the Secretary of State if the entity fails to appoint or maintain a registered agent; or the entity's registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the registered office. [Also, per the Registered Agents FAQ:] Failure to appoint or maintain a registered agent and registered office may result in the involuntary termination of a domestic filing entity or the revocation of a foreign filing entity's registration. Hiring an agent costs $125 to $249 a year at renewal on the providers' own sites, read 2026-09-28; first-year offers run lower.
How to change your registered agent in Texas
- Choose the new agent. Name yourself if you meet the rule in the facts table, or hire a service from the price table below; they give you their Texas street address to put on the form.
- File online. File Form 401 online through SOSPortal, the Secretary of State's filing site. Open sos.state.tx.us
- Or file the paper form. Form 401 - Statement of Change of Registered Office/Registered Agent, from the Texas Secretary of State, Corporations Section. Mail it to: Texas Secretary of State, P.O. Box 13697, Austin, TX 78711-3697 (hand delivery: 400 W. 15th St., Austin, TX 78701). Open the Texas filing office Direct PDF
- Pay the fee. Changing your agent costs $15 for an LLC and $15 for a corporation. Keep the confirmation; the new agent is effective when the state records it.
What a registered agent costs in Texas
Yearly fee from each provider's own site on the date shown: what a new customer pays the first year, and what it renews at. Sorted by renewal price, because that is what you pay every year after. Links marked "affiliate link" pay us a commission; the other names link straight to the provider, listed on the same terms. Best is not always the one we earn from, and we say which is which.
| Provider | First year | Renews at | Terms, our dated note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agentaffiliate link | $125 | $125 | Same price every year, per its page; $100 a year per state for five or more states Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| Bizeeaffiliate link | $149 | $149 | 149 per year standalone or on renewal; first year free only with a Bizee formation Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| Harbor Complianceaffiliate link | $99 | $159 | Renews at 159 per year after the first; 3 years paid up front cost 297 Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| ZenBusiness | $99 | $199 | Renews at 199 per year Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| Registered Agents Inc | $200 | $200 | 200 a year, annual report filing included, per its page Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
| LegalZoom | $249 | $249 | Auto-renews; renewal rate subject to change, per its page Read on the provider's site 2026-09-28 |
What switching to the cheapest renewal saves
| If you renew with | Renews at | Saved per year | Over 3 years | First year, after the $15 fee | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | $249 | $124 | $372 | $109 | month 2 |
| Registered Agents Inc | $200 | $75 | $225 | $60 | month 3 |
| ZenBusiness | $199 | $74 | $222 | $59 | month 3 |
| Harbor Compliance | $159 | $34 | $102 | $19 | month 6 |
| Bizee | $149 | $24 | $72 | $9 | month 8 |
Compared with Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year, prices read 2026-09-28. Switching costs the state change fee shown above, once.
Three-year totals and every price change we have seen: the cost page.
Type your current renewal price to see the saving, what the state fee leaves the first year, and the break-even month.
Switch to Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year Affiliate link, same price as on their site.
Advertising disclosure. Some provider names on this page are links to that provider's site through an affiliate network. If you buy through one of those links we may earn a commission. The price you pay does not change. Links to providers we have no agreement with go straight to their site; every provider is ranked by the same rules. Disclosed under the US FTC Endorsement Guides and the Norwegian Marketing Control Act. A Northwest Registered Agent affiliate.
Texas at a glance
Fees, forms and deadlines
| Item | Texas |
|---|---|
| Filing office | Texas Secretary of State, Corporations Section sos.texas.gov/corp/index.shtmlSource: sos.texas.gov/corp/forms_boc.shtml, read 2026-09-08 |
| Registered agent statute (LLC) | Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201 (Designation and Maintenance of Registered Agent and Registered Office)Source: statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/BO/htm/BO.5.htm, read 2026-09-29 |
| Registered agent statute (corporation) | Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201 (Designation and Maintenance of Registered Agent and Registered Office)Source: statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/BO/htm/BO.5.htm, read 2026-09-29 |
| Change of agent form | Form 401 - Statement of Change of Registered Office/Registered Agent (online filing available)Source: sos.state.tx.us/corp/instructions/401.shtml, read 2026-09-29 |
| Change of agent fee, LLC | $15Source: sos.state.tx.us/corp/instructions/401.shtml, read 2026-09-29 |
| Change of agent fee, corporation | $15Source: sos.state.tx.us/corp/instructions/401.shtml, read 2026-09-29 |
| Annual report due | May 15 (The annual franchise tax report is due May 15. When a reporting due date happens to fall on Saturday, Sunday, or a federal legal holiday, the reporting due date becomes the next business day.)Source: comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/, read 2026-09-29 |
| Annual report fee, LLC | not confirmedSource: comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/, read 2026-09-29 |
| Annual report fee, corporation | not confirmedSource: comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/, read 2026-09-29 |
| Late fee | $50Source: comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/, read 2026-09-29 |
| No agent on file | A Texas filing entity may be served through the Secretary of State if the entity fails to appoint or maintain a registered agent; or the entity's registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the registered office. [Also, per the Registered Agents FAQ:] Failure to appoint or maintain a registered agent and registered office may result in the involuntary termination of a domestic filing entity or the revocation of a foreign filing entity's registration. Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.251 (failure to designate registered agent; service on the Secretary of State)Source: statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/BO/htm/BO.5.htm, read 2026-09-29 |
| Be your own agent | You can be your own agent (Generally, an individual Texas resident or an organization that is registered or authorized to do..., full wording in the be-your-own-agent guide)Source: sos.state.tx.us/corp/registeredagentfaqs.shtml, read 2026-09-29 |
What the statute says
Each filing entity and each foreign filing entity shall designate and continuously maintain in this state:
Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201 (Designation and Maintenance of Registered Agent and Registered Office), read 2026-09-29
A registered agent is the person or company the state and the courts send legal papers to. The agent must have a street address in Texas, not a PO box, and be available during business hours.
Annual report and what happens without an agent
The Public Information Report (Form 05-102), filed with the Franchise Tax Report is due May 15. Fee: not confirmed for an LLC, not confirmed for a corporation. Late fee: $50.
Without an agent on file: A Texas filing entity may be served through the Secretary of State if the entity fails to appoint or maintain a registered agent; or the entity's registered agent cannot with reasonable diligence be found at the registered office. [Also, per the Registered Agents FAQ:] Failure to appoint or maintain a registered agent and registered office may result in the involuntary termination of a domestic filing entity or the revocation of a foreign filing entity's registration (Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.251 (failure to designate registered agent; service on the Secretary of State)).
Sources and dates
- https://www.sos.texas.gov/corp/forms_boc.shtml, read 2026-09-08
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/BO/htm/BO.5.htm, read 2026-09-29
- https://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/instructions/401.shtml, read 2026-09-29
- https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/, read 2026-09-29
- https://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/registeredagentfaqs.shtml, read 2026-09-29
- https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent, read 2026-09-28
- https://www.registeredagentsinc.com/registered-agent/, read 2026-09-28
- https://www.harborcompliance.com/registered-agent-service, read 2026-09-28
- https://bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent, read 2026-09-28
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/registered-agent-service/, read 2026-09-28
- https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html, read 2026-09-28
Other states
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming