Best Accountants in Texas for the Franchise Tax Report in 2026

Best Accountants in Texas for the Franchise Tax Report in 2026

Texas has no personal income tax, so out-of-state owners assume there is nothing to file. Then a letter arrives saying the company has forfeited its right to transact business in the state.

The Texas franchise tax report is due May 15 every year. The part that catches people is that the information report is still required when the tax owed is zero, and a Texas franchise tax accountant spends more time on that filing than on the tax itself.

The tax is usually zero. The filing almost never is.

How We Picked (Methodology)

We want you to be able to check our work, so the criteria are stated plainly.

• The pool. Every firm considered here is a vetted member of the Sam's List directory. Sam's List reviews credentials, confirms the firm is actively practicing, and monitors client reviews over time. Firms not listed on Sam's List were not evaluated, so this is a list of vetted members rather than a survey of every accountant in Texas.
• How firms are ordered. Firms are grouped by the kind of business they are built to serve. They are not ranked one through ten, and no score is assigned. Where a firm has a meaningful number of client reviews we cite the verified count as of the date noted.
• What money does and does not buy. Some firms listed on Sam's List pay for a listing. Payment does not buy placement in this article, does not affect whether a firm appears, and does not affect reviews. Sam's List takes no referral fee and no commission on any engagement.
• What this is not. A directory listing is not a quality guarantee and this article is not a prediction about your engagement. It narrows the field to firms worth a conversation.

The Numbers That Decide What You Owe

Item (2026 and 2027 report years)	Amount
No tax due threshold	$2,650,000
Rate, retail or wholesale	0.375%
Rate, everything else	0.75%
Compensation deduction limit	$480,000
EZ computation revenue ceiling	$20 million
EZ computation rate	0.331%
Late filing penalty, per report	$50

Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, rates and thresholds page.

Under the threshold you owe no tax. You do not file a No Tax Due Report either, because that form is not available for 2026 reports. What you still owe is the Public Information Report or the Ownership Information Report, and skipping it is what triggers forfeiture.

Who Actually Needs Help With This

Not everyone needs a firm on retainer for a once-a-year form. You probably do if any of this is true:

1. You have more than one Texas entity and nobody has checked whether they are a combined group.
2. Revenue is close enough to $2,650,000 that the answer changes based on how you count it.
3. You are choosing between the 70 percent of revenue deduction, cost of goods sold, and compensation, and the three answers are not close.
4. You registered in Texas mid-year and have never filed anything.
5. You got a forfeiture notice and need the account made current before a closing or a loan.

If your only question is which box to check on a zero-tax filing, hire the hour, not the retainer.

For Law Firms and Professional Services: Legal Ease

Law firms are the hard case in Texas. Trust accounting rules from the State Bar sit on top of the franchise tax calculation, and advanced client costs get miscoded as expenses often enough that the revenue number on the report stops matching reality.

Legal Ease is a Fort Worth bookkeeping firm founded in 2016 that works with small business owners and solopreneurs, with a practice concentrated in law firm books. It has 9 verified client reviews on Sam's List.

Legal Ease has 9 verified client reviews on Sam's List as of 2026-08-14. Each review is submitted by an individual who identifies as a client of the firm and rates it on communication, subject-matter knowledge, and overall satisfaction. Reviews reflect those individual experiences, do not represent an endorsement by Sam's List, and are not indicative of future results.

Featured professional

Legal Ease★ 9 verified client reviews as of 2026-08-14 · Fort Worth, TXWorks with SMB Owners and Solopreneurs. Based in Fort Worth, TX, founded 2016.View profile →

What that focus is worth here: a firm that already tracks advanced client costs as receivables rather than expenses hands you a revenue figure you can file without a reconstruction project in April. What it does not do is settle a combined-group question across several PLLCs, which is a tax question rather than a bookkeeping one, so ask before you assume it is in scope.

For Software and Subscription Businesses: The SaaS Bookkeeper

Deferred revenue is where the franchise tax calculation gets interesting. Total revenue for the report starts from federal gross receipts, so a year of aggressive annual prepay collection can push a company over the threshold long before the income statement says it is a $2.65 million business.

The SaaS Bookkeeper is an Austin firm founded in 2017 that works with software businesses, high net worth individuals and venture backed startups, including equity compensation work.

Featured professional

The SaaS BookkeeperAustin, TXWorks with SMB Owners, High Net Worth Individuals and VC Backed Startups. Based in Austin, TX, founded 2017.View profile →

Worth knowing before you call: a bookkeeping firm that understands subscription revenue recognition is not automatically the firm that files your franchise tax report. Confirm which one they do.

Other Vetted Texas Firms Worth a Conversation

These are Sam's List members based in Texas, grouped by the work they lead with. No ranking, no score.

• Proview CFO and ROCA Advisors, for owners who need a fractional CFO rather than a preparer.
• Better Bookkeeping and Roch Accounting Services, for cleanup work before a first filing.
• The Graf Tax Co. PLLC and Richmond CPA, for tax-led engagements.
• REI Tax Guys and Ledgerment, for multi-entity real estate owners with several Texas LLCs.

Three Questions to Ask on the Call

Ask what happens if the answer is that you owe nothing. A firm that charges the same either way is fine, as long as it says so up front.

The other two:

• Who files the Public Information Report, you or them, and is it priced separately?
• If there is an existing forfeiture, do they handle reinstatement with the Secretary of State, or only the Comptroller side?

May 15 arrives faster than it should, and the firms with capacity are booked by March. Compare vetted Texas accountants and bookkeepers on Sam's List and read what their clients said before you get on a call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to file anything if my Texas LLC made no money?

Yes. An entity below the $2,650,000 no tax due threshold owes no franchise tax and does not file a No Tax Due Report for 2026, but it still must file a Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report by May 15. Missing that report is what leads to forfeiture of the right to transact business in Texas.

What does a Texas franchise tax accountant charge?

Fees vary widely by complexity. A single entity under the threshold is a short engagement. A combined group, an EZ computation comparison, or a reinstatement after forfeiture takes real work and is priced accordingly. Ask for the scope in writing before the May 15 deadline, when availability tightens.

What happens if I file the report late?

The Comptroller assesses a $50 penalty on each report filed after the due date. If tax is owed, a 5 percent penalty applies when it is paid 1 to 30 days late and 10 percent after 30 days, and interest starts 61 days after the due date. Forfeiture is the more expensive outcome.

Can an out-of-state accountant handle a Texas franchise tax report?

Often, yes. The filing is state-specific but not license-restricted the way some filings are. What matters more is whether the firm has done it before, especially for combined groups and for entities that registered in Texas partway through a year.

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About the author: Kimberly Green is the cofounder of Sam's List, where business owners and high earners find vetted CPAs, financial advisors, and fractional CFOs. She's met one-on-one with 400+ financial professionals and writes from the real data behind thousands of client-advisor matches. Ask her anything about finding an accountant - she's heard it all, including the questions people are afraid to ask.