Tax Services in Houston, TX

Houston businesses face a tax picture that looks nothing like the "no state income tax" pitch most owners hear when they move here. Texas replaces personal income tax with a separate entity-level franchise tax, layered sales tax jurisdictions across Harris County, and — for many Houston industries — genuinely complex compliance requirements that a generalist tax preparer isn't set up to handle. Gurian CPA Firm provides tax planning, preparation, and franchise tax compliance for Houston business owners, backed by a 24-hour response guarantee and a fixed monthly fee.

Services Offered in Houston

• Tax Planning & Preparation — Year-round planning, not a once-a-year filing exercise. Business and individual returns, with most work concentrated on business filings.
• Business Tax Services — Ongoing compliance for operating businesses, including quarterly estimates, franchise tax reporting, and sales tax obligations.
• Business Entity Formation — Entity structure decisions that directly affect franchise tax exposure, from initial formation through restructuring as a business grows.
• Business Sales & Purchases — Tax planning around the sale, purchase, or ownership transition of a business, including the franchise tax and reporting implications that come with a change in structure.
• Stock Option Strategies — Tax planning for owners and executives holding equity compensation.
• IRS Problem Resolution — Direct handling of notices, audits, and unresolved filing issues, including for Houston businesses inheriting problems from a previous preparer.

Why Choose Us in Houston

Fixed monthly fee, not a per-form invoice. Tax work billed by the hour creates a real incentive to under-communicate. A fixed fee means asking a question about a franchise tax notice doesn't cost extra.

A 24-hour response guarantee, kept in practice. Tax compliance runs on deadlines. A firm that takes a week to answer a franchise tax question is a firm that puts your filing at risk.

Built for growing businesses, not just tax-season filers. Gurian CPA Firm's tax work sits inside a full-service accounting relationship — planning happens throughout the year, tied to the same financials the firm already manages, instead of being reconstructed from scratch every spring.

Experience across the industries driving Houston's economy. Restaurants, construction, real estate, legal, and energy-adjacent businesses each carry tax nuances — sales tax on food and alcohol, materials exemptions, entity-level margin calculations — that a generalist preparer typically hasn't built a process around.

Service Area

Gurian CPA Firm provides tax services to business owners throughout the Houston metro, including Downtown Houston, the Energy Corridor, Uptown/Galleria, Memorial, Midtown, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Katy, and Clear Lake. Filings and planning work run through the same secure client portal used across the firm, so Houston clients get identical turnaround times and access to their tax documents regardless of which part of the metro their business operates from.

Local Proof

Gurian CPA Firm built its tax practice on the same fixed-fee, full-service model that's supported Dallas business owners for over two decades, and applies it directly to Houston's tax environment — franchise tax reporting, multi-jurisdiction sales tax, and the entity-level planning that Texas's tax structure requires. Client work spans restaurant groups, construction firms, and businesses in real estate — the same industries anchoring the firm's growth in Houston today.

Local Knowledge: Houston Business Tax Considerations

Texas franchise tax. Texas has no personal income tax, but it imposes a separate entity-level franchise tax — often called the "margin tax" — on most Texas corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and professional associations. It's a privilege tax charged for the right to operate as a legal entity in Texas, calculated on taxable margin rather than net income. That distinction catches business owners off guard: a business can post a loss on its federal return and still owe Texas franchise tax, or turn a healthy profit and owe nothing if its revenue falls below the no-tax-due threshold.

For the 2026 report year, that no-tax-due threshold is $2,650,000 in annualized total revenue — entities at or below that figure owe no franchise tax. The standard tax rate is 0.75% of taxable margin for most entities, 0.375% for businesses primarily engaged in retail or wholesale, with a 0.331% EZ computation rate available to qualifying entities that elect the simplified method. Even businesses below the no-tax-due threshold still have an annual filing obligation — a Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report is required regardless of whether tax is owed, and the standalone No Tax Due Report form was eliminated starting with 2024 reports. Missing that filing, even at $0 owed, can trigger penalties and put a business's right to operate in Texas at risk. Sole proprietorships, general partnerships, and qualifying nonprofits generally fall outside franchise tax entirely — but confirming which category a business falls into is exactly the kind of question worth asking before a filing deadline, not after.

Sales tax across Harris County. Houston businesses selling taxable goods or services collect and remit sales tax that varies by municipal jurisdiction across Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. A business operating multiple Houston-area locations, or expanding from Dallas into Houston, needs sales tax compliance set up to track each jurisdiction separately rather than applying one blanket rate.

Property tax and business personal property. Houston businesses that own commercial real estate, equipment, or inventory are subject to business personal property tax administered through the Harris County Appraisal District, with separate rendition deadlines and appraisal review processes from the franchise tax calendar. This is a recurring compliance item that's easy to miss if the business doesn't have a standing process to handle it each year.

Industry-specific tax patterns. Houston's energy sector concentration means businesses serving or supplying energy companies frequently deal with layered ownership structures and revenue recognition patterns that affect how franchise tax margin is calculated. Construction businesses have specific sales tax exemptions available on materials incorporated into real property, which require documentation to claim correctly. Restaurants manage sales tax on both food and alcohol sales, often at different rates, alongside mixed beverage tax obligations that don't apply to most other Houston industries.

This section describes general Texas and Houston tax rules and isn't a substitute for advice specific to your business. Franchise tax thresholds and rates are set by the Texas Comptroller and are confirmed annually — talk to our team to review how the current-year figures apply to your situation.

FAQ

Do I need to pay franchise tax if my Houston business isn't profitable?

Possibly. Texas franchise tax is calculated on taxable margin, not net income, so a business can owe franchise tax in a loss year, or owe nothing in a profitable year if its revenue falls below the no-tax-due threshold. The two outcomes don't track each other the way most owners expect.

Does my Houston business still need to file anything if we're under the no-tax-due threshold?

Yes. Even at $0 owed, most Texas entities still have to file a Public Information Report or Ownership Information Report annually. Skipping that filing can result in penalties and can jeopardize the business's right to operate in Texas.

Is Houston CPA tax preparation different from working with a Dallas-based firm?

The federal and state rules are the same statewide, but Houston's sales tax jurisdictions, property tax administration through the Harris County Appraisal District, and industry mix (particularly energy and construction) mean local familiarity matters. Gurian CPA Firm serves both metros with the same team and process, so businesses operating in Dallas and Houston get consolidated reporting rather than two disconnected relationships.

What's included in Gurian CPA Firm's business tax services for Houston clients?

Tax planning throughout the year, business and individual return preparation, franchise tax and sales tax compliance, and direct handling of IRS notices or issues — all under a fixed monthly fee rather than hourly billing.

Office Info

Service Area: Houston, TX and surrounding Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery county communities Phone/Contact: Available through the Contact page and client portal Response Time: 24-hour response guarantee on all client communication

Ready to Talk?

Franchise tax notices, sales tax jurisdictions, and property tax deadlines add up fast for a growing Houston business. Gurian CPA Firm handles all of it under one fixed-fee relationship, with a 24-hour response guarantee behind every question.

Gurian CPA Firm - Houston Office
4265 San Felipe Suite 1100
Houston, TX 77027
Phone: 713-987-7698