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Texas LLC Lookup and Business Entity Search (SOSPortal and the Comptroller)

Written byRegistryWise Editorial TeamFact-checked against the Texas Secretary of State · How we research

The short answer

Texas keeps business records in two places. The Secretary of State's SOSPortal holds filed documents and management information and charges $1 per search with an account. The Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status Search is free and shows the right to transact business, the registered agent, and officers.

On this page
  1. LLC lookup, step by step
  2. What the status means
  3. Agent, filings, owners
  4. Your File Number
  5. Is the name available?
  6. DBA and UCC search
  7. Fees and deadlines
  8. Questions
  9. Sources

Texas at a glance

Who runs it
Texas Secretary of State
SOSPortal
Cost to search
Paid
$1 per search on SOSPortal, paid by credit card or ACH. The fee is waived when you place an order or filing from the results. The Comptroller search is free.
Account needed
Yes
Search by
Entity name, Texas SOS file number
and 1 more

State fees

  • Form an LLC$300Certificate of Formation (Form 205)Official source
  • Franchise Tax Report and Public Information ReportNo feeNo filing fee. For 2026 and 2027 reports, an LLC with annualized total revenue at or below $2,650,000 owes no tax and doesn't file a No Tax Due Report, but it still has to file a Public Information Report.May 15 each year, or the next business day if it falls on a weekend or holiday. The first report is due May 15 of the year after the LLC became subject to the tax.Official source
  • Certificate of Fact$15The SOS Certificate of Fact is $15. The Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status search is free, and you can print the results.Proof the business is currentOfficial source
  • Change registered agent$15Form 401, Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office.Every LLC must have oneOfficial source

An LLC lookup in Texas is the same search as a business search. The SOSPortal, kept by the Texas Secretary of State, lists LLCs alongside corporations and other registered businesses. You can search by entity name, texas SOS file number or comptroller taxpayer number or federal EIN. $1 per search on SOSPortal, paid by credit card or ACH. The fee is waived when you place an order or filing from the results. The Comptroller search is free.

  1. For a free status check, open the Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status Search. Search by entity name, taxpayer number or EIN, or SOS file number, and open the result.
  2. Read the right to transact business line. That's the Comptroller's version of good standing.
  3. For filed documents, go to SOSPortal and sign up. It uses multi-factor authentication, and you pay by credit card or ACH.
  4. Search for the entity. Each search costs $1, but the fee is waived if you place an order or filing from the results.
  5. Order plain copies ($0.10 per page), certified copies ($1 per page plus $15), or a Certificate of Fact ($15). Orders can take up to 10 minutes to show up, and the link expires after 90 days.

Good to know in Texas: Start with the Comptroller's free Franchise Tax Account Status Search, not SOSPortal. It shows whether the company still has the right to transact business in Texas, which the Comptroller says used to be called good standing. You may need it for real estate or financial deals. Use SOSPortal, at $1 per search, when you need filed documents or certified copies.

What the search shows you

  • Comptroller: right to transact business in Texas
  • Comptroller: SOS registration status and its effective date
  • Comptroller: registered agent and registered office address
  • Comptroller: officers, managers, or members from the latest Public Information Report
  • SOSPortal: management information, filed documents, and copies or certificates to order

What the status words mean

Texas uses its own words for a company's status, and they don't always mean the same thing as in other states. Here's what you'll see on the SOSPortal, in the state's own wording.

StatusWhat it means
Right to transact business in TexasThe Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status. It shows whether the entity has met its franchise tax filing requirements. The Comptroller says this used to be called good standing.
ActiveThe SOS registration status shown in the Comptroller lookup for an entity that's active with the Secretary of State.
ForfeitedThe Comptroller forfeited the right to transact business because franchise tax filing requirements weren't met. It gives at least 45 days' notice first. A forfeited entity can't sue or defend itself in a Texas court, and its officers and directors can be liable for its debts. Form 801 ($75) asks the SOS to reinstate it and set the tax forfeiture aside.

For how these compare across states, see what business entity status means.

Finding the registered agent, filing history and owners

Registered Agent

The Comptroller lookup shows the registered agent and registered office address for free.

Filing history

Filed documents come from the Secretary of State through SOSPortal. Plain copies are $0.10 per page, and certified copies are $1 per page plus $15.

Owners, managers and officers

Officers, managers, or members come from the Public Information Report filed with the franchise tax report. The Comptroller lookup shows them, and the SOS makes the same information available through SOSPortal, by phone at (512) 463-5555, or by email. If the state record doesn't name anyone, our guide on how to find the owner of an LLC covers where else to look.

Finding a Texas File Number

Texas gives every business on its register a File Number. It's the quickest way to pin down the right company when names are alike.

What it looks like
Six to 10 digits. The Comptroller's search says a Texas Secretary of State file number "must be from 6 to 10 digits."
Where to find yours
On the entity's record in SOSPortal. The Comptroller's free Franchise Tax Account Status record also lists the SOS file number. SOS forms ask for it to "facilitate processing."
Search by it
Yes. The SOSPortal accepts it.

It's easy to mix it up with these, which come from other offices:

  • Taxpayer Number (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts). An 11-digit number used for franchise tax. It isn't the SOS file number. The Comptroller's free search accepts either one, the 9-digit federal EIN, or the entity name.

Your federal EIN is a different number again. See which business number a form is asking for.

Checking whether a business name is available in Texas

  1. Texas requires a name that's "distinguishable in the records" of the Secretary of State. For a preliminary answer, call (512) 463-5555 or email CorpInfo@sos.texas.gov.
  2. A preliminary answer isn't final. The SOS decides when it processes your filing, so don't spend money on the name before then.
  3. Reserve the name for 120 days with Form 501 ($40) if you aren't ready to file.

A clear result on the state search isn't a trademark clearance. If the name matters to you, also search the USPTO trademark database and check the domain. More in our business name search guide.

DBA and UCC search in Texas

DBAs and assumed names

What it's called
Assumed Name Certificate
Where they're filed
LLCs, corporations, LPs, and LLPs file with the Secretary of State on Form 503. Since September 1, 2019 they don't also file with the county. Sole proprietorships, general partnerships, and other businesses file with the county clerk in each county where they keep a business office.
Search
No statewide online search.
State fee
$25. Form 503, filed with the Secretary of State.
How long it lasts
Up to 10 years from filing, as stated on the certificate. File a new certificate before it expires to keep using the name.

The Secretary of State doesn't reject a certificate because the same name is already on file, so one assumed name can belong to several businesses.

UCC liens

Lenders file UCC financing statements with the Texas Secretary of State, Uniform Commercial Code Section. The online search is paid and needs an account. Our Texas UCC search guide has the steps and fees.

Texas fees and deadlines

These are the state's own fees, before any service charges. Each row links to the official page we took it from.

Form an LLC

$300
  • Certificate of Formation (Form 205).
  • The SOS doesn't publish a standard turnaround for regular filings. Expedited filings are processed before regular ones.
  • Faster options: Standard expedite is $50 (typically 2 to 3 business days), next-day is $500, and same-day is $750, per document plus the filing fee. Next-day and same-day requests must arrive by 12:00 p.m. These Texas Express tiers started October 1, 2025.
File online Fee source

Franchise Tax Report and Public Information Report

No fee
  • Due: May 15 each year, or the next business day if it falls on a weekend or holiday. The first report is due May 15 of the year after the LLC became subject to the tax.
  • If you're late: A $50 penalty on each late report. Tax paid 1 to 30 days late adds 5%, and over 30 days late adds 10%. Interest starts 61 days after the due date. If filing requirements still aren't met, the Comptroller forfeits the right to transact business.
  • LLCs don't file a periodic report with the Secretary of State. The SOS fee schedule lists periodic reports for nonprofits, LPs, LLPs, and professional associations, not LLCs. Compliance runs through the Comptroller.
File the report Fee source

Change your registered agent

$15
  • Every Texas LLC must have one.
  • Form 401, Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office.
Fee source

Certificate of Fact

$15
  • Proof the company exists and is current, from the Texas Secretary of State.
  • The SOS Certificate of Fact is $15. The Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status search is free, and you can print the results.
Order one Fee source

457,383 new business applications were filed in Texas from January to September 2026, up 13.6% on last year, according to the Census Bureau. See every state.

Starting a business in Texas?

A lot of people search the SOSPortal to see if a name is taken before they file. If that's you, here's the order to do things in.

  1. 1Check the name is free in TexasTakes two minutes, steps on this page
  2. 2File your LLC with the stateCertificate of Formation, $300 state fee
  3. 3Or let a service file it for youCompared on what you pay in year two

Step 3 goes to our comparison page, which has sponsored links. We earn a commission if you buy, and it doesn't change our rankings. How that works.

Frequently asked questions

How do I look up an LLC in Texas?

Search the SOSPortal, the official database kept by the Texas Secretary of State. You can search by entity name, texas SOS file number or comptroller taxpayer number or federal EIN. $1 per search on SOSPortal, paid by credit card or ACH. The fee is waived when you place an order or filing from the results. The Comptroller search is free. Open the matching record to see the LLC's status, registered agent and filing history.

Is the Texas business search free?

The Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status Search is free. SOSPortal, the Secretary of State system, charges $1 per search and needs an account. Both are official.

What's the difference between the SOS and the Comptroller records?

The Secretary of State holds the filed documents. The Comptroller tracks franchise tax and can forfeit an entity's right to transact business in Texas if it misses franchise tax filings. A forfeited entity can't sue or defend itself in a Texas court.

How do I find a Texas LLC's owners?

Look at the Public Information Report filed with the franchise tax report. It lists officers, directors, managers, or members. The Comptroller lookup shows these names, and the SOS keeps the same information in SOSPortal. The PIR is filed once a year and isn't updated during the year.

Does a Texas LLC file an annual report with the Secretary of State?

No. Texas LLCs file with the Comptroller by May 15. Above the no tax due threshold that's a franchise tax report. At or below it, they still file a Public Information Report.

Sources

We take every fee, deadline and rule on this page from these pages and nowhere else. Rules change, so open the source before you pay anything.

  1. 1.SOS: SOSPortal business filings and searchesChecked November 8, 2026
  2. 2.SOS: Modernization program (SOSPortal replaces SOSDirect)Checked November 8, 2026
  3. 3.SOS: Form 806 fee scheduleChecked November 8, 2026
  4. 4.SOS: Texas Express expedited filingsChecked November 8, 2026
  5. 5.SOS: Texas Express announcement (Sept. 25, 2025)Checked November 8, 2026
  6. 6.SOS: Copies and certificates FAQsChecked November 8, 2026
  7. 7.SOS: Name filings FAQsChecked November 8, 2026
  8. 8.SOS: Management and ownership FAQsChecked November 8, 2026
  9. 9.Comptroller: Franchise Tax Account Status SearchChecked November 8, 2026
  10. 10.Comptroller: Franchise Tax Account Status explainedChecked November 8, 2026
  11. 11.Comptroller: Franchise tax due dates, thresholds, and penaltiesChecked November 8, 2026
  12. 12.Comptroller: Reporting and payment requirementsChecked November 8, 2026
  13. 13.Comptroller: Reports and payments FAQ (first annual report)Checked November 8, 2026

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