Texas · Form 205 (rev. 09/26)
Texas Form 205: the LLC Certificate of Formation
Form 205 is the Texas Secretary of State's form for creating a limited liability company. Texas calls the document a Certificate of Formation rather than articles of organization, and Form 205 is the version for an LLC (Form 201 is for a corporation, Form 206 for a professional LLC). Filing it, with the $300 fee, is what brings a Texas LLC into existence.
The form was revised in September 2026. The current version adds an initial mailing address for franchise tax correspondence and an attestation that the company name does not imply a government affiliation. Older copies of the form that are still circulating leave those out, and filings on an outdated revision can be returned.
Have the Form 205 prepared and filed for you
We fill every field the way SOSDirect expects, check the name first and submit it. State fee: $300, itemized before you pay.
Start My Texas LLCPrivate filing service, not the Texas Secretary of State. The official form and portal are at www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms_boc.shtml, and the state's fee is the same if you file there yourself.
What Form 205 Asks For
- 1.Article 1: Entity nameMust end in Limited Liability Company, LLC, L.L.C., Limited Company, LC or L.C., and be distinguishable from every name already on file. The Secretary of State does not check the name until the filing is reviewed, so a conflict means a rejection, not a warning.
- 2.Article 2: Registered agent and registered officeEither an organization (A) or a Texas-resident individual (B) with a Texas street address. The agent does not sign the form, but the organizer certifies that the agent has consented, and Texas law requires that consent to exist.
- 3.Article 3: Governing authorityChoose managers (A) or no managers (B). With managers, list each manager's name and address. Without managers, list each member's name and address. A member or manager can be a company; then its name goes in place of an individual's.
- 4.Article 4: PurposePre-printed: any lawful purpose for which a limited liability company may be organized. Supplemental provisions are optional and most filers leave them blank.
- 5.Initial mailing addressNew on the 09/26 revision. Where the Comptroller sends franchise tax notices. Can be a PO box, and can be outside Texas.
- 6.OrganizerName, address and signature of the person or company filing the form, certifying under penalty of perjury. A filing service can be the organizer.
- 7.Effective dateDefaults to the date of filing. You can set a later date up to 90 days out, or tie it to a future event.
- 8.Government-affiliation attestationAlso new on the current revision: the signer affirms that the name does not falsely imply a government affiliation.
Why Texas Rejects It
- A name that is the same as, or not distinguishable from, an existing Texas entity or a reserved name.
- A registered agent address that is a PO box, a mailbox store or outside Texas.
- Governing authority left blank, or managers box checked with no manager names.
- An outdated revision of the form that lacks the mailing-address and attestation sections.
- Payment short of the $300 fee, or a card declined on SOSDirect.
A rejection costs days, sometimes a second fee, and in a few states the name you wanted. Our name check and field review happen before the form goes to SOSDirect, which is most of what you pay us for.
After the State Files It
- The Secretary of State files the certificate and returns a file-stamped copy with the company's file number. Standard processing is not published; SOSDirect filings generally clear faster than mail.
- Texas offers expedited handling for a fee: $50 standard expedite, $500 next-day, $750 same-day under the current Form 806 fee schedule.
- The company then owes the Comptroller a franchise tax report every May 15, starting the year after formation. Most small LLCs are under the no-tax-due threshold and file only the Public Information Report.
- Texas has no annual report fee for LLCs; the franchise tax filing is the yearly obligation.
More on filing in Texas: Texas LLC filing through SOSDirect.
Form 205 Questions
Is Form 205 the same as articles of organization?+
Yes, in function. Texas uses the term Certificate of Formation for the document that creates an LLC; most other states call it articles of organization. Form 205 is the Secretary of State's version of it for a limited liability company.
Can I file Form 205 online?+
Yes, through SOSDirect, the Texas Secretary of State's online filing system, which charges the $300 fee by card plus a small convenience charge. Paper filings by mail or in person are accepted too. Either way the fee is the state's; we charge only for preparing and submitting the form for you.
Does the registered agent have to sign Form 205?+
No. The agent's consent is required by law, but it is the organizer who certifies on the form that the agent has agreed. Keep the agent's written consent in the company's records.
What does it cost to have you file it?+
One flat service fee plus Texas filing & processing, which covers the state's $300 fee and the card and portal processing that goes with it. Both lines appear on the checkout page before you pay.
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The Form 205 prepared and submitted for you. State filing & processing itemized before you pay.
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America LLC Filing is a private filing service, not affiliated with the Texas filing office or any government agency.