State Business Entity Search

Texas SOS business entity search

Texas launched SOSPortal on September 29, 2026, replacing SOSDirect and SOSUpload, and each search in it costs $1.00 by statute.

Search Texas companies registered for franchise tax

Type a name with or without its ending. LLC, Inc., Corp., Co. and Ltd. are set aside before matching, along with punctuation and capital letters.

Example: a search for "Lone Star Plumbing" in Texas, run on November 12, 2026.

"Lone Star Plumbing" matches 1 name on the list

With endings and punctuation set aside, the match is exact. A state refuses a new filing when its name is not distinguishable from one already on its records.

Pick a different name, or ask the state how it reads this one.

Get the matching domain name

Type a business name to check its .com, .net, .org and .us.

"Not registered" is the registry's answer at this moment. It is not a promise that the name can be bought at the standard price, since some unregistered names are reserved or sold at a premium. The buttons open Spaceship, a domain registrar, where the price is shown.

  1. Exact matchLONE STAR PLUMBING, INC.Texas profit corporation, Active, filed July 1, 1998, record 0149677200Same name once the ending and punctuation are removed
  2. One word apartLONE STAR ACV PLUMBING LLCTexas limited liability company, Active, filed August 24, 2020, record 0803734901One word added: Acv
  3. One word apartLONE STAR PATRIOT PLUMBING LLCTexas limited liability company, Active, filed May 29, 2023, record 0805079221One word added: Patriot
  4. One word apartLONE STAR PATTERSON PLUMBING LLCTexas limited liability company, Active, filed July 13, 2021, record 0804147754One word added: Patterson
  5. One word apartLONE STAR PLUMBING SERVICES, LLCTexas limited liability company, Active, filed September 27, 2021, record 0804306148One word added: Service
  6. One word apartLONE STAR PLUMBING WORKS, LLCTexas limited liability company, Active, filed February 27, 2025, record 0805923700One word added: Work

Source: Active Franchise Taxpayers, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, data dated November 7, 2026.

  • This is the Comptroller's franchise tax list, not the Secretary of State's register. It leaves out reserved names, assumed names and entities with no franchise tax account.
  • On November 12, 2026 its newest companies had been chartered about two weeks earlier, so a recent filing can be missing.

Confirm with the state before you file: Texas's SOSPortal. A state business name is not a trademark. This is not a government site.

A private website, not a government site. Every state entry links to that state's official search.

Texas Secretary of State's own search

Run by
Office of the Secretary of State of Texas
Called
SOSPortal
Open Texas's official search

The state's search is the record that counts. State Business Entity Search is not a government site.

The Office of the Secretary of State of Texas keeps the register through its Business and Government Filings Division.

  • LLC filing fee $300
  • Name held 120 days
  • Register kept by Office of the Secretary of State of Texas

By the State Business Entity Search team. Fees, endings and rules come from 11 official Texas sources, retrieved on November 12, 2026. Last updated November 13, 2026. How these facts are gathered.

Texas filing fees for a new business name

FilingState feeDetails
Form an LLC in Texas $300 Form 205, Certificate of Formation for a Limited Liability Company. Source: Texas Secretary of State, Instructions for Form 205.
Form a corporation in Texas $300 Form 201, Certificate of Formation for a For-Profit Corporation. Source: Texas Secretary of State, Form 201 certificate of formation for a for-profit corporation.
Reserve a name in Texas $40 Held for 120 days. Source: Texas Secretary of State, Form 501 application for reservation of name.
Annual franchise tax report to the Texas Comptroller for a Texas LLC Varies Every year. The annual franchise tax report is due May 15. If May 15 falls on a weekend or holiday, the due date will be the next business day. Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Franchise tax.
Assumed name certificate, in Texas $25 Source: Texas Secretary of State, Name and filing frequently asked questions.

Name endings Texas accepts

For an LLC (Texas Business Organizations Code, chapter 5)

  • limited liability company
  • limited company
  • or an abbreviation of one of these phrases

For a corporation (Texas Business Organizations Code, chapter 5)

  • corporation
  • company
  • incorporated
  • limited
  • or an abbreviation of one of these terms

SOSPortal is available around the clock. Each search carries a $1.00 fee that the statute authorizes. SOSPortal also lists a check for name availability. For a preliminary read, the Corporations Section answers by phone at (512) 463-5555 or by email.

The state makes a final decision only when a document is filed. Its advice is to avoid spending money or signing documents on the strength of a preliminary clearance.

What the Active Franchise Taxpayers list covers

The search here reads "Active Franchise Taxpayers", a list that the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts publishes on data.texas.gov. It is a tax list, not the Secretary of State's register.

It leaves out reserved names, assumed names and any entity with no franchise tax account. For each entity it shows the Secretary of State file number, the charter date and the status code the Comptroller holds. The newest companies lag new filings by about two weeks.

The Secretary of State's own search in SOSPortal is the register that counts, so run the name there before you file.

What makes a Texas name distinguishable

Business Organizations Code section 5.053 requires a name to be distinguishable in the Secretary of State's records. The comparison covers existing filing entities, registered foreign entities, existing fictitious names, registered series, name reservations and name registrations.

A similar name can be filed only with the existing holder's notarized consent. A name that is the same cannot be filed even with consent.

A name cannot imply a business the entity is not authorized to pursue. It cannot falsely imply a tie to a government body either, or the document cannot be filed.

Reserving a Texas name

Form 501 carries a $40 fee. A reservation holds the name for 120 days. Name reservations are generic, so one can be used to form any type of filing entity. To renew, file a new application in the 30 days before the current one expires.

What Texas charges after you file

The filing fee is $300 on both Form 205 for an LLC and Form 201 for a for-profit corporation. Online filing in SOSPortal can be paid by ACH or credit card, and a credit card adds a convenience fee of $0.25 plus 2.25% of total fees.

The yearly cost runs through the Comptroller. The annual franchise tax report is due May 15, with a Public Information Report or an Ownership Information Report. Entities under the no tax due threshold owe no tax but still file. The LLC cost calculator puts these together.

Assumed names in Texas

LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships and LLPs file an assumed name certificate with the Secretary of State. The fee is $25, and abandonment is $10. Sole proprietors and general partnerships file with the county clerk instead, as the Harris County DBA search shows for one large county.

Checking and claiming a name in Texas

  1. Search the name here, then run the same search in SOSPortal at $1.00.
  2. Read the name against the section 5.053 list of records.
  3. Confirm the ending with the name endings each state accepts.
  4. Reserve the name on Form 501 for $40 if the filing is weeks away.
  5. File Form 205 or Form 201 at $300.

Texas name search questions

What does a Texas SOS entity search cost?

The state charges $1.00 for each search in SOSPortal, a fee set by statute.

Can two Texas businesses file the same assumed name?

Yes. The Secretary of State says several assumed name certificates can be on file for the exact same name. An entity cannot file an assumed name that matches its own exact legal name.

For a similar name, yes, with the holder's notarized consent. For a name that is the same, no. The state's Form 509 instructions say consent does not make an identical name fileable.

When is the Texas franchise tax report due for an LLC?

The Comptroller sets the annual franchise tax report due May 15, moving to the next business day if that falls on a weekend or holiday. For the 2026 report, the no tax due threshold is $2.65 million.

Can a Texas name reservation be renewed?

Yes. File Form 501 during the 30-day period before the current reservation expires. The fee is $40, a reservation holds 120 days, and the state sets no limit on how many you file.

After the Texas name check

11 official Texas sources
  1. Texas Secretary of State, SOSPortal business filing system, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  2. Texas Secretary of State, Corporations section, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  3. Texas Secretary of State, Name and filing frequently asked questions, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  4. Texas Secretary of State, Form 205 certificate of formation for a limited liability company, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  5. Texas Secretary of State, Instructions for Form 205, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  6. Texas Secretary of State, Form 201 certificate of formation for a for-profit corporation, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  7. Texas Secretary of State, Form 501 application for reservation of name, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  8. Texas Secretary of State, Instructions for Form 509, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  9. Texas Secretary of State, SOSPortal general frequently asked questions, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  10. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Franchise tax, retrieved November 12, 2026.
  11. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, 2026 franchise tax report, retrieved November 12, 2026.