Texas business entity search and name check

Texas's official business registry belongs to the Secretary of State, and searching it through SOSPortal costs $1 per search and requires an account. The search on this site does not use that registry: we query the Texas Comptroller's open data on active franchise-tax accounts, which lists most active Texas companies and their Secretary of State file numbers but leaves out inactive and dissolved entities, reserved names and most entities that don't owe franchise tax. Texas LLCs file no annual report with the Secretary of State; instead the Comptroller expects a franchise tax report or Public Information Report every May 15.

Registry: Texas Secretary of State, Business & Public Filings Division (Corporations Section)
Official search: SOSPortal (replacing SOSDirect)
How we search Texas: Official open data, searched live. Texas Comptroller active franchise taxpayer data (data.texas.gov). About weekly (Texas Comptroller).
Working in our latest automated check (Oct 30, 2026, 4:00 PM ET).
What a result can tell you: Whether Texas's records (in this partial source) contain the same or a similar name. Texas decides acceptance when you file.
State fee to form an LLC: $300 (Certificate of Formation – Limited Liability Company (Form 205))
Ongoing LLC filing: Franchise Tax Report and Public Information Report (filed with the Comptroller). Due May 15 each year

What the Texas search covers

The Secretary of State's registry holds every Texas filing entity, including inactive ones: for-profit and nonprofit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, out-of-state entities registered in Texas, and assumed names filed with the Secretary of State. Searching it costs money. The Comptroller's free records cover entities set up for franchise tax and show each one's Secretary of State status, file number, registered agent and officers, but they are not the registry and leave out many nonprofits and other entities that don't owe franchise tax. The Comptroller's Active Franchise Taxpayers data, which this site searches, includes active franchise-tax accounts only (about 3.49 million on October 30, 2026).

The Comptroller's own account status search takes a name of 2 to 50 characters and asks you to narrow your search if too many businesses match. The Secretary of State accepts a new name only if it is distinguishable from names already in its records (see the name rules below).

When you search Texas here, keep in mind:

This is the Texas Comptroller’s list of active franchise-tax accounts, not the Secretary of State’s business registry. Inactive, forfeited and dissolved entities, reserved names and entities without a franchise-tax account (many nonprofits, for example) are not included.
Updated roughly weekly by the Comptroller.
The registry-number field is the SOS file number reported to the Comptroller; it can be blank for some accounts.

Each record has a SOS File Number (10 digits) / Comptroller Taxpayer Number (11 digits) (for example 0806277523 (SOS file no.); 32102770982 (taxpayer no.)). Choose “Look up an existing business”, then “Registry number”, to search by it.

How to read Texas results

Texas uses its own status labels. We always show the official wording; here is what the common ones mean according to the state:

Status	What it means
Active (Comptroller right to transact)	The business's franchise tax account is in good standing, and its right to do business in Texas is active. Source: comptroller.texas.gov
Forfeited (Comptroller)	The Comptroller has taken away the business's right to do business in Texas because it didn't meet its franchise tax filing requirements (it will have been sent Form 05-213, Notice of Forfeiture). The business can fix this by filing the missing reports, including the Public Information Report, and paying penalties. Source: comptroller.texas.gov
In existence / Forfeited existence / Voluntarily dissolved (SOS)	This is the business's registration status with the Secretary of State, as the Comptroller reports it. We couldn't confirm the Secretary of State's full list of status labels. Source: api-doc.comptroller.texas.gov

A status describes the registry filing only. It isn’t evidence of a license, tax compliance or reputation, and a record with the same name as a company you know may be a different business. More on statuses.

Texas business name rules

An LLC name must include one of: Limited Liability Company, Limited Company, LLC, L.L.C., LC, L.C., Ltd. Co.. A corporation uses one of: Corporation, Company, Incorporated, Corp., Co., Inc..

Since June 1, 2018, the Secretary of State has checked whether a proposed name is distinguishable from names already in its records. A name that is the same as an existing one can't be used, even with permission. A name that is too similar but not the same can be accepted if the other business gives notarized consent on Form 509. (Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code §§5.053, 5.102, 5.153; 1 Tex. Admin. Code §79.39) Source: sos.state.tx.us

When comparing names, Texas disregards: business-type endings such as LLC or Inc.; articles such as “the” and “a”; punctuation; spacing. Our name check applies these same rules.

Professional LLCs

Professional LLCs and professional corporations (Business Organizations Code chapter 301) use their own endings, such as PLLC or P.C. We couldn't confirm the exact requirements on an official page.

Using a similar name with consent

Yes. The business with the similar name can sign Form 509, Consent to Use of Similar Name, which must be notarized. Once you rely on it, the consent can't be withdrawn. Consent doesn't work for a name that is identical.

Reserving a name in Texas

Texas lets you reserve a name before you form the business for $40, held for 120 days. Yes. Renew with the same Form 501.

File Form 501, Application for Reservation or Renewal of Reservation of an Entity Name, online through SOSPortal or by mail.

Texas name reservation

Searching on this site doesn’t reserve anything. Only Texas SOS Corporations Section can.

Forming an LLC in Texas

Document: Certificate of Formation – Limited Liability Company (Form 205)
State filing fee: $300
The $300 filing fee is shown on Form 205 (revised 09/26).
File online: Texas SOS Corporations Section filing
Processing: SOSPortal offers expedited filing. We couldn't confirm the expedite fee.
Registered agent: Your registered agent can be a person or an organization (but not the LLC itself) and must have a registered office address in Texas. The agent must agree to serve.
Out-of-state LLC registering here: $750 (Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 304))

Fees change. Confirm them on the official Texas fee schedule before you file.

File it yourself or use a service

File directly with Texas

$300 state fee

You fill in the Certificate of Formation – Limited Liability Company (Form 205) yourself and pay only the state. You’ll need a registered agent with a Texas street address; that can be you if you have one.

File with Texas SOS Corporations Section

Use a formation service

A service prepares and files the paperwork, and most can act as your registered agent and send compliance reminders. You still pay the state fee on top of their price, and the state still decides whether to accept your name.

Bizee: $0 plus the state fee (Basic); Standard $199, Premium $299, plus state fee
LegalZoom: $0 plus state fees (Basic); Managed Service $249 plus state fees
Northwest Registered Agent: $39 plus the state fee
ZenBusiness: $0 plus the state fee (Starter); Pro $199 plus state fee, renews $199/yr

We don’t currently earn commissions from these providers. Prices from each provider’s site on Oct 30, 2026. We never send them your proposed name. Compare what each includes · Disclosure

An EIN (federal tax ID) is free from the IRS; you don’t need to pay anyone for one.

Keeping a Texas LLC in good standing

Franchise Tax Report and Public Information Report (filed with the Comptroller). Due May 15 each year. Late fee: $50. Source: comptroller.texas.gov

Texas LLCs and corporations are subject to the franchise (margin) tax. For the 2026 and 2027 report years, a business with total revenue of $2,650,000 or less owes no tax and files only a Public Information Report or Ownership Report (a separate no-tax-due report hasn't been required since 2024). Above that threshold, the rate is 0.375% for retail and wholesale businesses and 0.75% for others; the simplified EZ computation, at 0.331%, is available for revenue up to $20 million. Each late report carries a $50 penalty.

There is no separate filing fee for these reports; what you owe is the franchise tax itself, if any. If a business doesn't file, it first loses its right to do business in Texas, and the Secretary of State can then forfeit its existence.

Proof of status: Certificate of Fact – Status (SOS); Certificate of Account Status (Comptroller). Source: sos.state.tx.us

Assumed names (DBAs)

A business entity files an Assumed Name Certificate (Form 503) with the Secretary of State for $25, listing the county or counties where it will use the name. The certificate lasts up to 10 years. We couldn't confirm whether entities must also file with the county. Source: sos.state.tx.us

Good to know about Texas

Searching the Secretary of State's business records isn't free: SOSPortal charges a $1.00 fee set by law for each search, and you have to sign in. Source: sos.state.tx.us
SOSPortal is replacing SOSDirect and SOSUpload. Prepaid balances in old SOSDirect accounts aren't carried over. Source: sos.state.tx.us
The Comptroller's free Franchise Tax Account Status search shows a business's Secretary of State status, registered agent and officers, and has a public API with a free key. Source: api-doc.comptroller.texas.gov
Texas LLCs don't file an annual report with the Secretary of State. Instead, a franchise tax report or Public Information Report goes to the Comptroller by May 15, and businesses with revenue up to $2.65 million owe no tax for 2026–2027. Source: comptroller.texas.gov
Proof of good standing comes from two offices: the Secretary of State issues a Certificate of Fact – Status, and the Comptroller issues a Certificate of Account Status. Source: sos.state.tx.us
Forming an LLC or a corporation costs $300, but an out-of-state LLC pays $750 to register in Texas. Source: sos.state.tx.us

Sources and accuracy

We checked this page against official Texas sources on October 30, 2026. Our monitor rechecks the official search, filing portal and fee pages daily and flags changes for review.

Items we couldn’t confirm on an official page (8)

We couldn't confirm whether any SOSPortal search results can be seen without signing in.
We couldn't confirm the current fee for a Certificate of Fact – Status on an official page (it has historically been $15).
We couldn't confirm the fee for expedited filing.
We couldn't confirm whether the Secretary of State currently sells bulk business data, or its cost.
We couldn't confirm the Secretary of State's full list of status labels or the meaning of every status code in the Comptroller's data.
We couldn't confirm the cost or usage limits of a Comptroller API key (registration appears to be free).
We couldn't confirm Texas's restricted words or the endings required for professional entities on an official page.
We couldn't confirm the current text of the state rule on which differences between names are ignored (1 Tex. Admin. Code §79.39).

See something wrong? Tell us. We can fix how we present information, but only Texas SOS Corporations Section can change an official record.