Texas Business Filing Terminology & Common Definitions

REGISTERED AGENT

What is a registered agent?

A registered agent is the designated person or company that receives certain official notices and service of process on behalf of a business entity.
SCILLAN offers:
Texas Registered Agent + Compliance Alerts — $179/year per entity

What is a registered office?

A registered office is the address associated with the registered agent for purposes of receiving applicable official notices and service of process.
A registered office is not automatically the same as:

• Principal office
• Mailing address
• Virtual office
• General business address

What is service of process?

Service of process is the formal delivery of certain legal documents related to a lawsuit, court proceeding, or other legal matter.
Examples may include:

• Summons
• Complaint
• Citation
• Petition
• Subpoena
• Other court documents

SCILLAN may receive applicable service of process as the registered agent but does not provide legal advice or representation.

BUSINESS ENTITY

What is a legal entity?

A legal entity is an organization recognized separately under applicable law.
Examples may include:

• Limited Liability Company
• Corporation
• Limited Partnership
• Other recognized entity types

What is an LLC?

LLC stands for:
Limited Liability Company
SCILLAN offers Texas LLC Formation for:
$199 + applicable government fees
Sia should not advise whether an LLC is the best entity type for a particular customer.

What is a domestic entity?

A domestic entity generally refers to an entity formed in the jurisdiction being discussed.
For example, an LLC formed under Texas law is generally considered a Texas domestic entity.

What is a foreign entity?

In business filing terminology, a foreign entity generally means an entity formed outside the state where it is registering.
For example:
A Delaware LLC registering to do business in Texas may be considered a foreign entity in Texas.
"Foreign" does not necessarily mean the company was formed outside the United States.

FORMATION

What is business formation?

Business formation is the process of creating a new legal entity through the applicable filing authority.

What is a Certificate of Formation?

A Certificate of Formation is the document generally used to create certain Texas business entities with the Texas Secretary of State.
Sia should use the applicable service-specific article for filing details.

Does filing a Certificate of Formation automatically provide everything needed to operate?

No.
Formation does not automatically provide:

• EIN
• Business licenses
• DBA
• Trademark protection
• Bank account
• Operating Agreement
• Tax registrations
• Every required permit

These may involve separate processes.

EIN

What is an EIN?

EIN stands for:
Employer Identification Number
It is a federal taxpayer identification number issued by the IRS to qualifying business entities and organizations.
SCILLAN's EIN Registration service is:
$75

Is an EIN the same as a Texas filing number?

No.
An EIN is issued by the IRS.
A Texas filing number is associated with the entity's Texas government record.

Is an EIN the same as a taxpayer number?

Not necessarily.
Different government agencies may issue different identifiers.
Sia should not treat these terms as interchangeable.

DBA / ASSUMED NAME

What does DBA mean?

DBA commonly means:
Doing Business As
In Texas filing terminology, this is generally associated with an:
Assumed Name

What is an assumed name?

An assumed name is a name under which a business operates that differs from its legal entity name.

Does a DBA create a new business entity?

No.
A DBA or assumed name does not itself create a separate legal entity.

Does a DBA provide trademark protection?

No.
A DBA filing and trademark rights are different.

How much is SCILLAN's DBA service?

$99 + applicable government fees
Estimated Processing Time:
3–5 business days

AMENDMENT

What is an amendment?

An amendment is a filing used to change certain information associated with an existing entity's government record.
Possible changes may include:

• Legal entity name
• Certain governing information
• Certain address information
• Other eligible filed information

How much is SCILLAN's Amendment Filing service?

$99 + applicable government fees
Estimated Processing Time:
3–5 business days

Does every business change require an amendment?

No.
The appropriate filing depends on the information being changed and the government record involved.

CHANGE OF REGISTERED AGENT

What is a Change of Registered Agent?

A Change of Registered Agent updates the registered agent information associated with an existing entity.

Is changing registered agents the same as changing business ownership?

No.
Registered agent information and ownership are different.

Is the Change of Registered Agent preparation included with SCILLAN service?

Preparation is included with annual SCILLAN Registered Agent enrollment under the current service structure.
Applicable government fees may be separate.

FOREIGN QUALIFICATION

What is Foreign Qualification?

Foreign Qualification generally refers to registering an existing entity formed outside Texas to conduct eligible business activity in Texas.
SCILLAN's Foreign Qualification service is:
$299 + applicable government fees
Estimated Processing Time:
5–7 business days

Does Foreign Qualification create a new Texas LLC?

No.
It generally registers the existing out-of-state entity in Texas rather than creating a new Texas entity.

ENTITY STATUS

What is entity status?

Entity status generally refers to how the applicable government agency currently shows the business record.
Possible status terminology may include:

• Active
• In existence
• Forfeited
• Terminated
• Withdrawn
• Inactive
• Other agency-specific status terms

Sia should not assume the meaning of a specific status without context.

FORFEITURE

What does forfeited mean?

Forfeited generally means the entity has lost or had certain rights or privileges affected because required obligations were not satisfied.
The exact reason should be verified.
Possible issues may involve:

• Required reports
• Tax-related requirements
• Government filings
• Other compliance matters

Does forfeited mean the company no longer exists?

Not necessarily.
The exact legal effect depends on the entity's circumstances and government record.
Sia should not make a legal determination.

Can SCILLAN help with a forfeited entity?

SCILLAN offers Texas Business Reinstatement starting at:
$299 + applicable government fees

REINSTATEMENT

What is reinstatement?

Reinstatement is the process of restoring an entity that has lost certain active status or privileges, where reinstatement is available.

Does reinstatement always involve one filing?

No.
Reinstatement may involve multiple steps or agencies.
Possible requirements may involve:

• Texas Comptroller
• Texas Secretary of State
• Outstanding reports
• Tax-clearance requirements
• Other corrective actions

How long does SCILLAN's reinstatement service take?

Estimated Processing Time:
5–10 business days
Other government requirements may extend the overall timeline.

TERMINATION / DISSOLUTION

What is business termination?

Termination generally refers to formally ending a domestic entity's existence or registration through the applicable process.

What is dissolution?

"Dissolution" is commonly used to describe the process of winding down or formally ending a business entity.
Texas filing terminology may vary depending on the entity and filing.

How much is SCILLAN's dissolution / termination service?

Starting at $199 + applicable government fees
Estimated Processing Time:
5–7 business days

WITHDRAWAL

What is withdrawal?

Withdrawal generally refers to ending a foreign entity's authority or registration to do business in Texas.

Does withdrawal dissolve the company?

No.
Withdrawal from Texas generally does not dissolve the company in its home jurisdiction.

How much is SCILLAN's withdrawal service?

Starting at $199 + applicable government fees
Estimated Processing Time:
5–7 business days

CERTIFICATE OF FACT

What is a Certificate of Fact?

A Certificate of Fact is an official document issued by the applicable Texas government authority reflecting certain information from its records.

What is a Certificate of Fact – Status?

A Certificate of Fact – Status generally reflects the entity's status according to the issuing agency's records.

Is this the same as "Good Standing"?

"Good Standing" is a commonly used phrase, but different agencies may use specific terminology.
SCILLAN may refer customers to the appropriate Certificate of Fact / Status document depending on what is requested.

How much is SCILLAN's Certificate of Fact / Good Standing service?

$50 + applicable government fees
Estimated Processing Time:
Same day–1 business day

CERTIFIED COPY

What is a Certified Copy?

A Certified Copy is an official certified reproduction of a document maintained by the applicable government agency.

When might someone request a Certified Copy?

A bank, lender, investor, attorney, licensing authority, or other third party may request a certified government record.
The requesting party determines what it will accept.

How much is SCILLAN's Certified Copy service?

$50 + applicable government fees
Estimated Processing Time:
Same day–3 business days

ANNUAL COMPLIANCE

What does annual compliance mean?

Annual compliance generally refers to recurring business obligations that may apply to an entity.
SCILLAN may provide:

• Compliance reminders
• Annual Compliance Filing Support
• Administrative assistance with eligible filings

What is Annual Compliance Filing Support?

SCILLAN's Annual Compliance Filing Support assists with applicable annual filing processes after the customer completes the required verification.
Price:
$99 + applicable government fees
Estimated Processing Time:
3–5 business days after Annual Verification

ANNUAL VERIFICATION

What is Annual Verification?

Annual Verification is the process SCILLAN uses to confirm entity information before completing applicable Annual Compliance Filing Support.
For many customers, it takes approximately:
5–10 minutes

COMPLIANCE ALERT

What is a Compliance Alert?

A Compliance Alert is a reminder about an applicable compliance deadline.
SCILLAN's current reminder schedule may include:

• 90 days before an applicable deadline
• 60 days before
• 30 days before
• 1 week before

Is a Compliance Alert a filing?

No.
A reminder does not mean the filing has been completed.

GOVERNMENT FEE

What is a government filing fee?

A government filing fee is an amount charged by a government agency to process or issue a filing, certificate, record, or other government service.
Government fees are separate from SCILLAN's service fees unless expressly stated otherwise.

Is a government fee paid to SCILLAN?

SCILLAN may collect applicable government fees through the checkout process for submission to the relevant agency.
The fee itself is associated with the government filing or service.

SCILLAN SERVICE FEE

What is a SCILLAN service fee?

A SCILLAN service fee is the amount charged for SCILLAN's administrative work related to the purchased service.
Examples include:

• Preparing filings
• Processing requests
• Administrative support
• Document-order assistance
• Registered agent service
• Compliance support

TEXAS EXPRESS

What is Texas Express?

Texas Express is an expedited government processing option for eligible Texas Secretary of State filings.
It is not a SCILLAN service fee.

What are the Texas Express options?

For eligible filings:
Standard Expedited:
Typically 2–3 business days
$50 per document
Next-Day:
$500 per document
Same-Day:
$750 per document
Each fee is in addition to the normal government filing fee.

ESTIMATED PROCESSING TIME

What does Estimated Processing Time mean?

SCILLAN's Estimated Processing Time is the estimated amount of time SCILLAN generally needs to process the service after all required information and payment have been received.
It does not guarantee government completion.

BUSINESS DAY

What is a business day?

For general SCILLAN timing purposes, business days are normally Monday through Friday, excluding applicable holidays.

PRINCIPAL OFFICE

What is a principal office?

A principal office generally refers to a business's primary office or principal place of business.
It is not necessarily the same as the registered office.

MAILING ADDRESS

What is a mailing address?

A mailing address is the address designated to receive applicable correspondence.
It may be different from:

• Registered office
• Principal office
• Physical business location

VIRTUAL OFFICE

What is a virtual office?

A virtual office is a separate business service that may provide business-address or office-related functionality.

VIRTUAL MAILBOX

What is a virtual mailbox?

A virtual mailbox is generally a service designed to receive and manage routine mail.

GOVERNING PERSON

What does governing person mean?

A governing person generally refers to an individual or entity involved in management or governance of a business.
The exact role depends on the entity type and governing structure.
Sia should not use this definition to determine someone's legal authority.

MEMBER

What is an LLC member?

A member is generally an owner of a limited liability company.
Sia should not provide legal conclusions about ownership rights or percentages.

MANAGER

What is an LLC manager?

A manager may be a person authorized to manage a manager-managed LLC.
The exact authority depends on the entity's governing documents and applicable law.

RESPONSIBLE PARTY

What is a responsible party for an EIN?

"Responsible party" is an IRS term used in connection with certain EIN matters.
Sia should not determine who qualifies in a customer's specific situation when the answer is unclear.
Sensitive responsible-party information should be submitted only through an approved secure method.

OPERATING AGREEMENT

What is an Operating Agreement?

An Operating Agreement is an internal LLC document that generally addresses how the company is governed and operated.
SCILLAN offers a standard template-based Operating Agreement service starting at:
$149

Is the Operating Agreement filed with the Texas Secretary of State?

It is generally an internal company document rather than a routine Texas formation filing.

AUTHORIZED CONTACT

What is an authorized contact?

An authorized contact is a person SCILLAN is permitted to communicate with regarding an applicable client account, entity, or service.

AUTHORIZATION

What does authorization mean?

Authorization is the customer's approval for SCILLAN to perform an applicable service or submit an eligible filing.
Payment alone does not necessarily satisfy every required authorization.

FILING NUMBER

What is a filing number?

A filing number is an identifier associated with a government entity record or filing.
It should not be confused with:

• EIN
• Internal SCILLAN Entity ID
• Order number

ENTITY ID

What is a SCILLAN Entity ID?

SCILLAN may use an internal Entity ID to track a legal entity across its systems.
The Entity ID is an internal administrative identifier and does not replace a government-issued number.

ORDER NUMBER

What is an order number?

An order number identifies a customer transaction or service order within SCILLAN's systems.
It does not identify the legal entity itself.

SUBMITTED

What does submitted mean?

Submitted means a filing or request has been transmitted to the applicable government agency.
Submitted does not mean approved.

APPROVED / ACCEPTED

What does approved or accepted mean?

When verified, these terms generally indicate the applicable agency has accepted the filing or completed the applicable government action.
Sia should only use these terms when status has been verified.

REJECTED

What does rejected mean?

Rejected generally means the applicable agency did not accept the filing as submitted.
Correction, additional information, or resubmission may be required.

DEFICIENCY

What is a deficiency?

A deficiency generally means a filing or request is missing required information or contains an issue that must be corrected.

PENDING

What does pending mean?

Pending generally means final action has not yet occurred.
The exact meaning depends on the applicable system or agency.

QUICK TERMINOLOGY REFERENCE

MOST IMPORTANT RULE

Explain terminology in plain language, but do not use a definition to make a customer's legal, tax, ownership, or compliance decision.
If the meaning depends on a specific government notice, filing, or customer circumstance:
Review or escalate rather than guess.
Support:
support@scillan.com

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

This terminology guide provides general administrative definitions for common business-filing and registered-agent terms.
Terminology may vary depending on the government agency, entity type, document, and circumstances.
SCILLAN Business LLC does not provide legal, tax, accounting, financial, or investment advice.

Updated on: 09/23/2026