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Texas company records are kept by the Corporations Section of the Texas Secretary of State. The search now runs on SOSPortal, which took over from SOSDirect. It costs $1 per search, and that fee is dropped when you place an order or filing from the results. You can search by entity name or file number. For a free check on whether a company is in good shape, use the Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status search.
Texas business search on SOSPortal, step by step
Many guides still describe SOSDirect, but SOSPortal recently replaced it and SOSUpload. Client Accounts are not available in the new system, and every login uses multi-factor authentication. Payment is by ACH or credit card. The Business Filings user guide sets out the route:
- Log in and pick a verification method, such as an email code.
- Choose Search & Order Records from the left menu, then New Search.
- Confirm the search fee and pay.
- Open the Business Filings tile and choose File Number or Entity Name.
- Type the name or number and click Search.
- Click a file number in the results to open the record. Use the arrows to page through results.
Each search costs money, so have the exact file number or the full legal name ready before you start.
When a company does not appear
Try a shorter version of the name or the file number. Check whether the business trades under an assumed name: the legal name can be quite different. Corporations, LLCs, LPs and foreign filing entities file assumed name certificates with the Secretary of State, while sole proprietors and general partnerships file with the county clerk. Several businesses can file the same assumed name, because Texas does not reject one for a name conflict. Our DBA search guide explains how to trace it. If the company was formed elsewhere and has not registered in Texas, it will not be on the Texas register at all.
Reading a Texas record and the tax side
The SOS record opens with tabs for more detail, and you order copies or certificates from the same screen. Then check the Comptroller. Its Franchise Tax Account Status, which it used to call "Good Standing", shows whether the entity still has the right to transact business in Texas. The result can be printed and reflects the Comptroller's records at the moment you search.
That second check matters because the Comptroller, not the Secretary of State, enforces franchise tax. If a company misses its filing requirements, the Comptroller must give at least 45 days' notice and then forfeit its right to transact business. A forfeited company cannot sue or defend itself in a Texas court, and its directors and officers become liable for its debts. Read our business entity status guide for how to act on that.
Texas name rules and reservations
A Texas name must be distinguishable in the records of the Secretary of State from every existing filing entity, registered foreign entity, name reservation and name registration, under section 5.053 of the Business Organizations Code. The detailed tests sit in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 1, Chapter 79, Subchapter C. An LLC needs an organizational designation: "limited liability company", "limited company", or an abbreviation such as LLC. The name also cannot suggest a business the company is not allowed to run, or a link to a government body.
The SOS gives free preliminary name determinations by phone or email, but a final answer only comes when your document is filed. A name reservation on Form 501 costs $40 and lasts 120 days. You can renew it in the 30 days before it expires, and Texas reservations are generic, so a name held for a corporation can be used to form an LLC.
Franchise tax, reports and certificates
The Secretary of State charges no annual report fee. Instead, every taxable entity files a franchise tax report with the Comptroller by May 15. At or below the current no tax due threshold of $2,650,000 in revenue, you still file a Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report. Above it, the rate is 0.375 percent for retail and wholesale and 0.75 percent for other businesses. A late report costs $50 even when no tax is due, late tax adds 5 percent within 30 days or 10 percent after, and interest starts 61 days after the due date. See annual report deadlines to compare states.
To prove standing, order a Certificate of Fact for status from the SOS for $15, or a long form with a list of filings for $25. Expedited handling of a certificate is $10 more. Our certificate of good standing guide explains when you need the SOS certificate and when the Comptroller's version will do.
Bulk data
Texas sells bulk entity data through SOSPortal. Form 806 lists a new Master Unload at $1,750, the previous month's at $1,350, daily updates at $60 by subscription, and weekly new filings at $20.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Texas, the Texas registered agent rules, a Texas operating agreement guide and the Texas LLC cost breakdown.
Also see our guides to the Texas DBA and Texas business license.