2025 BOI rule update US entities are now exempt. Check if you still need to file →
Texas Corporation cost breakdown, 2026
Corporation cost in Texas · real fees, no upsells

How much does a Corporation cost in Texas?

Forming a corporation in Texas costs $300 in state filing fees, then $0/year in state annual fees. File.Business charges No state-fee markup.

Texas corporation cost summary

Year 1 with File.Business$300
Texas state filing fee$300
Texas annual fee$0/year
Registered agentFree year 1, $99/year after
File.Business service fee$0

C-Corp vs S-Corp cost in Texas

The Texas state filing fee is the same whether you elect S-Corp tax treatment or not. The S-Corp election is filed with the IRS (Form 2553), which is free. S-Corp election in Texas walks you through it.

Form your Texas corporation for $300 total

State filing fee only. No state-fee markup. Free registered agent year 1. Start my Texas corporation

FAQ

How much does it cost to start a corporation in Texas?

The base cost is the Texas state filing fee for your Articles of Incorporation, and our formation service is free on top of it. Corporations carry more setup than an LLC, such as bylaws, an organizational meeting, and issuing stock, but those are documents we include rather than extra state fees. See Texas's current figure on the pricing page, and weigh the ongoing formality before choosing a corporation over an LLC.

What does it cost to maintain a Texas corporation each year?

Plan for the Texas annual report, a registered agent, any state franchise tax, and the internal upkeep a corporation requires: annual meetings and minutes. Corporations generally have more recurring obligations than LLCs, which is part of the real comparison. A compliance calendar tracks every Texas date so good standing is never at risk.

Are S-corps cheaper than C-corps to form in Texas?

No, because they are the same Texas corporation with a different tax election, not two filings. You form the corporation once and pay the Texas state fee once; the S-corp election is a separate IRS form with no state formation cost of its own. The election can lower self-employment tax once profit is steady, but it adds payroll and a return, so the saving is a tax question, not a formation-cost one.

What does the corporation price include?

Our formation covers preparing and filing your Articles of Incorporation, a specialist review, a bylaws template, and an EIN walkthrough, with the Texas state fee passed through at cost. What is not bundled, and should never be sold as mandatory, are optional extras like expedited processing or certified copies. The pricing page shows exactly what is included and what each option costs.

What happens if a Texas corporation misses a filing?

Miss the Texas annual report or franchise tax and the state moves you out of good standing, which can freeze financing and contracts, then eventually dissolve the corporation. Recovering means a reinstatement filing plus back fees, so a skipped filing becomes far more expensive than the report itself. That is why the recurring calendar matters as much as the formation.

How fast can a Texas corporation be filed?

It depends on Texas's queue and whether you expedite. Some states approve online filings the same day, others take one to three weeks by standard processing, and January is slower everywhere. We file the moment your details are verified and give you Texas's realistic window up front. If an investor or contract deadline is driving the timing, expedited handling is usually worth the extra state charge.

Is a corporation more expensive than an LLC in Texas?

The Texas formation fee is often similar for both, so the difference is mostly ongoing. Corporations carry more recurring obligations, annual meetings, minutes, and in some states a share-based franchise tax, so they usually cost more to maintain than an LLC. Choose a corporation for its ability to raise capital and issue equity, not to save money.

Can a non-US founder afford to form a Texas corporation?

Yes, and the cost matches a US founder's: the Texas state fee plus our free formation. The one extra step is the EIN, which we obtain from the IRS for you when you have no Social Security Number, at no added state cost. A C-corp is often the structure non-US founders use to raise money, so plan the tax side early; our EIN guide is the place to start.

What is the realistic first-year cost of a Texas corporation?

Add the Texas filing fee, our formation service (free), any options you select, and the first-year recurring items: the annual report, a registered agent, and any franchise tax, plus the soft cost of running required meetings and records. Because Texas's amounts vary, the pricing page shows current figures so your first-year budget reflects reality, not a padded bundle.

Cost calculator

What it actually costs to form your business

Pick your state. We show our service price, the state's filing fee, and your year-one total. No hidden costs.

Filing fees vary by state. We never mark them up.
Our service$0Formation included
State filing fee$300Paid at cost
Year 1 total$300No annual report fee
Texas: $300 to form, no annual report. State fee paid at cost · we add $0.
How it works

How we deliver, end-to-end.

Four-step path from request to confirmation. State and IRS turnaround varies; our steps run in parallel where possible to compress the timeline.

1

Intake + scope

You tell us what you need through a short intake form (or a call for complex matters). We confirm scope, surface any gating issues (deadlines, missing documents, entity status), and quote any state fees that pass through at cost.

2

Prepare + verify

Our specialists draft the filing, verify entity details against state databases, run internal QA, and route any items needing your sign-off. You see drafts before anything gets submitted.

3

File with the authority

We submit directly to the state Secretary of State, FinCEN, IRS, USPTO, or whichever authority your filing requires. We pay state fees at cost and track the submission identifier in your account.

4

Confirmation + vault

Stamped certificate, IRS notice, or filing receipt arrives in your SOC 2 encrypted document vault the moment we receive it. Next filing deadline auto-added to your compliance calendar where applicable.

Why File.Business

Built on the same infrastructure used by 220,000+ businesses.

SOC 2 Type II audited

Independent annual security audit covering access control, change management, incident response, and data handling. Current report on request.

All 51 US jurisdictions

Every state plus DC plus Puerto Rico - direct filings, not third-party reseller. We hold registered-agent qualifications in every state we operate.

Deadline guarantee

If we miss a filing deadline on a service you pay us to manage, we pay the state penalty. Specific to each plan and the filings it includes.

4.9 from 8,200+ verified reviews

Independently verified by Trustpilot + Google + our own NPS infrastructure. Customer success team within reach by email, chat, or phone.

60-day money-back promise

Change your mind in the first 60 days and we refund our service fee in full. State filing fees pass through at cost and are non-refundable once paid to the state.

E&O insured

Errors and omissions coverage protects you from service errors. Carrier and certificate available on request for enterprise clients.

SOC 2 Type II audited
220,000+ businesses. 60-day money-back. State fees passed through at cost.
Your operating system, not a transaction
Every deadline auto-tracked across your entities. Compliance Score visible year-round.
Transparent pricing
No hidden fees. No upsells at checkout. State fees disclosed upfront.

Start your business in the next 5 minutes.

No state-fee markup. Pay only the state fee. 60-day money-back guarantee.

No state-fee markup 60-day money-back Cancel anytime
$0 + state feeStart my business