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The Daily Insight

Are corporations subject to Texas franchise tax?

Author

Sarah Duran

Published Mar 25, 2026

Like most states, Texas subjects corporations to its standard business tax, the franchise tax. As with all businesses, the no-tax-due threshold and E-Z Computation rules apply to corporations.

Is Texas franchise tax considered income tax?

ASC 740 implications Generally, Texas franchise tax is regarded as an income tax for income tax provision purposes under ASC 740. Even taxpayers in loss positions for federal or state income tax purposes may have substantial liabilities in Texas.

What is the difference between franchise tax and corporate tax?

Income taxes apply to profit. Franchise taxes do not apply to profit. Another difference between income tax and franchise tax is the entity that does the taxing. Corporate franchise taxes, on the other hand, are essentially fees that companies must pay for the privilege of doing business in a particular city or state.

Does my business have zero Texas gross receipts?

Your business can qualify to file a No Tax Due Report if any of the following statements are true: your business is an entity or a combined group with annualized total revenue less than or equal to the No Tax Due threshold; your business has zero Texas receipts; your business is a passive entity as defined in Chapter …

Are franchise payments tax deductible?

Are you a new franchise owner? According to the IRS, franchise fees fall under “Section 197 Intangibles”3 and are not tax deductible. However, since the IRS requires you to amortize the franchise fee over 15 years, you can recoup the fee through a depreciation tax deduction every year during that time period.

What happens if you don’t pay the franchise tax?

The California Franchise Tax Board imposes a penalty if you do not pay the total amount due shown on your tax return by the original due date. The penalty is 5 percent of the unpaid tax (underpayment), plus 0.5 percent of the unpaid tax for each month or part of a month it remains unpaid (monthly).