Free Texas line contractor route guide
Texas Line Contractor Business, Tax and Risk Control Map
Use this decision map to organize questions for the responsible authority, attorney, accountant, tax professional, insurance agent, surety and customer. This page is not legal, tax or insurance advice and does not issue a license or approve a contract.
TXL-L5-004: decide permission one project and task at a time
Do not use a job title as the answer. Record the exact work, asset owner, contracting party, location, customer, worker role and supervising role. Then check each applicable state license, exemption and local requirement with the responsible source.
| Question | Evidence source | Record before decision |
|---|---|---|
| Is the task non-exempt electrical work? | TDLR electrician and contractor pages | Task description, work boundary and proposed license path |
| Does a utility exemption apply? | TDLR exemptions and the controlling asset facts | Equipment control, utility relationship and cited exemption |
| Does the business need an Electrical Contractor license? | TDLR contractor scope and current application requirements | Contracting offer, scope, business identity and responsible license holder |
| What local rule applies? | Local licensing or inspecting authority | Jurisdiction, permit, registration, inspection and confirmation date |
TDLR identifies Journeyman Lineman as an individual license and Electrical Contractor as a business license with separate requirements. TDLR also lists exemptions and local authority. The worksheet keeps those layers separate instead of treating line work as one universal category.
TXL-L5-009: preserve the entity decision and governance file
Write the decision before filing. Compare liability, tax treatment, management, continuity, ownership transfer and operating formalities with an attorney and accountant. Preserve the chosen legal name, certificate of formation when applicable, assumed-name route, registered agent consent and address, ownership approval, signing authority and governing documents.
| Record | Owner | Recheck event |
|---|---|---|
| Entity and filing decision | Founder plus advisers | Ownership, activity or jurisdiction change |
| Assumed name and public identity | Company records owner | Name, address or structure change |
| Registered agent and governance | Authorized company role | Agent, office, manager or signing authority change |
TXL-L5-010: connect job cost, billing and a rolling cash view
Give every job one code. Tie estimate, purchase commitment, time, material, equipment, subcontract, change, invoice, receipt and forecast records to that code. The IRS requires records that clearly show income and expenses and supporting documents for business entries.
| Weekly control | Inputs | Exception to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Job-cost review | Budget, committed cost, actual cost, earned progress and approved changes | Cost without job code or owner |
| Receivable and payable review | Invoice status, customer approval, due date, vendor obligation and dispute | Unapproved billing or unfunded obligation |
| Thirteen-week cash view | Opening cash, dated receipts, dated payments and confidence status | Low-confidence receipt or negative projected balance |
| Profit and loss tie-out | Books, job costs, payroll, overhead and adjustment log | Job ledger and books do not reconcile |
The thirteen-week view is a management worksheet, not an official filing rule. It makes timing risk visible before a profitable job creates a cash shortage.
TXL-L5-011: separate entity tax from contract tax treatment
Use a qualified tax professional for the actual transaction. Keep one review row for the entity and report year, then a separate row for each project. For each project record the work type, property type, customer status, controlling written contract, lump-sum or separated form, material treatment, invoice form and the official source used.
| Layer | Question | Decision evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Entity | Which current Texas and federal accounts and reports apply? | Entity facts, report year, official account status and adviser review |
| Project | What work and real-property category applies? | Scope, location, property type and customer facts |
| Contract | Is the controlling agreement lump-sum or separated? | Signed contract, incorporated bid, changes and invoice terms |
Texas Comptroller guidance applies different sales-tax handling by work and contract type. Do not copy a tax result from another job without matching the actual facts and current guidance.
TXL-L5-012: match coverage, bonds and COI evidence to the project
Ask a licensed insurance agent, qualified adviser and surety to review the actual exposure and contract. Keep policy coverage separate from customer-required evidence. A certificate of insurance records information; it does not replace reading the policy, endorsements and contract.
| Risk record | Verify | Project evidence | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| General liability | Operations, completed work, exclusions, limits and required endorsements | Policy and project-specific COI package | Agent and contract reviewer |
| Workers compensation | Coverage choice, statutory duties, project requirement and subcontractor status | Current coverage or required status records | Company and adviser |
| Commercial auto | Owned, hired and non-owned exposure plus driver and vehicle controls | Policy evidence matched to the fleet and contract | Agent and fleet owner |
| Surety | Bid, payment, performance or ancillary requirement | Bond form, obligee, amount, scope and approval | Surety and bid owner |
TDLR publishes evidence requirements for its Electrical Contractor license. TDI explains workers compensation and commercial general liability boundaries. SBA identifies several contract-bond categories. A customer or project can require additional evidence, so the current solicitation and contract stay in the matrix.
Official sources used
- www.tdlr.texas.gov: TDLR lists electrician licensing exemptions, including utility-controlled equipment, and warns that local rules can affect an exemption. Checked 2026-10-27.
- www.tdlr.texas.gov: TDLR describes Electrical Contractor scope, Master Electrician of record and insurance evidence requirements. Checked 2026-10-27.
- www.tdlr.texas.gov: TDLR directs users to the local licensing or inspecting authority for requirements unique to a jurisdiction. Checked 2026-10-27.
- www.sos.state.tx.us: Texas SOS says structure decisions involve tax, liability, management, continuity, ownership transfer and operating formalities. Checked 2026-10-27.
- www.sos.state.tx.us: Texas SOS explains certificates of formation and the role and address requirements of a registered agent. Checked 2026-10-27.
- www.sos.state.tx.us: Texas SOS explains assumed-name filing routes and limits of the filing. Checked 2026-10-27.
- www.irs.gov: IRS guidance says business books should summarize transactions and supporting documents should substantiate income and expenses. Checked 2026-10-27.
- comptroller.texas.gov: Texas Comptroller guidance distinguishes lump-sum and separated contracts and ties sales-tax handling to work and contract type. Checked 2026-10-27.
- comptroller.texas.gov: Texas Comptroller maintains the current franchise-tax information and report-year resources. Checked 2026-10-27.
- www.tdi.texas.gov: TDI explains workers compensation choices for most private Texas employers and the duties that follow the coverage decision. Checked 2026-10-27.
- www.tdi.texas.gov: TDI explains that commercial general liability coverage has exclusions and is not a substitute for workers compensation coverage. Checked 2026-10-27.
- www.sba.gov: SBA distinguishes bid, payment, performance and ancillary surety bonds and notes that contracts may require specific bonds. Checked 2026-10-27.
Official pages define their own requirements. The reusable records, gates, evidence owners and stop conditions on this page are the added operating layer.
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