How to Get a Registered Agent in Texas (2026): 6 Steps and the 3 Best Agents
The short answer for a registered agent in Texas this year (2026): Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), TX Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Texas Registered Agent.ai ($99 a year), in that order. Below, 6 steps cover what the law asks and how to meet it.
Company prices as published on November 12, 2026. Your choice of agent does not change state fees.
How to set up your Texas agent
Step1
Step 1: Read Texas's agent rule
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Official source: As listed on sos.texas.gov in October 2026
Step2
Step 2: Know who is allowed to act
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. See Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201.
Step3
Step 3: Use a qualifying 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.
TipEach pick supplies the in-state address for you.
Step4
Step 4: Do it yourself or hire an agent
Our picks cost $99 to $149 a year. The other choice is to serve yourself, if the rules allow it.
Step5
Step 5: Record the agent with the state
When you file the Certificate of Formation (Form 205), the agent goes on it. A later switch means a change filing at the Texas Secretary of State.
Official source: As listed on sos.texas.gov in October 2026
Step6
Step 6: Stay current every year
The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report (no fee, every year, due May 15) is where Texas sees your agent details; state notices about it go to the registered agent.
State amounts come from Texas's official schedules (see References). The three-year state line adds the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax.
Why this order
The grade turned on lesson steps handled (35%), where Mainstay Filing came out ahead of TX Registered Agent.org.
Fifty-state coverage outscored TX Registered Agent.org on our rubric.
Check your understanding
Do I need a registered agent in Texas?
Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Can I be my own registered agent?
Yes, if you meet the rules in steps 2 and 3 of this lesson.
Can I change my registered agent later?
Yes, with a change filing at the Texas Secretary of State (step 5).
What does a registered agent cost in Texas?
Our picks charge $99 to $149 a year.
What does the LLC pay the state each year?
The Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, at no fee.
Which registered agent would you choose?
We'd go with Mainstay Filing, because a flat $149 yearly price wherever the LLC is registered. Then TX Registered Agent.org and Texas Registered Agent.ai.