How to start an LLC in Texas without getting lost in Form 205
To form a Texas LLC, you file a Certificate of Formation using Form 205, name a registered agent who has consented to serve, and pay the $300 filing fee. That is the short version. The longer version is where most people make the annoying mistakes.
The basic Texas LLC checklist
| Step | What Texas requires |
|---|---|
| 1 | Choose an LLC name with an accepted LLC designator |
| 2 | Appoint a registered agent and registered office |
| 3 | Complete Form 205, Certificate of Formation |
| 4 | Pay the $300 filing fee |
| 5 | Get the EIN after the state filing is in place |
What Texas calls the filing
Texas uses Form 205, Certificate of Formation for a limited liability company. The Texas forms page lists Form 205 as the certificate of formation for an LLC, and the form itself lists a filing fee of $300.
If you have looked at articles online that talk about articles of organization, that is normal. Different states use different labels. In Texas, the filing you care about is the Certificate of Formation.
Name rules people skip past too quickly
Texas requires the entity name to include “limited liability company,” “limited company,” or an accepted abbreviation. The instructions also say the name has to comply with the name availability rules in the Texas Business Organizations Code. In other words, you are not just picking a nice-sounding name. You are picking one the filing office can actually accept.
The registered agent rule that trips up do-it-yourself filers
The Texas instructions are blunt about one point: the LLC cannot act as its own registered agent. A lot of first-time founders assume they can just type the company name into every blank field and keep moving. Texas says not to do that.
The instructions also say the registered agent must have consented to serve, in written or electronic form, even though you do not submit that consent with the certificate itself.
The Texas instructions say: "The limited liability company cannot act as its own registered agent; do not enter the limited liability company name as the name of the registered agent."
What goes into Form 205
- The LLC name
- Registered agent and registered office details
- Governing authority details, including managers or members depending on the structure
- An initial mailing address for franchise tax correspondence
- Organizer name and address
- Effective date, if you do not want it effective immediately upon filing
That last part matters more than people think. The form lets you choose immediate effectiveness or a later date, but the delayed effective date cannot be more than 90 days from signing.
How much it costs
Texas puts the fee right in the form instructions: $300. That is the state filing fee for the certificate of formation. It does not include anything a third-party filing service may charge on top.
What to do after the state filing
Once the LLC exists, then it makes sense to get the EIN. The IRS says to form the legal entity with the state before applying for the EIN. If you are opening a bank account or hiring people, this is usually the next move.
You should also keep the filing paperwork organized from the start. It sounds obvious, but it saves a lot of pain later when a bank, accountant, or payment processor asks for the exact formation details.
Where a service can be worth paying for
If privacy matters to you, or you do not want your own address tied to the registered agent role, this is where a registered agent service starts making sense. Texas lets you do plenty yourself, but it does not make every choice equally convenient.
That is why the registered agent angle usually converts well: the form is not terribly complicated, but the practical downsides of doing everything yourself show up fast.
Bottom line
A Texas LLC is not hard to form, but it is easy to file sloppily. The safe path is to use Form 205, make sure the name satisfies Texas rules, appoint a real registered agent who has consented to serve, pay the $300 fee, and then get the EIN after the LLC is on file.