Amanda Beren

Before you form an LLC in Texas or incorporate a business in Texas, it’s important that you know what your responsibilities will be in reporting on your business in future years. If you’ve already formed an LLC or corporation, you need to be aware of an important deadline on May 15.

That’s the date your Annual Report — also called Franchise Tax Report — is due. Here’s what you need to know to ensure that you stay compliant with the state of Texas.

I get asked a lot: does incorporating my business automatically trademark it? The fact is: being incorporated keeps anyone else in your state from using the name, but it doesn’t protect that name in the other 49 states. For that, you need a federal trademark.