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Texas Secretary of State, Business and Public Filings Division (Corporations Section)

Texas business entity search

Look up a Texas business by name, SOS file number, Comptroller taxpayer number, or EIN. The Comptroller's franchise-tax file is searched here, alongside federal filings; it carries the Secretary of State file number and charter status for every account.

Free search. No account required.Texas registry: 3,437,447 registrations (active franchise-tax accounts only), records as of 2026-09-05.

Texas registry at a glance

Registry agency
Texas Secretary of State, Business and Public Filings Division (Corporations Section)
Office
Secretary of State Robert S. Howden, since 2026
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Phone
512-463-5555
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Address
Lobby (in-person services, temporary location): 400 W. 15th Street, Austin, Texas 78701
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Mailing address
Secretary of State, Business & Public Filings, P.O. Box 13697, Austin, TX 78711-3697
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Hours
Agency hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday (the relocation notice gives lobby hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Registry number
Secretary of State file number (filing number). Up to 10 digits; the Secretary of State describes it as the unique 10-digit number given to each business organization, name registration or name reservation (shorter numbers appear without leading zeros, such as 123456789 on the state's sample certificate).
Source: direct.sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06

What this page can tell you

Whether the entity holds an active franchise-tax account and the right to transact business, its SOS file number and charter status, formation date, entity type, and address, from the Comptroller's open-data file (active accounts only); the EIN where the taxpayer number embeds it or the Comptroller's records supply it; and federal filings where they exist.

Source: Texas Comptroller active franchise taxpayers file (data.texas.gov) · records as of 2026-09-05.

What only the state can tell you

Registered agent, officers, certified copies, and anything filed since the file date. The file lists active franchise-tax accounts only, so an entity missing here may have forfeited or ended its account, never owed franchise tax (most sole proprietors), or be filed under another name; the Comptroller's franchise tax account status search and the Secretary of State's SOSPortal say which.

Three numbers, three agencies

Asking for the wrong number is a common reason a search comes back empty.

Federal EIN
Internal Revenue Service
Identifies the business for federal tax. It is the same number in every state.
Source: irs.gov
Secretary of State file number (filing number)
Texas Secretary of State, Business and Public Filings Division (Corporations Section)
Identifies the entity's record in the Texas registry. Up to 10 digits; the Secretary of State describes it as the unique 10-digit number given to each business organization, name registration or name reservation (shorter numbers appear without leading zeros, such as 123456789 on the state's sample certificate).
Source: direct.sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Texas taxpayer number (Texas Identification Number, TIN)
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
The Comptroller issues the taxpayer number; the Secretary of State issues the separate 10-digit file number; the IRS issues the 9-digit EIN. The Comptroller's account status search accepts the taxpayer number, the EIN, the name or the SOS file number, and a public API is offered for the same data.
Source: comptroller.texas.gov · checked 2026-10-06

The Texas Secretary of State, Business and Public Filings Division (Corporations Section) publishes the federal EIN on its records, so a Texas registration can be matched to its EIN.

What a Texas status means

In existence
The Secretary of State's term for an entity that legally exists; a Certificate of Fact - Status certifies it.
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Forfeited existence
The entity's charter or registration was forfeited after the Comptroller forfeited its right to transact business for unmet franchise tax requirements; it can be reinstated after the tax issues are cured.
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Voluntarily dissolved / terminated
The entity filed a certificate of termination, which needs a Comptroller Certificate of Account Status for Termination for most entities.
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Involuntarily dissolved
The state ended the entity's existence for a reason other than tax forfeiture.
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Withdrawn
A foreign entity withdrew its registration to transact business in Texas.
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Active / Forfeited (Comptroller)
The Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status, formerly called good standing, shows whether the entity still has the right to transact business in Texas.
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06

Fees and annual filings

LLC formation
$300 (Certificate of Formation, Form 205)
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Corporation formation
$300 (Certificate of Formation, Form 201)
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Annual filing
Franchise Tax Report with Public Information Report (Form 05-102) or Ownership Information Report (Form 05-167)
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Annual fee, LLC
No Secretary of State annual report; the Public Information Report goes to the Comptroller with the franchise tax report
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Annual fee, corporation
No Secretary of State annual report; the Public Information Report goes to the Comptroller with the franchise tax report
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
When it is due
Due May 15 each year (next business day if May 15 falls on a weekend or holiday). Entities at or below the no tax due threshold ($2,650,000 for report years 2026 and 2027) file only the Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report.
Source: comptroller.texas.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Late filing
The Comptroller mails a notice of intent to forfeit and must allow at least 45 days to cure; after that it forfeits the entity's right to transact business, and the Secretary of State can then forfeit the charter or registration.
Source: comptroller.texas.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Filed with
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (the Comptroller sends officer, director and manager data from the PIR to the Secretary of State)
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Texas franchise tax (margin tax)
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Annual report due May 15. For report years 2026 and 2027: rate 0.375% for retail or wholesale and 0.75% for other entities; no tax due threshold $2,650,000; EZ computation available up to $20 million in revenue at 0.331%; compensation deduction limit $480,000.
Source: comptroller.texas.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Note
Professional associations and LPs pay $750 to form; nonprofits pay $25. Most foreign entities pay $750 to register. SOSPortal charges $1 per search; a Certificate of Fact - Status costs $15 (Form 806, revised 09/26).
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06

As published by the Texas Secretary of State, Business and Public Filings Division (Corporations Section), checked 2026-10-06. Fees change, and the official schedule decides.

Forming or running a business in Texas

Registered agent
Every filing entity names a registered agent, an individual Texas resident or a registered entity, who must have consented in writing or electronically to the appointment.
Source: sos.state.tx.us · checked 2026-10-06
Business forms and fees
Official Texas business forms and fees →

Texas businesses on file

All 2,084 Texas businesses on file →

Sources

A fact that could not be confirmed on an official page is left out.

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