To look up an LLC in Texas, use one of two state tools: the Secretary of State’s SOSDirect portal, which costs $1.00 per search and returns formation documents, filing history, and registered agent information, or the Comptroller’s Taxable Entity Search, which is free and shows whether the LLC’s franchise tax account is in good standing. Which one you reach for depends on what you’re trying to confirm.
What to Gather Before You Search
Both tools work best with a solid identifier. The most direct is the entity’s Secretary of State file number, which runs six to ten digits depending on when the LLC was formed.1Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Franchise Tax Account Status Search If you don’t have that, the LLC’s exact legal name (or a distinctive piece of it) works on either platform. The Comptroller’s search also accepts an eleven-digit Texas Taxpayer Number or a nine-digit Federal EIN.2Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Identify Taxpayer – eSystems Help
Search by the LLC’s formal legal name as filed with the state, not a trade name or DBA. Partial matches will return hits on both platforms, but the closer you are to the exact name, the less you’ll have to sift through.
Searching on SOSDirect
SOSDirect is the Secretary of State’s online portal for business filings. You’ll need to create a client account first, with a name, address, email, and password. The account can be in your own name or an organization’s. Each search then costs a statutorily authorized $1.00 fee.3Texas Secretary of State. SOSDirect – Online Searching and Filing
Once you’re logged in, choose the “Business Organizations” tab and enter the entity name or file number. The search report lists the LLC’s governing persons, registered agent name and address, and current status with the Secretary of State. You can also view a chronological list of every document the LLC has filed since formation: the original Certificate of Formation, amendments, name changes, and mergers.
SOSDirect provides downloadable images of those documents. The Certificate of Formation shows the LLC’s original management structure, stated purpose, and the names of its organizers, which is why it’s the go-to filing for anyone trying to understand how the entity was set up.
The registered agent field is what most people are actually after. That’s the person or company designated to receive legal documents on the LLC’s behalf, including lawsuits, subpoenas, government compliance notices, and liens. Texas requires every LLC to keep a registered agent at a physical street address in the state where process can be personally served. If you need to serve papers, the agent listed in SOSDirect is your starting point, and the state’s official record is more reliable than what the LLC puts on its website or business cards.
Searching on the Comptroller’s Website
The Comptroller’s Taxable Entity Search is free and requires no account.1Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Franchise Tax Account Status Search Open the search page and enter the LLC’s name, Texas Taxpayer Number, Federal EIN, or Secretary of State file number. The results show the entity’s franchise tax account status, which tells you whether the LLC’s right to transact business in Texas is currently active.
The status page returns one of several designations. What you want to see is an active right to transact business. A forfeited status is a signal to stop and investigate before entering any deal. The page also lists the registered agent and the officers, directors, or managers currently on file.1Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Franchise Tax Account Status Search Those names come from the Public Information Report the LLC files annually with its franchise tax return, which discloses officer and manager names, titles, mailing addresses, term expiration dates, and each owner’s percentage and state of formation.4Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. 2026 Texas Franchise Tax Public Information Report
A printout of the Taxable Entity Search results page is often required for Texas real estate closings and financial transactions.5Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Franchise Tax Account Status Title companies and lenders ask for it as proof that the LLC on the other side of the deal is authorized to sign. The results reflect the Comptroller’s records at the moment you run the query, so print it close to your transaction date.6Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Comptroller’s Databases
Which Tool for Which Purpose
The two searches overlap, but each answers different questions well:
- Serving legal papers: SOSDirect. It carries the current registered agent information from the Secretary of State’s own records.
- Verifying tax standing for a transaction: the Comptroller’s search. Lenders, title companies, and opposing counsel rely on that printout.
- Reviewing formation documents: SOSDirect. It’s the only tool that provides downloadable images of the Certificate of Formation, amendments, and other filed documents.
- Identifying owners and managers: either. SOSDirect shows governing persons from formation filings; the Comptroller shows the most recent Public Information Report data.
- Quick check with no account setup: the Comptroller’s search. Free, no login.
For due diligence on a potential partner, vendor, or acquisition target, run both. SOSDirect tells you how the LLC was formed and what it has filed. The Comptroller tells you whether it’s current on taxes.
What a Forfeited Result Means
If your search returns a forfeited status, that is not paperwork housekeeping. Forfeiture happens when a taxable entity fails to file a required franchise tax report or pay the tax due within 45 days after the Comptroller mails a notice of forfeiture.7State of Texas. Tax Code Chapter 171 – Franchise Tax The consequences are steep:
- The entity loses the right to sue or defend itself in Texas courts.
- Each director, officer, or manager becomes personally liable for business debts created after the forfeiture date and before reinstatement, treated as if the managers were partners in a partnership.7State of Texas. Tax Code Chapter 171 – Franchise Tax
- A 5% penalty applies to unpaid franchise tax, with an additional 5% if payment isn’t made within 30 days of the due date. A separate $50 penalty applies for failing to file the report, whether or not any tax was owed.7State of Texas. Tax Code Chapter 171 – Franchise Tax
The LLC’s limited liability protection effectively lapses during forfeiture. If you’re weighing a deal with a forfeited LLC, or your own entity shows this status, treat it as urgent. Reinstatement runs through the Comptroller first (clearing all delinquent reports, taxes, penalties, and interest, then obtaining a Tax Clearance Letter) and then the Secretary of State.8Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Reinstating or Terminating a Business
When You Need a Certificate or Certified Copy
Sometimes a search result or printout isn’t enough. Certain transactions and filings require an official document from the Secretary of State.
A Certificate of Fact, the Texas equivalent of a certificate of good standing, costs $15.00 per certificate.9Texas Secretary of State. Instructions for Ordering Copies and Certificates It’s official evidence that the LLC exists and is authorized to transact business in the state. Banks, lenders, and other states’ filing offices commonly ask for it.
Certified copies of formation documents are required for several filings with the Secretary of State, including applications for certificates of authority, assumed name filings, amendments, mergers, conversions, and dissolutions.10Texas Secretary of State. Business Organization Certificate Form 205 Instructions A certified copy carries the Secretary of State’s seal and authentication, which gives it legal weight a downloaded SOSDirect image does not.
Checking Name Availability for a New LLC
If you’re searching to see whether a name is available for a new LLC rather than to investigate an existing one, the options are a little different. The Secretary of State offers a free preliminary name availability check by phone at (512) 463-5555 or by email to the Corporations Section.11Texas Secretary of State. Name Filings FAQs That’s only preliminary. The final call happens when your actual formation documents are received and processed.
You can also search existing entities through SOSDirect for the standard $1.00 fee to see what’s already on file. To lock in a name before filing formation documents, reserve it for 120 days by filing an application with a $40 fee, renewable for another $40 during the 30-day window before it expires.12Texas Secretary of State. Form 501 – Instructions for Application for Reservation or Renewal of Reservation of an Entity Name Don’t spend on signage, domains, or marketing based on a preliminary clearance alone. Names that look available can still be rejected at filing if the Secretary of State decides they aren’t sufficiently distinguishable from an existing entity on the records.