Texas Business Entity Search: How to Look Up a Texas Business
A Texas business entity search is a lookup in one of two state systems. The Texas Secretary of State keeps the formation record: the legal name, file number, entity type, status, registered agent, and filing history. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts keeps the franchise tax record, which shows whether the company still has the right to transact business in Texas.
This page covers both searches, what each one shows, how to read the status labels, and where assumed names (DBAs) are recorded. If you are checking whether a name is free for a new company, that is a different question, covered on our Texas business name search page.
Texas Secretary of State Business Search (SOSPortal)
The Texas Secretary of State business search now runs through SOSPortal. SOSPortal replaced both SOSDirect and SOSUpload on September 29, 2026, so older guides that send you to SOSDirect describe the previous system.
A search requires an SOSPortal account. SOSPortal accounts are separate from old SOSDirect logins, so a new account is needed even if you used SOSDirect before. The Secretary of State charges a $1.00 statutorily authorized fee for each search. Payment is by credit card or ACH, and the state's own guide shows a Texas.gov processing fee added to card payments.
After logging in, choose Search & Order Records, then Business Filings. The search screen lets you search by:
- Entity name
- Management (officers, directors, managers, or members named in filings)
- Tax ID number
- File number, the unique number the Secretary of State assigns to each entity
- Name of registered agent
- Address
- Tracking (document) number
- New registered agent appointments from the past 60 days
The same screen also offers a separate "Perform a Preliminary Name Search" option for name availability. More on that below.
If you would rather call, the Secretary of State's business filings line is (512) 463-5555, and email goes to CorpInfo@sos.texas.gov.
Texas LLC Lookup: Name, File Number, or Registered Agent
For a Texas LLC lookup, the search option depends on what you already know.
By name. Enter the legal name, not a brand name. A company can operate under an assumed name while its state record carries a different legal name. Results list each match with its file number, entity type, entity status, name type, and name status.
By file number. The file number is the unique number the Secretary of State assigns to an entity, so it is the most exact search. A file number search returns one record instead of a list of similar names.
By registered agent. Searching by registered agent name shows the entities that list that agent. This is useful when you know who receives legal papers for a business but not the exact legal name. Large commercial agents represent many companies, so expect long result lists for them.
By management. The Management search looks for people named in filings. The Secretary of State describes the Management tab as listing officers and directors for corporations, managers or members for LLCs, and general partners for limited partnerships.
Opening a record shows more detail on separate tabs. The Filing History tab lists documents filed for the entity with their filing dates, and the Names tab shows the history of the entity's legal and fictitious names. From the record you can order plain or certified copies and certificates, such as a Certificate of Fact – Status. See Texas Certificate of Good Standing for what that certificate is used for.
The Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status Search
The Texas Comptroller runs a public Franchise Tax Account Status Search. The search page has no login and no payment step. You can search by one of three fields: an 11-digit Comptroller taxpayer number or a 9-digit federal EIN, the entity name (2 to 50 characters), or the Texas Secretary of State file number (6 to 10 digits).
An entity's detail page shows its right to transact business in Texas, its state of formation, its Secretary of State registration status and file number, its registered agent name and registered office address, a mailing address, and officer, manager, or member names reported for a listed report year.
The Comptroller says this status was previously referred to as "Good Standing" and that it may be required for real estate or financial transactions. Results reflect the Comptroller's records at the time of the query and can be printed.
Search the Comptroller record at comptroller.texas.gov.
How to Read a Texas Business Entity Status
The two offices use different status labels, and a company can look fine in one system and not the other. Read both.
Secretary of State entity status
- In existence: an active status. The entity has not dissolved, forfeited its formation document, withdrawn, terminated, merged, or converted.
- Forfeited existence: an inactive status. The corporation or LLC failed to file its franchise tax return or pay the tax, and the Comptroller certified the delinquency to the Secretary of State.
- Involuntarily terminated: an inactive status. The Secretary of State administratively ended a Texas LLC or corporation for failing to maintain a registered agent, file a report, or pay a fee.
- Voluntarily terminated: an inactive status. The Texas entity filed a certificate of termination or articles of dissolution.
- Merged or converted: inactive statuses. The entity merged into another entity or converted to another entity type or jurisdiction.
Names carry their own status. "In use" means the name belongs to an active entity. "Inactive" means it was the last name of an entity that is no longer active. "Prior" means it is a former name.
Comptroller right to transact business
- Active: the entity's right to transact business in Texas is intact.
- Active, Eligible for Termination/Withdrawal: the entity has met franchise tax requirements to file for termination or withdrawal with the Secretary of State.
- Forfeited: the right to transact business in Texas is forfeited.
- Not Established: the entity has not completed a franchise tax accountability questionnaire with the Comptroller.
- Franchise Tax Ended or Franchise Tax Involuntarily Ended: the entity's franchise tax responsibilities ended, either because it stopped existing or doing business in Texas, or because of a tax or administrative forfeiture.
A forfeited right to transact business has real consequences. The Comptroller states that a forfeited entity is denied the right to sue or defend itself in a Texas court, and each director or officer becomes liable for the entity's debts as provided in Texas Tax Code Section 171.255. If the company in the search is your own, our pages on the franchise tax and Public Information Report and reinstating a Texas LLC cover the next steps.
Assumed Names: State Record or County Clerk
A business you know by a brand name may not show up under that name in an entity search. Where its assumed name is recorded depends on what kind of business it is.
LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, professional associations, and foreign filing entities file assumed name certificates with the Secretary of State. Since House Bill 3609 took effect on September 1, 2019, those entities no longer file at the county level.
Sole proprietorships, general partnerships, and joint ventures file with the county clerk in each county where they keep a business office. Those DBAs are searched in the county clerk's own records, such as the Harris County Clerk's assumed name search in Houston.
An assumed name certificate lasts for the term it states, up to 10 years from filing. See Texas DBA and Assumed Name Certificate for how the filing works.
Entity Search vs. Name Availability Check
An entity search answers "who is this company and is it in good shape?" A name availability check answers "can I file a new company under this name?" The second question is broader. Texas requires a new entity name to be distinguishable from names already on file, so a name can be unavailable even when no exact match shows up.
SOSPortal's preliminary name search is the starting point, and the Secretary of State makes the final decision when it reviews the filing itself. If the name is settled but the company is not ready to file, Form 501 reserves a name for 120 days for a $40 fee; see Texas Business Name Reservation.
What a Search Won't Tell You
Neither search shows who owns a company's membership interests, how profits are split, or what the operating agreement says. The Secretary of State does not accept company agreements for filing; a business entity keeps its internal governing documents at its principal office.
The registered agent shown in a search is the person or company that accepts legal papers. It is often not an owner. When a company uses a commercial registered agent, the agent's address appears on the record instead of a home address. That is one reason many owners use one; see Texas Registered Agent.
Look up your own company first: before you sign a lease or apply for a loan, check both records for your own LLC. The Comptroller notes its status may be required for real estate and financial transactions, and the search takes a minute. Better to see a problem there than hear about it from the other side of the table. — Andrew Pierce
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free Texas business entity search?
The Texas Comptroller's Franchise Tax Account Status Search has no payment step and no account requirement. It shows the right to transact business, the Secretary of State file number, and the registered agent. The Secretary of State's own SOSPortal search charges $1.00 per search.
How do I look up a Texas LLC by owner name?
SOSPortal includes a Management search option. The Management tab of an entity record lists managers or members for a limited liability company, as shown in the company's filings. The Comptroller's results can also list officer, manager, or member names on file.
What does "forfeited existence" mean on a Texas business search?
Forfeited existence is an inactive Secretary of State status. It means the corporation or LLC failed to file its franchise tax return or pay the tax, and the Comptroller certified the delinquency to the Secretary of State.
Does a business entity search tell me if a name is available?
Not completely. An entity search shows what is already on the state record. SOSPortal has a separate preliminary name search, and the Secretary of State makes the final name decision when it reviews the filing itself.