Texas · Sales tax registration
Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit, done for you.
Texas does not charge for a sales and use tax permit. You apply through the Comptroller's eSystems portal or on Form AP-201, and the application wants identification for every owner or partner along with a NAICS code. A security bond can be required depending on the circumstances.
Last updated:
Who you are dealing with
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Handles:
- Sales and use tax permit
- System:
- eSystems
- Form:
- Apply online through eSystems, or on paper with Form AP-201
- Phone:
- 800-252-5555
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, sales tax registration
File AP-201: register for Texas sales tax
It goes to the agency named above, through the system listed beside it. We prepare it, file it, and send you the written confirmation.
State fee. $0. There is no fee to apply for a Texas sales and use tax permit. Depending on the circumstances a business may be asked to post a security bond, which is not a fee but is money or a bond instrument the state holds.
Our fee. $180 per state, flat. State fees are passed through at cost.
When you have to register
You need a permit if you sell or lease tangible personal property in Texas, or sell taxable services, and the obligation attaches from when that activity starts, not from when you notice. A seller with no Texas location is treated differently, and Texas sets the bar far higher than most states: remote sellers with total Texas revenue under $500,000 in the preceding twelve calendar months are inside a safe harbour and are not required to obtain a permit or to collect, report and remit state and local use tax. That total counts gross revenue from taxable and nontaxable sales into Texas, including sales for resale, sales to exempt entities, and separately stated handling, transportation and installation fees. Once you pass $500,000 you must obtain a permit and begin collecting no later than the first day of the fourth month after the month you exceeded it. Whether your specific activity is taxable is a question for your CPA.
What comes next
For later: closing the permit takes a final return within 15 days of your final sale, and Texas requires that return even for a period with zero activity. It also wants use tax on inventory you bought tax free and kept.
How long it takes
The Comptroller says to allow 2 to 3 weeks to receive the permit. That figure is published as one number and the agency does not state a separate online timeline, so we plan against it either way and file through eSystems.
What we do
We prepare the Texas sales tax permit application and submit it. We do not open payroll accounts on this page. You keep the client. We never email them.
What makes Texas harder than average
- The application wants identification for everyone, not just the business. Texas asks for the social security numbers of partners and owners, or federal identification numbers where applicable, alongside the Texas corporation file number. Gathering that from co-owners is usually the slow part rather than the form itself.
- A NAICS code is required. The application asks you to classify the business, and that classification travels with the account. Picking approximately the right one is easy and picking exactly the right one takes a minute of thought.
- A security bond is possible and situational. Texas may require one depending on the circumstances. It is not routine and it is not a fee, but it is worth knowing before you assume free means nothing changes hands.
- Free permit, unfree exit. The permit costs nothing to obtain and closing it later carries real obligations: a final return within 15 days even for a zero period, and use tax on unsold inventory bought tax free. The cheap part is the start.
- No payroll withholding to pair it with. Texas has no wage withholding, so a business registering for sales tax and hiring at the same time deals with the Comptroller here and the Workforce Commission separately, and there is no third account.
How Texas compares
If Texas is one of several states on the list, the order you register in changes what each one asks for.
Questions and answers
Does a Texas sales tax permit cost anything?
No. There is no fee to apply. A security bond may be required depending on the circumstances, which is money or an instrument the state holds rather than a charge.
How do I apply?
Online through the Comptroller's eSystems portal, or on paper using Form AP-201. Online is faster and gives you a record.
What information does the application need?
Business name, address, and contact details, the social security numbers of owners and partners or federal identification numbers where applicable, the Texas corporation file number, and a NAICS code classifying the business.
How long does it take to get a Texas sales and use tax permit?
The Comptroller says to allow 2 to 3 weeks to receive the permit. The agency publishes that as a single figure without a separate online estimate, so plan on it whichever route the application takes.
What do you need from me to start?
The legal name and FEIN, entity type and Texas file number, owner and partner identification, Texas locations, a description of what you sell so the NAICS code is right, and the date taxable activity started or will start.
Also in Texas
Agency details verified 2026-08-03
About the provider
Regcrest LLC is a document preparation and filing service based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, founded in 2026. It prepares and files state payroll and sales tax registrations, account closures, and resale certificates on behalf of the businesses that instruct it, and works behind accounting firms, bookkeepers, and payroll providers as well as directly with businesses.
Regcrest LLC is not a CPA firm and not a law firm. It gives no tax or legal advice. It files in all 50 states, and publishes a full page for the 29states it has verified against the agency's own material so far, each one showing the date it was checked. For anything that turns on your specific situation, ask a licensed accountant or attorney.