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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class 1 · Texas

Texas LLC Formation Class (2026): 7 Assignments and the 3 Best LLC Services

If you want help starting an LLC in Texas in 2026, the top grades go to Mainstay Filing ($199), TX Registered Agent.org ($199) and Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199), in that order. 7 assignments make up the class; the state's own charge is $300.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

The quick version

Fee to form$300sos.texas.gov (page read October 2026)
Recurring reportNo feeHand-in date: May 15
State fees over three years$300Without any service fee
Assignments in this class7From first to last

Class objectives

  • What Texas charges for a new LLC and where the filing goes
  • What the agent rule says
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • How the picks stack up

If you want someone else to file

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we grade), and three-year tuition and homework done count most.
Highest grade

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with very little homework

$199 a year that renews at $199

We start with Mainstay Filing; its $199 yearly tuition pays for the filing, the registered agent and the Public Information Report, and next year costs the same $199.

You pay $200 extra across three years compared with TX Registered Agent.org, and you keep less of the paperwork.

The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report is filed for you, with no state fee attached.

Covered by the tuition

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Public Information Report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • State fee passed through at cost

Strengths

  • One yearly fee of $199, Public Information Report included
  • The EIN application is in the price
  • No jump at renewal ($199)

Weak spots

  • After year one it costs $100 more each year
Local choice

2. TX Registered Agent.org: best for a bare-bones formation

$199 and fees, then $99 each year

Our second pick, TX Registered Agent.org: the formation costs $199 on top of the state fee, and the agent renewal is $99.

Block out time for the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year; the price leaves it out.

Covered by the tuition

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 and the state fee
  • First agent year included
  • The agent renews at $99

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report
  • The EIN application is $99 extra
Local choice

3. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for LLCs that never leave Texas

$199 and fees, then $99 each year

Our third pick, Texas Registered Agent.ai: the formation costs $199 on top of the state fee, and the agent renewal is $99.

Block out time for the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year; the price leaves it out.

It charges exactly what TX Registered Agent.org charges.

Covered by the tuition

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • First agent year included
  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 and the state fee

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report
  • The EIN application is $99 extra

3 services, side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2TX Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Texas Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. None of the rows includes the $300 state fee.

Formation in order

  1. Assignment
    1

    Name the company

    the Texas Secretary of State holds the records, so begin there; in Texas, a name that is taken may get the filing returned.

    Keep a backup in your notebook.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Choose your registered agent

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

    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.

    Every class favorite here can be your registered agent.

    Textbook page: sos.texas.gov (page read October 2026)

  3. Assignment
    3

    Weigh doing it alone against paying for help

    You can file for $300, or add $199 and hire a service. The graded services are at the top of the class.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Put together and mail the Certificate of Formation

    This is the big filing, the one that creates the company: the Certificate of Formation (Form 205), handed to the Texas Secretary of State with $300 (Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 3.005).

    Textbook page: sos.texas.gov (page read October 2026)

  5. Assignment
    5

    Request an Employer Identification Number

    After Texas approves the LLC, ask the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; banks and payroll providers need it. This assignment is inside the Mainstay Filing package.

  6. Assignment
    6

    Draft the operating agreement

    Even a Texas LLC with a single owner is better off with a written operating agreement in the files.

  7. Assignment
    7

    Get ready for year two

    Expect Texas to ask for the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year, due May 15, at no charge. Miss the deadline and $50 is added.

    Textbook page: comptroller.texas.gov (page read October 2026)

What each assignment costs in Texas

What forPayeePrice
The formation assignmentState agency$300
The periodic reportState agencyNo fee
Missing the deadlineState agency$50
Optional serviceYour service$199 at the start
Three years of state feesState agency$300
Anything paid to Texas is an official fee you can look up on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one, and service prices are not part of it.

Why Mainstay Filing is first

Homework the price does settled first place in Texas. It is worth 34% of the grade, and the rest comes from tuition across three years, year-two tuition, fit with the state class and fees a student can read.

A price that handles the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report counted for more than TX Registered Agent.org's smaller three-year total.

Common questions

Which Texas fees come with a new LLC?

The state's fee is $300. The graded services bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

Assignment 4 shows how to fill out the Certificate of Formation (Form 205) and where it goes: the Texas Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Texas require each year?

Hand in the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year, no fee; deadline May 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

A service is optional. Owners can file with the $300 fee as long as they appoint a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, TX Registered Agent.org and Texas Registered Agent.ai, from the highest grade to the lowest.

Keep learning

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. The Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source lesson rests on comptroller.texas.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  2. The Texas report due date lesson rests on statutes.capitol.texas.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  3. The Tex lesson rests on sos.texas.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  4. The Texas registered agent statute lesson rests on sos.texas.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  5. Texas service page from Mainstay Filing as of November 13, 2026
  6. pricing page from TX Registered Agent.org as of November 13, 2026
  7. pricing page from Texas Registered Agent.ai as of November 13, 2026