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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 2 · Texas

The Texas Registered Agent (2026): 6 Procedures and the 3 Best Agents

The readings for appointing a registered agent in Texas in 2026 rank Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year) and TX Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in that order. The sheet runs 6 procedures: the legal rule, eligibility, the address test and the filing.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Before the procedures

Mandatory?
YesSpecimen: sos.texas.gov, logged October 2026
Prices of ranked services
$99 to $149 a yearAs published
Recurring report
No feeSpecimen: comptroller.texas.gov, logged October 2026
Procedure count
6One at a time

Aims of this sheet

  • The Texas agent rule
  • Who may serve and from where
  • Getting the agent on file
  • How the ranked agents compare

Best reading

If you want someone else to file

Measured on the method page: three-year cost (36%), procedures performed (28%), renewal, fit with Texas's protocol and price legibility.
Highest result

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies in several states

$149/yr (renewal $149)

Mainstay Filing reads highest, and the reason is that the agent price is $149 a year in every state.

Texas Registered Agent.ai measures $150 lower over three years; this service still reads higher because it performs more of the sheet.

What the price performs

  • An office address inside the state
  • Papers served on the company are scanned free on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned at no charge
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Measured strengths

  • $149 annually
  • Covers all fifty states

Measured limits

  • $50 a year above Texas Registered Agent.ai
  • Agent service only
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Single-state plan

2. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for a low yearly agent price

$99/yr (renewal $99)

In second position is Texas Registered Agent.ai, where an in-state street address for the registered office, measured at $99 a year.

What the price performs

  • An in-state office address
  • Papers served on the company are scanned into the account

Measured strengths

  • A flat $99 per year
  • Less per year than Mainstay Filing

Measured limits

  • A single-state service
  • Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report is excluded from the price
Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Single-state plan

3. TX Registered Agent.org: best for another Texas candidate

$99/yr (renewal $99)

In third position is TX Registered Agent.org, where an in-state street address for the registered office, measured at $99 a year.

It publishes the same prices as Texas Registered Agent.ai.

What the price performs

  • An in-state office address
  • Papers served on the company are scanned into the account

Measured strengths

  • Less per year than Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99 per year

Measured limits

  • A single-state service
  • Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report is excluded from the price
Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices in one table

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Texas Registered Agent.ai$99$99/yr$297Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3TX Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as posted on November 13, 2026. State fees do not depend on the choice of agent.

How a Texas agent is set up

  1. Procedure 1: Record the requirement

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Specimen: Specimen: sos.texas.gov, logged October 2026

  2. Procedure 2: Who can take the role

    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. Authority: Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201.

  3. Procedure 3: Choose a compliant 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.

    TipA service supplies a Texas street address, which keeps the owner's address off the filing.

  4. Procedure 4: Act as agent or hire one

    Eligible owners may name themselves, and the ranked agents charge $99 to $149 annually.

  5. Procedure 5: Place the agent on the public record

    New companies list the agent on the Certificate of Formation (Form 205); a later replacement means a new filing with the Texas Secretary of State.

    Specimen: Specimen: sos.texas.gov, logged October 2026

  6. Procedure 6: Maintain accurate details

    The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report measures nothing every year and falls due May 15; notices about it are routed to the registered agent.

    Specimen: Specimen: comptroller.texas.gov, logged October 2026

The cost of this sheet

WhatRecipientTotal
Engaging an agentService company$99 to $149 a year
RenewalService company$99 to $149 a year
The periodic reportThe stateNo fee
Filing fee plus two later reports plus any minimum tax gives the state's three-year total. The specimens below name the page behind each amount.

Why this order

prevailed on procedures the price performs (28% of the reading), with close behind.

Coverage placed it ahead of Texas Registered Agent.ai.

Texas questions

What does Texas say about keeping a registered agent?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own registered agent?

Yes, if you pass the tests on who may serve and on the address, in procedures 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

A change is permitted whenever wanted, through the Texas Secretary of State, as procedure 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in Texas?

From $99 to $149 a year on this sheet.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Chiefly the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, with no fee.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Mainstay Filing, Texas Registered Agent.ai and TX Registered Agent.org, in descending order of reading.

More sheets

Specimens and records

  1. To reproduce the Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source result, consult comptroller.texas.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  2. To reproduce the Texas report due date result, consult statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  3. To reproduce the Tex result, consult sos.texas.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  4. To reproduce the Texas registered agent statute result, consult sos.texas.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  5. Texas service page (Mainstay Filing), observed November 13, 2026
  6. pricing page (Texas Registered Agent.ai), observed November 13, 2026
  7. pricing page (TX Registered Agent.org), observed November 13, 2026