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 under the statute below). 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 2026-09-08; first-year offers run lower.
This page is general information, not legal advice. State fees, forms and deadlines change. Every fact is quoted from the state filing office or statute with the date we read it. Confirm on the official page before you file. Terms of use.
How to change your registered agent in Texas
Three steps. Most owners finish online in under fifteen minutes.
- Choose the new agent. You can be your own agent (Generally, an individual Texas resident or an organization that is registered or authorized to do..., full wording under the statute below). 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 SOSDirect. 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. The mailing address is printed on the form. 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. "No link" means we have no agreement with that provider; it is 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 and what is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agentno link, no agreement | $125 | $125 | Same price every year, per its page
|
| Harbor Complianceno link, no agreement | $99 | $149 | Renews at 149 per year after the first
|
| Bizeeno link, no agreement | $149 | $149 | 149 per year standalone or on renewal; first year free only with a bizee formation
|
| ZenBusinessno link, no agreement | $99 | $199 | Renews at 199 per year
|
| LegalZoomno link, no agreement | $249 | $249 | Auto-renews; renewal rate subject to change, per its page
|
What switching to the cheapest renewal saves
| If you renew with | Renews at | Saved per year | Over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | $249 | $124 | $372 |
| ZenBusiness | $199 | $74 | $222 |
| Harbor Compliance | $149 | $24 | $72 |
| Bizee | $149 | $24 | $72 |
Compared with Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year, prices read 2026-09-08. Switching costs the state change fee shown above, once.
Type your current renewal price to see the saving.
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. Providers we have no agreement with are listed without a link and ranked by the same rules. Disclosed under the US FTC Endorsement Guides and the Norwegian Marketing Control Act.
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 2026-09-08 |
| 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 2026-09-08 |
| 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 2026-09-08 |
| Change of agent fee, LLC | $15Source: sos.state.tx.us/corp/instructions/401.shtml, read 2026-09-08 |
| Change of agent fee, corporation | $15Source: sos.state.tx.us/corp/instructions/401.shtml, read 2026-09-08 |
| Public Information Report (Form 05-102), filed with the Franchise Tax Report due | May 15 (Franchise tax reports are due on May 15 each year. If May 15 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the next business day becomes the due date.)Source: comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/filing-requirements.php, read 2026-09-08 |
| Annual report fee, LLC | not publishedSource: comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/filing-requirements.php, read 2026-09-08 |
| Annual report fee, corporation | not publishedSource: comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/filing-requirements.php, read 2026-09-08 |
| Late fee | $50Source: comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/filing-requirements.php, read 2026-09-08 |
| 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 (service on the Secretary of State)Source: sos.state.tx.us/corp/faqs-sop.shtml, read 2026-09-08 |
| 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 under the statute below)Source: sos.state.tx.us/corp/registeredagentfaqs.shtml, read 2026-09-08 |
What the statute says
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. You can be your own agent (Generally, an individual Texas resident or an organization that is registered or authorized to do..., full wording under the statute below).
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 published for an LLC, not published 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 (service on the Secretary of State)). In practice that means missed lawsuits and a company that can lose its good standing.
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 2026-09-08
- https://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/instructions/401.shtml, read 2026-09-08
- https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/franchise/filing-requirements.php, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/faqs-sop.shtml, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/registeredagentfaqs.shtml, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.harborcompliance.com/registered-agent-service, read 2026-09-08
- https://bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/registered-agent-service/, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html, read 2026-09-08
This page is general information, not legal advice. State fees, forms and deadlines change. Every fact is quoted from the state filing office or statute with the date we read it. Confirm on the official page before you file.
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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. Providers we have no agreement with are listed without a link and ranked by the same rules. Disclosed under the US FTC Endorsement Guides and the Norwegian Marketing Control Act.