Payment processing in Texas.
VitaPay serves merchants in Texas, as it does in every US state. Below are the Texas rules and official offices worth knowing before you take your first card payment there: the surcharging rule, the sales-tax agency and where the business is registered.
Adding a credit card surcharge in Texas.
Current rule not confirmedSection 604A.0021 says a seller may not impose a surcharge on a buyer who pays by credit card instead of cash or check (government entities and private schools excepted). In Rowell v. Paxton (W.D. Tex. 2018) a federal court held it unconstitutional as applied and permanently enjoined enforcement against the plaintiff merchants, but a Texas Attorney General opinion says it remains enforceable in some contexts. The Texas State Law Library (Aug 2025) says it is unclear whether the law is enforceable.
Citation: Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 604A.0021
We could not confirm how the current Texas rule applies. Check with the state or your own adviser before adding a surcharge, starting with: Texas State Law Library FAQ: Credit card surcharge (updated Aug 26, 2025).
General information, not legal advice. Surcharging laws change, and card network rules apply in addition to Texas law. Confirm the current rule with the state or your own adviser before adding a surcharge; the sources below show when this was last read.
Sales tax and registration in Texas.
Sales tax at the point of sale
Sales tax is configured on the terminal before you go live. In Texas, the agency to register with is:
Texas Comptroller of Public AccountsRegistering the business
A merchant account is opened in the name of a registered business. In Texas, business entities are registered with:
Texas Secretary of State, Business ServicesSources and date checked.
- Texas State Law Library FAQ: Credit card surcharge (updated Aug 26, 2025) Checked September 21, 2026
- Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 604A.0021 text (Public.Law, verified May 2025) Checked September 21, 2026
- Nickel: Texas credit card surcharge laws (last verified mid-2026) Checked September 21, 2026
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Checked September 21, 2026
- Texas Secretary of State, Business Services Checked September 21, 2026
Priced the same way in every state.
Interchange and card-network assessments passed through at cost, plus a stated processor margin, quoted in writing for your business. No long-term contract and no early termination penalty.
