Texas Certificate of Fact - Status: $15, ordered online
Texas issues it as a Certificate of Fact - Status, ordered online from the Texas Secretary of State. The state fee is $15, and the SOS says orders may take up to 10 minutes. It is official evidence the LLC exists or is authorized to do business in Texas when printed, so banks want one under 30 days old.
Texas’s $15 fee next to every other state
Tied with 1 other jurisdiction at $15, the eighth-lowest fee of the 51. The median jurisdiction charges $12.
Tap or hover a dot to see which state it is.
- Texas
- Other states and DC
- Median
What it proves, and who will ask for it
In Texas the Secretary of State’s Corporations Section issues it as a Certificate of Fact - Status: official evidence of an entity’s existence or authority to transact business in Texas, giving its current legal name and date of formation or registration. The SOS notes that “certificate of good standing” is sometimes used for a different document, the Comptroller’s franchise-tax certificate of account status.
Four people ask for it: the bank opening the business account, a lender underwriting a loan, another state’s filing office when you register the LLC there as a foreign entity, and a buyer or investor doing diligence. All of them want a recent one, because the certificate is a snapshot and a company’s status can change the day after it is printed.
Texas’s own rules for the certificate of fact - status, with sources
How Texas issues it, what it certifies, what affects the entity's status, and how a bank can check it. Checked Oct 3, 2026.
| Rule | What the official source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Official name (Secretary of State) | Certificate of Fact - Status, issued by the Texas Secretary of State, Corporations Section. The SOS says the term "certificate of good standing" is sometimes used to refer to the Comptroller's franchise-tax document, not this one. | sos.state.tx.us |
| Comptroller's separate franchise-tax documents | The Comptroller no longer uses the term "good standing". Its free online Franchise Tax Account Status search (formerly called "Good Standing") shows whether an entity has the right to transact business in Texas, and the results page can be printed. The Certificate of Account Status (COAS) is a different document: the Comptroller says a COAS is required only to terminate an entity with the SOS and is "not required by banking institutions for financial transactions." | comptroller.texas.gov |
| How to order online | Through SOSPortal: log in, open Search & Order Records, find the LLC under Business Filings, choose Order Copies & Certificates and check out. The charge is $15 per certificate. | sos.state.tx.us |
| Account and login | Ordering online needs an SOSPortal account. The login uses multifactor authentication: after the email and password, you enter a verification code. | sos.state.tx.us |
| Other ways to order | By email to corpcert@sos.texas.gov, or by mail to Certifying Team, Secretary of State, P.O. Box 13697, Austin, Texas 78711-3697. | sos.state.tx.us |
| Online delivery | Not an instant download. The order is retrieved from its order number on the Search & Order Records homepage. The SOS says orders may take up to 10 minutes to become available, and the link expires after 90 days. | sos.state.tx.us |
| Fees | Certificate of Fact (including existence or status): $15. Long Form Certificate of Existence (status plus a list of filings): $25. Expedited processing of a request for a certified copy or a certificate of status or fact: $10. Search: $1 per search, not charged when an order is placed from the search results. | sos.state.tx.us |
| What it certifies | A Certificate of Fact - Status is official evidence of an entity's existence or authority to transact business in Texas. It provides a statement of the entity's status, as well as its current legal name and date of formation or registration. | sos.state.tx.us |
| Franchise tax forfeiture | If an entity has not met its Chapter 171 franchise tax filing requirements, the law requires the Comptroller to forfeit its right to transact business in Texas. The Comptroller must give at least 45 days' notice before forfeiting. After forfeiture, the entity cannot sue or defend itself in a Texas court, and its directors and officers become liable for the entity's debts (Texas Tax Code sections 171.2515 and 171.255). | comptroller.texas.gov |
| Online verification | Yes. The SOS online Certificate Verification service confirms that a certificate of filing or a certificate of fact for a business organization was issued by the Corporations Section. | texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com |
| Apostille | Apostille related to a business entity filing: $15. It is listed on the Secretary of State fee schedule, so the SOS issues it. | sos.state.tx.us |
| Texas has two agencies | Texas splits "good standing" between two agencies. The SOS issues the Certificate of Fact - Status (existence and status). The Comptroller controls the franchise-tax right to transact business, which anyone can check for free with the online Franchise Tax Account Status search. | sos.state.tx.us |
| COAS is valid through Dec. 31 | A Comptroller Certificate of Account Status issued for termination is valid through December 31 of the year it is issued. You request it through Webfile/eSystems, which needs the franchise tax Webfile (XT) number, or on Form 05-359. No fee is shown on the Comptroller's request page or on Form 05-359. | comptroller.texas.gov |
How to order it in Texas
Find the LLC on the state record
Open the official page and look the company up by name or file number. Check the status shown on the record. The certificate states the entity's current status, so clear a franchise-tax forfeiture before you order.
Order and pay online
Select the certificate of fact - status, pay the $15 state fee on the state system, and download or wait for delivery. The state portal asks you to sign in to an account first. Turnaround at last check: up to 10 minutes online (SOSPortal); the download link expires after 90 days.
Use it inside 30 days
Time the order for the week of the bank appointment or the loan closing. A certificate from two months ago is usually sent back for a fresh one, and you pay the fee twice.
Order it inside the bank’s 30-day window
The certificate speaks for the day it is printed. Most banks and lenders want it issued within the last 30 days; a few accept 60. Order it the week of the appointment, not the month before.
Next Texas franchise tax / Public Information Report due
May 15
0 days from today
No filing fee. A missed report can lead the Comptroller to forfeit the LLC’s right to transact business in Texas, after at least 45 days’ notice. Texas annual report.
The certificate is one of four documents the bank will ask for
Banks want the Texas certificate of fact - status dated inside the last 30 days, next to certified articles, the signed operating agreement and the IRS EIN letter. The Bank-Ready Pack orders the certificate from the state the day you pay, so it lands inside the window, and assembles the rest from one form. Why banks ask for it, and what it does not prove.
- Certificate ordered from the state when you pay; state fee invoiced at cost
- Operating agreement and banking resolution generated from your answers
- One dated pack, ready for the account-opening appointment
If the Texas record shows the LLC is not in good standing
Catch up the state filing
The Texas franchise tax / Public Information Report is due May 15 every year, no filing fee. A missed report can lead the Comptroller to forfeit the LLC’s right to transact business in Texas, after at least 45 days’ notice. Texas annual report page, with free reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days.
Reinstate if it was dissolved
Miss enough cycles and the state can administratively dissolve the LLC. Reinstatement means the back filings, the state’s reinstatement fee and a registered agent on file; order the certificate after it posts. How reinstatement works.
Keep an agent on file
Every Texas LLC must keep a registered agent at a Texas street address. A lapsed agent is one of the quickest ways out of good standing. Texas registered agent, $74.25 a year, through our partner Registered Agents Inc. Switching agents? How to change your Texas registered agent.
Watch every entity at once
Own more than one company? The free portfolio board shows each state’s deadline and standing side by side, so no certificate order turns into a surprise.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Texas Certificate of Fact - Status the same as a certificate of good standing?
Not exactly. The Secretary of State issues the Certificate of Fact - Status, which is official evidence of an entity's existence or authority to transact business in Texas. The SOS says "certificate of good standing" is sometimes used to refer to the Comptroller's franchise-tax certificate of account status.
My bank wants a Certificate of Account Status from the Comptroller. Do I need one?
The Comptroller says a Certificate of Account Status is required only to terminate an entity and is not required by banks for financial transactions. For proof that the franchise-tax status is active, it points to the free Franchise Tax Account Status search, which can be printed.
How much does it cost and how fast is it?
$15 per certificate, ordered through SOSPortal, which needs an account login with multifactor authentication. The SOS says orders may take up to 10 minutes to become available, and the download link expires after 90 days. Expedited processing of a certificate request is an extra $10.
How can a bank confirm the certificate is real?
Through the Secretary of State's online Certificate Verification service, which confirms that a certificate of fact for a business organization was issued by the Corporations Section.
How much does a Texas certificate of good standing cost?
The Texas Secretary of State, Corporations Section charges $15 for a certificate of fact - status, verified Oct 3, 2026 on the official fee page linked on this page. Expedited service or a certified copy of the formation documents, where offered, is priced separately by the state.
How do I get a certificate of good standing in Texas?
Order it from the Texas Secretary of State, Corporations Section online at sos.state.tx.us. Online ordering needs an account login on the state system. Turnaround at last check: up to 10 minutes online (SOSPortal); the download link expires after 90 days. Check the status shown on the record. The certificate states the entity's current status, so clear a franchise-tax forfeiture before you order.
What is a certificate of good standing called in Texas?
Texas issues it as a Certificate of Fact - Status, from the Texas Secretary of State, Corporations Section. Ask for it by that name on sos.state.tx.us. Banks, lenders and other states accept it as the good-standing document whatever the local name, as long as it is recent and issued by the state.
Why does a bank want the Texas certificate of fact - status dated within 30 days?
The certificate is a snapshot of the Texas Secretary of State, Corporations Section record on the day it is printed. Banks and lenders treat it as proof the company is current now, so most ask for one issued within the last 30 days, a few accept 60. In Texas the SOS says orders may take up to 10 minutes, so order it the week you need it, not the month before.
What keeps a Texas LLC in good standing?
Filing the Texas franchise tax / Public Information Report on time, due May 15 every year, no filing fee, and keeping a registered agent on file. A missed report can lead the Comptroller to forfeit the LLC's right to transact business in Texas, after at least 45 days' notice; clear any forfeiture before you order the certificate.
Is this Texas page legal advice?
No. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. This page is educational reference information, verified Oct 3, 2026 against the Texas Secretary of State, Corporations Section's own site (sos.state.tx.us); that site is the final word.
Nearby states
A foreign registration needs a certificate from the home state, and each state prices and names the document differently. Jump to a bordering state, or see all 50 states + DC.
Done for you, or do it yourself
Need the Texas certificate? We order it from the state the day you pay.
$82.50 plus the Texas state fee and card processing, or order it yourself on the official site. Banks want it dated within the last 30 days, so place the order the week of the meeting.
Need the articles, operating agreement and EIN letter too? Build the Bank-Ready Pack · or call (954) 470-8356 — we pick up.