Texas Secretary of State Launches New Business Filing Portal

The Texas Secretary of State’s Office launched a new online business filing system Sept. 29, replacing two existing platforms with a single portal for filings, searches and document orders.

SOSPortal replaces SOSDirect and SOSUpload, consolidating functions that businesses, attorneys and other users previously accessed through separate systems. The new platform became available at 8 a.m. Sept. 29.

The launch is part of a broader modernization program at the agency. In its 2025-2029 strategic plan, the Secretary of State’s Office identified replacement of its legacy business filings system as an IT modernization priority and said the existing system was built in 2000. The agency said the replacement was intended to provide a more efficient and user-friendly experience for the business community.

In its fiscal year 2024-25 budget request, the Secretary of State sought about $24.1 million for the second phase of its legacy modernization program, all for professional fees and services. A later state fiscal analysis cited contracted development rates of $200,000 per month for modifications to the business transaction system.

The transition required business filing services, searches and orders to go offline at noon Sept. 25. Routine and standard expedited filings continued to be accepted through Sept. 28 but were held for processing until the new system was implemented.

SOSPortal adds multifactor authentication and allows users to submit all business document types through one platform, including mergers and conversions. Users can save filings as drafts, check their status through a My Submissions page and retrieve completed filings online.

The system also includes shopping cart and expedited submission features and allows users to upload self-drafted documents when applicable. The agency has published a business filings user guide and how-to videos covering entity creation, entity management, searches, record orders and submitted filings.

Users must create an SOSPortal account to access the business filings system. After logging in, they select a multifactor authentication option and enter the Business Filings application through the portal dashboard.

The filing functions cover the creation and registration of business entities, amendments, reinstatements, terminations and withdrawals, assumed names and registered-agent changes. SOSPortal also handles limited-purpose filings such as name reservations and registrations, as well as mergers and conversions involving Texas entities.

Payment practices are changing with the transition. Client accounts used with the older systems are not available in SOSPortal and balances do not carry into the new platform. The agency is moving to a pay-as-you-go model using automated clearinghouse payments or credit cards. Existing client-account holders can request refunds of remaining balances.

The business filing rollout expands an online environment the Secretary of State’s Office has already been using for other services. SOSPortal currently supports Uniform Commercial Code filings, trademarks, notary commissions and complaints, Texas Register functions, service of process and several professional registration programs.

The agency has been moving services into the portal as part of its wider effort to replace older filing processes. That work has included taking some services that previously relied on paper applications and making them available online.

The business system transition also follows an expansion of Texas Express, the agency’s expedited filing service. The Secretary of State’s Office completed a statewide rollout of same-day and next-day processing for all business filing types in July after initially launching the service for a smaller group of filings in 2025.

The agency has not publicly disclosed the cost of the SOSPortal business filing implementation, the technology vendor behind the system or the number of records migrated from the two systems it replaced.