Why Texas Entities Change Their Registered Agent
Texas runs business administration across two agencies, and understanding the split is most of what makes this filing straightforward. The Secretary of State holds the entity record: formation, amendments, and the registered agent and registered office. The Comptroller of Public Accounts holds the tax record: franchise tax and the Public Information Report due each May 15. A registered agent change is a Secretary of State filing. It does not touch the Comptroller, and a great deal of published material gets this the wrong way round.
The reasons entities file the change are ordinary enough. A founder who used a Houston apartment as the registered office bought a house in Katy. The attorney who agreed to act has retired. A national provider that opened at $49 now renews at $149, and the notice went to an inbox nobody monitors. Each is harmless on the day it happens. The problem is that the Texas business record goes on publishing the old registered office until somebody spends $15 to correct it.
What Texas requires
Texas law requires every LLC and corporation to continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical Texas street address. Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201 governs this obligation. A change of registered agent must be filed promptly when the prior agent resigns, moves, or is replaced. The new agent must consent to the appointment, typically through a separate consent form or a checkbox on the change filing itself.
Filing the Texas Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Office
Texas registered agent change at a glance
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Change form name | Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Office |
| State filing fee | $15 |
| Filing agency | Texas Secretary of State |
| Portal | sos.state.tx.us |
| Processing time | 2-10 business days |
| Statutory citation | Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 5.201 |
| Franchise tax | Texas Comptroller, separate record, May 15 deadline |
| File.Business RA service | $99/year flat |
| Filing handled by File.Business? | Yes, included with RA enrollment |
Five steps. The fifth one is the step that Texas makes necessary and most other states do not.
Step 1: Check the incoming agent against the Texas rule
Texas asks for a registered agent with a registered office at a physical Texas street address, staffed during business hours. An individual Texas resident qualifies. An organisation authorised to transact business in Texas qualifies, which is the commercial route. Two things do not: a post office box, and the entity itself, because Texas does not permit an entity to serve as its own registered agent. Our Texas registered agent page sets out the practical difference between the routes.
Step 2: Take the acceptance of appointment first
Texas requires the incoming agent to accept the appointment, and the acceptance is a separate act from the change itself. A commercial provider signs it at enrolment. An individual signs a dated acceptance naming the entity and the registered office address at which service will be received. Filing the change before the acceptance exists is the single most common reason a Texas change comes back.
Step 3: Recite the entity name and file number exactly
The form asks for the entity name as filed, the Texas file number, the outgoing and incoming agents, the new registered office address and the signature of an authorised governing person. Copy the name from the state record rather than from a contract, including the designator and any comma. Blank forms and the fee schedule are on the Secretary of State forms page.
Step 4: Pay the $15 to the Secretary of State
The Texas state fee to change a registered agent is $15, the same for an LLC and a corporation, and the same whoever the incoming agent is. Payment is made when the filing is submitted, by card or electronic cheque. Texas typically returns the filing in 2 to 10 business days, and the change is effective when the Secretary of State approves it rather than when you send it.
Step 5: Update the Comptroller record separately
This is the Texas step. The Secretary of State filing changes the entity record and nothing else. The Comptroller holds a separate account for franchise tax and the Public Information Report due May 15, and correspondence about it follows the Comptroller record rather than the Secretary of State one. An entity that changes its agent and stops there can still have franchise tax notices going to an address nobody reads, which ends in a $50 penalty plus 5 percent a month and eventually in forfeiture of the right to transact business. Our Texas annual filing page covers what the Comptroller expects.
Registered agent service
If you would rather not do this yourself, we serve as your agent, scan every notice the day it arrives, and keep your home address off the public record. Or keep reading and file it on your own. This guide covers everything you need either way.
What Happens When a Texas Registered Agent Fails
The registered office is where the state and the courts both aim. When it stops being real, the damage arrives on three separate tracks.
Default judgment through the registered office
Service delivered to the registered agent at the registered office shown on the Texas record is effective service. It does not matter that the office is now somebody else's apartment or that the agent stopped opening post two years ago. The answer deadline passes, the court enters default judgment for the amount pleaded, and the business learns about it from a bank or a title search. A Texas motion for new trial or a bill of review takes counsel, an affidavit and a hearing, and legal fees in the low thousands are the floor for the attempt. The filing that prevents it is $15.
Franchise tax forfeiture is the Texas-specific exposure
Texas does not charge an annual report fee in the way most states do, so owners often assume there is nothing annual to miss. There is. The franchise tax report and the Public Information Report are due each May 15, and a missed filing carries $50 plus 5 percent a month. Left unresolved, the Comptroller forfeits the entity's right to transact business in Texas, at which point the directors and officers can be held personally liable for debts incurred while the forfeiture is in place. That last consequence is the one worth remembering, and the Texas franchise tax guide sets out the timetable.
Good standing, and getting the record back
While the forfeiture stands, Texas will not issue a certificate of fact or a certificate of account status, and both are asked for at closings, at franchise renewals and by every other state where the entity is registered as a foreign LLC. Restoring the position means clearing the franchise tax account with the Comptroller first and then filing for reinstatement with the Secretary of State, in that order. Reversing the sequence wastes weeks. The 2026 reinstatement guide walks through it.
Three Texas Agent Changes in Practice
The three below are composites drawn from filings of this type. The Texas figures are real; the business facts are illustrative.
Example one: an Austin founder who moved to Colorado
A single-member software LLC formed in Austin used the founder's apartment as the registered office. He moved to Denver, kept the Texas entity for two enterprise contracts, and changed nothing on the record. The May 15 franchise tax notice went to the old apartment for two years running. Action taken: after a certificate of account status was refused during a customer's vendor review, he engaged a commercial agent, filed the Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Office for $15, and cleared the franchise tax account with the Comptroller. Cost: $15 to the Secretary of State, $99 for the agent, and just over $900 in franchise tax penalties and interest. Timeline: three business days for the change, six weeks for the tax account. Outcome: the contract survived. The lesson is that the Texas exposure sat at the Comptroller while the visible problem was at the Secretary of State.
Example two: a Dallas corporation whose outside counsel resigned
A closely held corporation in Dallas had used its outside counsel's Uptown office as the registered office since 2008. The relationship ended and the firm resigned the appointment, which starts a 30-day clock in Texas. Action taken: the board resolved the appointment at a minuted meeting, engaged a commercial provider, filed the change on day 9, and confirmed the Comptroller record separately in the same week. Cost: $15 in state fees plus the provider's annual charge. Timeline: five business days to post. Outcome: no gap in coverage, and a lawsuit filed four months later was scanned and routed the day it arrived. The point worth copying is that the board handled both records at once rather than assuming one filing covered both agencies.
Example three: a Houston energy services firm across five states
A Houston energy services company held foreign registrations in Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and North Dakota alongside its Texas formation. Five agents, five renewal dates, five portals, and an Oklahoma notice that had already been missed. Action taken: one provider appointed across all five, with the Texas change filed first at $15 so the domestic record was clean before the foreign registrations were amended. Cost: roughly $95 in state fees across the group. Timeline: about six weeks across five jurisdictions. Outcome: one renewal date and one address for service everywhere. Any business holding registrations in more than two states should read the Texas foreign qualification page first, or hand the sequencing to our foreign qualification service.
Five Mistakes That Delay a Texas Change
Mistake 1: Sending the change to the Comptroller
What it is: filing the registered agent change with the Texas Comptroller because that is the agency the business deals with most often. Why it happens: franchise tax correspondence is frequent and visible, and several published directories name the wrong agency. Consequence: the filing goes nowhere and the registered office stays stale for weeks. Prevention: entity filings go to the Texas Secretary of State; franchise tax goes to the Comptroller. Our Texas agency page keeps the division clear.
Mistake 2: Filing without the acceptance of appointment
What it is: submitting the change while the incoming agent has only agreed verbally. Why it happens: the acceptance is a separate document, so it is easy to treat as optional. Consequence: rejection, a second $15, and a fortnight lost. Prevention: hold the signed acceptance before the change is submitted.
Mistake 3: Naming the entity itself as its own agent
What it is: listing the LLC or corporation as its own registered agent. Why it happens: it feels tidy, and some states permit something close to it. Consequence: rejection, because Texas does not allow an entity to serve as its own registered agent. Prevention: name an individual Texas resident or an organisation authorised to transact business in Texas.
Mistake 4: Using a post office box as the registered office
What it is: entering a box number or a mailbox rented at a shipping counter. Why it happens: it is where the post already goes. Consequence: rejection, because the registered office has to be a place where a person can be handed documents during business hours. Prevention: use a physical street address that is genuinely occupied.
Mistake 5: Believing the state notice cancels the old provider
What it is: assuming that because Texas notifies the prior agent, the contract with them ends. Why it happens: the notice reads like a termination. Consequence: the provider bills the next annual period, and prepaid periods are usually not refunded. Prevention: read the prior agreement, send written cancellation on the day the change posts, and keep proof of the date, since 30 days of notice is typical.
How File.Business Handles Texas Registered Agent Changes
We sign the acceptance, prepare the Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Office, file it with the Texas Secretary of State, pay the $15, monitor processing and confirm the public record. We then check the Comptroller account, because the two agencies hold separate records and a change at one does nothing at the other. Where franchise tax filings have slipped, we bring them current in the same engagement. File.Business is a private filing service, not a law firm, and we act at your direction.
What the flat $99 covers in Texas
A physical Texas street address as your registered office instead of your own, continuous cover through business hours, a four-hour scan on every item received, same-day routing for service of process and Comptroller notices, reminders ahead of the May 15 franchise tax deadline, and permanent storage of every filed document in your vault. The price does not rise at renewal and there are no per-item charges. Businesses filing in more than one state usually add our annual report service and run the whole portfolio from one compliance calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my registered agent in Texas?
File the Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Office with the Texas Secretary of State, pay the $15 state fee, and include the incoming agent's acceptance of the appointment. Processing typically takes 2 to 10 business days. File.Business handles the entire change as part of enrolling in our registered agent service.
Which Texas agency handles the agent change?
The Texas Secretary of State. Entity filings including the registered agent change go there. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts administers franchise tax and the Public Information Report, and it does not process agent changes, so both records need attention when an address moves.
How much does it cost to change my registered agent in Texas?
The Texas state filing fee is $15. If you are switching to a commercial registered agent service, the service's annual fee is separate. File.Business RA service is $99 a year flat with no renewal escalation.
How long does a Texas registered agent change take?
Texas typically processes registered agent changes in 2 to 10 business days. The change takes effect on the date the Texas Secretary of State approves the filing, not the date it was submitted.
Can I serve as my own registered agent in Texas instead of using a commercial service?
Yes. Under Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code 5.201, an individual Texas resident with a physical Texas street address who is available during business hours can serve as their own registered agent. An entity cannot serve as its own agent, and a home address used as the registered office is published permanently.
What happens if my Texas registered agent goes unreachable?
Service on the agent of record is effective whether or not it reaches you, so the immediate exposure is a default judgment. The franchise tax notice then goes astray, a $50 penalty plus 5 percent a month attaches, and the Comptroller can forfeit the entity's right to transact business in Texas.
Ready to change your Texas registered agent?
File.Business handles the entire Texas Statement of Change of Registered Agent or Office as part of enrolling in our $99/year RA service. We pre-sign the consent, file with the Texas Secretary of State, pay the $15 state fee, monitor processing, and confirm the change on the public record. One engagement, end to end.
Doing this in Texas specifically: change your Texas registered agent covers the detail for this state, including the current fee and the exact form the agency expects.
This guide is written from the official sources below. Fees, forms, and deadlines change; confirm the current requirement with the agency before you file.
Disclosure. File.Business is a private filing service, not a government agency and not a law firm. We prepare and submit filings at your direction, and nothing on this page is legal or tax advice. Filing fees, deadlines, and statutory references are current as of the last-updated date shown above and can change. Confirm current requirements with the relevant state agency before you file.
