Counselors
LPC- PLLC
- Yes
- Professional corporation
- Yes
Licensing board: Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors)
Join the waitlist for your counseling practiceLoading the guide
Which business structures each therapy license may use, where to file and what it costs, the taxes to expect, and the order to do it in. Every fee shows the date we checked it.
For all four licenses, we confirmed: PLLC and Professional corporation. A sole proprietorship works in every state and needs no company filing.
From state law and board rules as we last read them, not advice for your situation. “Yes” means we confirmed it. When we could not, the card says to confirm with your board.
Licensing board: Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors)
Join the waitlist for your counseling practiceLicensing board: Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists)
Join the waitlist for your marriage and family therapy practiceLicensing board: Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (State Board of Social Worker Examiners)
Join the waitlist for your social work practiceLicensing board: Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (under Behavioral Health Executive Council)
Join the waitlist for your psychology practiceCounselors: Texas Business Organizations Code (BOC) 301.003 defines a professional entity as a professional association, professional corporation or professional limited liability company, and BOC 301.012(b) lets professionals in related mental health fields, such as psychology, clinical social work, licensed professional counseling and licensed marriage and family therapy, form a professional entity jointly owned by those practitioners. A PLLC (Secretary of State Form 206) or a professional corporation (Form 203) is therefore available. A professional entity may provide only one type of professional service unless state law authorizes more (BOC 2.004), and its owners and governing persons must be licensed (BOC 301.007). Whether an ordinary LLC may provide professional counseling is not settled: Occupations Code 503.301 bars a person from engaging in the practice of professional counseling without a license, BOC 2.003(1)(B) bars an entity from an activity it cannot lawfully engage in, and the Secretary of State's Form 205 instructions state that the regular LLC form cannot be used to engage in a licensed activity when the license cannot be issued to the LLC. Chapter 503 and the counseling board rules do not address practice through an ordinary LLC. The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council can answer this; until then the PLLC is the safe choice.
Marriage and family therapists: BOC 301.012(b) names licensed marriage and family therapy, so a PLLC (Form 206) or a professional corporation (Form 203) is available; owners and governing persons must be licensed (BOC 301.007), and the entity may provide only one type of professional service unless state law authorizes more (BOC 2.004). Whether an ordinary LLC may provide marriage and family therapy is not settled: Occupations Code 502.251(a) says a person may not practice as a marriage and family therapist unless the person holds a license, and the Secretary of State's Form 205 instructions state that the regular LLC form cannot be used for a licensed activity when the license cannot be issued to the LLC. Chapter 502 and the marriage and family therapy board rules do not address ordinary LLCs. The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council can answer this; until then the PLLC is the safe choice.
Social workers: Texas Occupations Code 505.502(b) lets a business or professional entity offer social work services under a business name if the entity is actively engaged in the practice of social work and the services are personally performed by, or supervised by, a licensed social worker. An ordinary LLC may therefore provide social work through licensed social workers (BOC 2.001 gives an LLC any lawful purpose, and BOC Chapter 101 sets no license limit for LLCs). A PLLC (Form 206) or a professional corporation (Form 203) is also available because BOC 301.012(b) names clinical social work; owners and governing persons of a PLLC or professional corporation must be licensed (BOC 301.007).
Psychologists: BOC 301.012(b) names psychology, so a PLLC (Form 206) or a professional corporation (Form 203) is available; owners and governing persons must be licensed (BOC 301.007). Psychology board rule 22 TAC 465.6(c) requires licensees who practice through a legal entity to follow the Assumed Business and Professional Name Act and BOC 5.060, but it does not say which entity types are allowed. Whether an ordinary LLC may provide psychological services is not settled: Occupations Code 501.251 says a person may not engage in the practice of psychology unless licensed, and the Secretary of State's Form 205 instructions state that the regular LLC form cannot be used for a licensed activity when the license cannot be issued to the LLC. The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council can answer this; until then the PLLC is the safe choice.
$300 per the Form 205 instructions and the Form 806 fee schedule (revised 09/26). File online through SOSPortal; card payments add $0.25 plus 2.25 percent. Available to licensed therapists only where the ordinary LLC is marked yes.
$300 per the Form 806 fee schedule (revised 09/26), which lists Forms 201, 203, 205 and 206 at $300. File online through SOSPortal. The certificate must state the one professional service provided, and the name must include "professional limited liability company" or an abbreviation (BOC 5.059).
$300 per the Form 203 instructions and the Form 806 fee schedule. Directors and officers must be licensed; mental health professionals named in BOC 301.012(b) may own one jointly.
This is an estimate, added up from the fees on this page: the state filing fee, the first annual report or yearly state fee, and any flat minimum tax our data names. It leaves out board application fees, a registered agent company, expedited filing, newspaper notices, name reservations, local licenses and income tax. The state sets the real amounts.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $300 |
| First annual report or yearly state fee | $0 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $300 |
Does not include state taxes unless a flat minimum is listed above.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $300 |
| First annual report or yearly state fee | $0 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $300 |
Does not include state taxes unless a flat minimum is listed above.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $300 |
| First annual report or yearly state fee | $0 |
| Estimated state costs in year one | $300 |
Does not include state taxes unless a flat minimum is listed above.
Check with the state tax agency which state taxes apply to your business type before you file. Its official pages are linked below.
State tax information More tax information More tax information (2)
City and county: Texas has no general state business license; cities and counties vary, and home occupation or zoning rules apply locally. Most Texas cities do not charge a general business tax. Ask your city or county whether a local business license or home occupation permit applies to a practice like yours.
Ask an accountant before you choose how the company is taxed. This page does not tell you which tax treatment to pick.
The order below follows the rules we found for Texas. A board approval or a newspaper notice changes where a task falls, so a different state may order these differently.
Your Texas licensing board can add its own rules to the state's business law. Read them for your license before you file anything.
Check that no one in the state already has the name, and follow the state's name rules for professional practices.
The state requires a registered agent with a street address in the state. That can be you, if you have a street address in the state, or a registered agent company.
Use the form and fee for the structure you chose, listed above.
It is free. Apply only on irs.gov, after the state approves your filing.
You may already have one. Get a second, organization number only if your practice is a company that bills under its own name.
Bring your state filing, EIN letter and ID. Keeping practice money in its own account keeps your records clean.
Ask your city or county whether a local business license or home occupation permit applies to a practice like yours.
Our data shows no annual business report for this state, but tax filings and other deadlines may still apply. Put every one on your calendar.
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Last checked: Oct 18, 2026. We change this date only when someone re-checks the facts, never when the page is rebuilt.
We checked these facts against the official sources listed below, including the state filing office and the licensing boards.
See a mistake? Email us a correction. Please do not include any client or personal information.