Texas OCCC license renewal: November 1 to December 31

Last verified: November 9, 2026. Every rule links to its official source.

Texas OCCC license renewal, for the motor vehicle sales finance license from the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC), runs from November 1 to December 31 each year, through NMLS. The OCCC’s rules cap the annual assessment at $460 per licensed location and make it due December 1. A license not renewed by midnight on December 31 expires; reinstating it by February 28 adds a $1,000 late filing fee.

Texas OCCC license renewal at a glance

What	The rule	Source
Renewal window	November 1 to December 31; licenses not renewed by midnight expire	OCCC: Motor Vehicle Sales Finance
Where	NMLS; existing licensees had to move there during 2026	OCCC: licensing and forms
Annual assessment	Up to $460 per licensed location; up to $430 per registered office (an NMLS branch)	7 TAC 84.611
Due date and term	Assessment due December 1; licenses run January 1 to December 31	7 TAC 84.617, effective May 7, 2026
Reinstatement	January 1 to February 28 at 11:59 p.m.: $1,000 late filing fee plus the renewal fee for each license, plus NMLS processing fees	OCCC: licensing and forms
Late filing fees in statute	$1,000 or $10,000, depending on the situation	Finance Code 349.303
Annual report	June 30, covering the prior calendar year	OCCC: annual report notice

When is the OCCC renewal due?

Between November 1 and December 31. The OCCC’s motor vehicle sales finance page says licenses not renewed by midnight will expire. A license renewed in this first calendar-year window runs January 1 to December 31, 2027.

The amended rule, 7 TAC 84.617, makes the annual assessment fee due by December 1, so you should treat December 1 as your target. It also says an unrenewed license expires on December 31 or, if later, the 16th day after the OCCC gives notice of delinquency. Plan on December 31, the date the OCCC publishes.

How do you renew an OCCC license?

You renew in NMLS. The OCCC requires new applications there, and existing licensees had to move into NMLS during 2026. ALECS, the OCCC’s older system, still handles documentary fee filings and the licensee search.

1. List every license you hold. NMLS has one company license plus a branch license for each additional location. The OCCC requires a license for each location where contracts are made, negotiated, serviced, held or collected.
2. Include a related finance company. OCCC bulletin B23-1 says a dealership and its related finance company must each hold a separate license.
3. Check your locations. B23-1 notes that you must notify the OCCC before relocating a licensed location, so file that notice first if a move is coming.
4. Submit and pay for each license, by December 1 if you can.

What does OCCC renewal cost?

The OCCC’s fee rule, 7 TAC 84.611, sets the annual assessment at not more than $460 for each licensed location and not more than $430 for each registered office, the older term for an NMLS branch. A volume-based fee tied to the annual report can be added if necessary, and the total, excluding registered office fees, may not exceed $1,200.

NMLS may add processing fees; the OCCC lists them for new licenses and for reinstatement. The OCCC’s adoption notice also says license fees paid in 2026 may be prorated for the longer term, so check the amount before you pay.

What happens if you miss December 31?

The license expires. Under Finance Code 348.501, only a license holder, a credit union or an authorized lender may act as the holder of a retail installment contract. The license requirement reaches servicing and collecting the notes you already carry, not only new sales.

The OCCC’s reinstatement period runs January 1 to February 28, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. It costs a $1,000 late filing fee plus the renewal fee for each license, plus NMLS processing fees. Treat February 28 as the last day. If you are past it, contact the OCCC before you finance another sale.

Finance Code 349.303 sets two late filing fees:

• $1,000 to renew an expired license that was in good standing when it expired, within the time allowed.
• $10,000 to obtain a license after you were already required to have one (bulletin B23-1 adds the annual fees for each unlicensed year), or to renew an expired license that does not qualify for the $1,000 fee.

The OCCC can also suspend or revoke a license for failure to pay fees (Finance Code 348.508).

What changed for 2026?

Older materials still describe a license that ran November 1 to October 31 and was renewed by October 31. The OCCC moved to a calendar year in 2026.

• November 1, 2026. The first renewal window under the calendar-year term opened.
• October 30, 2026. The OCCC published proposed licensing and recordkeeping rules that would, among other things, replace “registered office” with “branch”. They are proposed, not adopted; the earliest possible adoption date is November 29, 2026.
• June 30, 2026. The first OCCC annual report was due.
• May 7, 2026. The amended 7 TAC 84.617 took effect, setting the calendar-year term and the November 1 to December 31 window.
• Also in 2026. Existing licensees had to move into NMLS.

What else does the OCCC expect during the year?

• The annual report, June 30. Each legal entity files one through the OCCC’s online reporting portal, covering the number and dollar amount of Texas contracts originated, acquired and serviced in the prior calendar year (OCCC notice). The report due June 30, 2027 covers 2026.
• Rate classes shift on January 1. The add-on classes for used vehicles move with the calendar year (Finance Code 348.104). For sales in 2027: $10 per $100 per year for model years 2025 and newer, $12.50 for 2023 and 2024, and $15 for 2022 and older. The OCCC had not posted its 2027 rate chart on November 9, 2026.
• A documentary fee above $225. You must notify the OCCC in writing through ALECS, for each location, before you charge it (7 TAC 84.205).
• Examinations. The OCCC examines every licensee periodically, with one to four weeks’ notice; see Who can inspect a Texas dealership.

More detail: Financing your own sales in Texas, the Texas dealer year-end checklist and How to start a used car dealership in Texas.

What trips people up

• Working from October 31. That date belongs to the old term.
• Paying the OCCC on December 31. The OCCC’s rule makes the annual assessment due by December 1.
• Renewing only the company license. Each branch renews too, and a related finance company holds its own license.
• Counting on a date after February 28. The OCCC’s reinstatement period ends then.
• Letting the license lapse. Reinstatement adds a $1,000 late filing fee to the renewal fee, and a license obtained after you were already required to have one carries a $10,000 late filing fee.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Texas OCCC license renewal deadline?

December 31. The window opens November 1, and licenses not renewed by midnight on December 31 expire. The OCCC’s rule makes the annual assessment fee due by December 1, so pay by then to be safe. A renewed license runs January 1 to December 31 of the next year.

Do I still renew my OCCC license by October 31?

No. October 31 belonged to the old November 1 to October 31 term. Since the OCCC’s amended rule took effect on May 7, 2026, licenses run on the calendar year and you renew between November 1 and December 31. The 2026 window is the first under the new term.

Where do I renew my OCCC motor vehicle sales finance license?

In NMLS. The OCCC requires motor vehicle sales finance applications to be filed there, and existing licensees had to move into it during 2026. Renew the company license and each branch license. For help with NMLS itself, call the NMLS Call Center at 1-855-665-7123.

What happens if I miss the OCCC renewal deadline?

Your license expires at midnight on December 31. The OCCC’s reinstatement period runs January 1 to February 28 at 11:59 p.m., for a $1,000 late filing fee plus the renewal fee for each license and NMLS processing fees. You should not finance sales on an expired license.

When is the OCCC annual report due?

June 30 each year, covering the prior calendar year’s Texas contracts: the number and dollar amount originated, acquired and serviced. Each legal entity files its own through the OCCC’s online reporting portal. The first report was due June 30, 2026, and the one covering 2026 is due June 30, 2027.

Your next step

With the renewal filed, the next OCCC filing date is the annual report on June 30. LeftLane produces the OCCC annual report from live data, and each finance account keeps an activity log of payments, adjustments and status changes. Book a demo to see the deal file and the account records in one place. LeftLane’s team moves your data over from another system, and real people answer the phone at 512-222-9549.

Sources

• OCCC: Motor Vehicle Sales Finance
• OCCC: Motor Vehicle Sales Finance licensing and forms
• OCCC: adoption of 7 TAC 84.617, license term, effective May 7, 2026
• Texas Register: adopted rules, Title 7, May 1, 2026 issue
• 7 TAC 84.611: fees
• 7 TAC 84.205: documentary fee
• Texas Finance Code Chapter 348: motor vehicle installment sales
• Texas Finance Code Chapter 349: late filing fees
• OCCC Advisory Bulletin B23-1: licensing requirements
• OCCC: annual report requirement notice
• OCCC: rate charts
• OCCC: motor vehicle examinations
• OCCC: proposed licensing and recordkeeping rules, October 30, 2026

This guide is general information for dealers, not legal advice. Rules and fees change. Confirm with the agency or a licensed attorney in your state before you act.