Texas Registered Agent

A registered agent primarily acts as your business’s main point of contact with the Texas Secretary of State. Your registered agent will be responsible for receiving important tax notifications and compliance information.

A registered agent’s most important role is to accept service of process. Service of process is the action of informing an individual or entity that there's a pending lawsuit against him or her, or in this case, against one's company.

Business owners must appoint a registered agent when they form an LLC or corporation.

Before you decide to hire a Texas registered agent service — also called a commercial registered agent — it’s important to consider the advantages and disadvantages.

• Privacy: Your registered agent’s address will be listed on the public record — not your personal or office address. This is especially important if your business operates out of your home.

• Focus on Growth: A professional registered agent service will send you regular compliance reminders and notify you of any requirements needed to keep your organization in good standing. You, on the other hand, will be focusing on growing your business.

• Discretion: When a business owner acts as their own registered agent, service of process could be delivered to your home or in front of employees or customers at your office.

• Convenience: Hiring a registered agent service allows you to keep a flexible schedule. A registered agent is required to be available at their given address during normal business hours.

• National Support: If you think you may want to grow your organization nationally, a national registered agent service will be able to continue service there.

We aren’t sure there are any real disadvantages to hiring a registered agent service. The only downside is that hiring a commercial registered agent service costs money, but the time you will save can outweigh that cost. And after all, time is money.

Northwest Registered Agent’s competitive prices and great customer service are also a solid choice for Texas businesses. 

Northwest’s online form system only requires customers to provide information once, which then auto-populates in every form that asks for that info. They also scan every document locally — not just certain documents — to make sure that you never miss a filing. Their discount on multiple-state service is also a nice perk.

On top of all that, Northwest’s customer service is praised for being personable, knowledgeable, and timely in their responses.

You can be your own registered agent. Your friend can be your registered agent, too. Really, anyone can be a registered agent as long as they meet these three requirements: 

• They’re at least 18 years old.
• They have a physical address in Texas.
• They’re always available during regular business hours at the address you provide.

Being your own registered agent will work for a handful of business owners. A registered agent needs to be organized, available, and aware. Most importantly, they need to have the time to be all of these things too.

If you miss a filing deadline or lose a document, you could put your compliance status at risk and the state could revoke your LLC or corporate status. 

Many business owners choose to hire a professional registered agent service so they can focus on growing their business without the fear of missing a notice or deadline.

According to Texas’s Business Organizations Code, a registered agent is not liable for a business’s debts or obligations solely because of their position as a registered agent.

A registered agent is ONLY liable for any losses incurred by failing to notify the business of service of process documents in a timely manner. The registered agent may have to pay damages to the court in this situation.

In Texas, LLCs, corporations, and nonprofit organizations elect their registered agents on the formation document for each type of business entity.

Consent to Appointment

Your registered agent must also consent to appointment in written or electronic form. The statement of consent should include:

• The name of your organization
• An express statement that the person designated consents to serve as the organization’s registered agent
• The name of the person designated as registered agent
• The signature of the registered agent
• The date of execution

The consent statement does NOT have to be filed with the Secretary of State. For in-depth information on this requirement, as well as a fillable consent form, view Texas’s Form 401-A: Consent of Agent.

Complete Form 205: LLC Certificate of Formation. Your registered agent information will go into Article 2. 

The cost to file the LLC Certificate of Formation is $300.

File by Mail

Submit your completed LLC Certificate of Formation in duplicate to the address below:

Texas Secretary of State
P.O. Box 13697
Austin, TX 78711

File Online

Form your LLC on the Texas SOSDirect website. 

You will need to set up an account with SOSDirect to file online.

Complete Form 201: For-Profit Corporation Certificate of Formation. Your registered agent information will go into Article 2. 

The cost to file the For-Profit Corporation Certificate of Formation is $300.

File by Mail

Submit your For-Profit Certificate of Formation in duplicate to the address below:

Texas Secretary of State
P.O. Box 13697
Austin, TX 78711

File Online

Form your corporation on the Texas SOSDirect website. 

You will need to set up an account with SOSDirect to file online.

Complete Form 202: Nonprofit Certificate of Formation. Your registered agent information will go into Article 2. 

The cost to file the Nonprofit Certificate of Formation is $25.

File by Mail

Submit your Nonprofit Certificate of Formation in duplicate to the address below:

Texas Secretary of State
P.O. Box 13697
Austin, TX 78711

File Online

Form your nonprofit on the Texas SOSDirect website. 

You will need to set up an account with SOSDirect to file online.

To legally change your Texas registered agent, simply fill out Form 401: Change of Registered Agent/Office and submit it to the Texas Secretary of State along with the filing fee. 

This can be done online or by mailing the form in duplicate to the address below:

Texas Secretary of State
P.O. Box 13697
Austin, TX 78711-3697

The filing cost is $5 for nonprofits and $15 for all other entities.

Consent to Appointment

Your new registered agent must also consent to appointment in written or electronic form. The statement of consent should include:

• The name of your business
• An express statement that the person designated consents to serve as the business’s registered agent
• The name of the person designated as registered agent
• The signature of the registered agent
• The date of execution

The consent statement does NOT have to be filed with the Secretary of State. For in-depth information on this requirement, as well as a fillable consent form, view Texas’s Form 401-A: Consent of Agent.