Incorporation Services for Ontario Businesses: Federal or Ontario, Done Right

Our incorporation services are built for businesses based in Ontario. We incorporate you in Ontario or federally, then set up everything that comes after: your CRA business number and program accounts, your share structure, your minute book, your bookkeeping and your filing calendar. A flat $499 for incorporation only, or $999 with full legal documents, plus government fees and HST.

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Ontario (OBCA) or federal (CBCA) incorporation, named or numbered
Flat fee from $499 + government fees and HST, agreed before we start
Reviewed by a CPA with your tax in mind, not just the paperwork
CRA business number plus corporate tax (RC), payroll (RP) and GST/HST (RT) accounts
Online across Canada, or in person by appointment in Etobicoke and Mississauga

$499

incorporation only (+ gov fees, HST)

Federal or Ontario

your choice, our advice

1 business day

reply time

5.0

Google rating

Last updated: October 18, 2026

What's included in our Ontario incorporation services

Incorporating is more than filing articles. A corporation set up in a hurry can cost its owner for years: a share structure that blocks income splitting or a future holding company, a missed registration in a second province, an annual return nobody filed, or a first year of books nobody set up. Our incorporation services in Ontario cover the filing and everything around it, so your company is ready to trade, bank, invoice and file from day one.

Structure review. A short call to confirm that incorporating makes sense now, and whether Ontario or federal suits your plans.
Name search or numbered company. For a named Ontario company we order the Ontario NUANS report (an extra $25) and check the name against existing businesses and trademarks before we file. A federal word name is searched inside Corporations Canada’s Online Filing Centre, so no separate report is needed. If you’d rather start fast, we register a numbered company.
Articles of incorporation. Prepared and filed with the Ontario Business Registry or Corporations Canada: name, registered office, number of directors, share classes and any restrictions.
Share structure. Classes and shareholders set up with future dividends, family members and a possible holding company in mind.
Ontario registration for federal corporations. A federal corporation that carries on business in Ontario must also file an initial return in Ontario; we do it for you.
CRA registrations. Business number and the program accounts you need: corporate income tax (RC), payroll (RP) and GST/HST (RT).
Corporate records (Full Legal Documents option). Minute book, by-law, organizational resolutions, registers of directors, officers and shareholders, the register of individuals with significant control, and share certificates.
Year-one setup. A chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online or Xero, a receipts workflow, and a calendar of your T2, HST, payroll and annual return deadlines.

Pricing for incorporation services in Ontario

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	Incorporation Only	Incorporation + Full Legal Documents	Annual Minute Book Maintenance
Price (+ HST/GST)	$499 + government fees	$999 + government fees	$500 per year
Structure review call	✓	✓	–
NUANS report (named Ontario company; not needed for a federal word name)	+$25	+$25	–
Articles filed (Ontario or federal)	✓	✓	–
Ontario registration for federal corporations	✓	✓	–
CRA business number, RC, RP and RT accounts	✓	✓	–
Minute book, by-law, organizational resolutions, registers, share certificates	–	✓	Kept up to date
Annual return filed (Ontario annual return for Ontario corporations; Corporations Canada annual return and ISC register for federal corporations)	–	–	✓Included
Annual resolutions, dividend resolutions, director and shareholder changes, ISC register update	–	–	✓

All prices exclude government fees and HST. Government filing fees are passed through at cost. The price we quote is the price you pay. If you have a lower written quote for the same work, tell us before you sign the proposal and we’ll match it; we can’t match after the proposal is signed. Moving an existing business into the company (a section 85 rollover), a holding company or a professional corporation is quoted separately after the first call.

Government fees

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Filing	Ontario (OBCA)	Federal (CBCA)
Articles of incorporation	$300 (Ontario fees)	$200 online (Corporations Canada fees)
Name search	Ontario-biased NUANS report required for a named company (our $25 add-on)	No separate NUANS report: for a word name, the federal name search is built into Corporations Canada's Online Filing Centre and done as part of the incorporation (a separate federal NUANS report is still needed for revivals and amalgamations)
Registering in Ontario	Not needed	Initial return in Ontario within 60 days, no fee
Annual return	No fee	$12 online, including ISC information
Amending articles later (e.g. name change, new share class)	$150	$200 online

Evergreen note: fees shown as published on Oct 13, 2026. Governments change them; the linked Ontario and Corporations Canada fee pages always show the current amounts, and we confirm them in your quote.

Federal vs Ontario incorporation

Every Canadian business can incorporate either under the federal Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) or under a provincial statute, which in Ontario is the Business Corporations Act (OBCA). Both give you the same limited liability and the same tax treatment: the CRA taxes a federal corporation based in Ontario exactly as it taxes an Ontario corporation. The difference is in name protection, paperwork and who you report to.

← Swipe to compare →

	Ontario (OBCA)	Federal (CBCA)
Name protection	Ontario	Checked across Canada (doesn't override existing provincial names)
Best for	Businesses based in and selling mainly in Ontario	Businesses operating, or soon operating, in several provinces, or needing a national name
Extra registrations	None while you stay in Ontario	Must also register in Ontario and in every other province where it carries on business
Director residency	No residency requirement since July 5, 2021	At least 25% resident Canadian directors, or at least one if fewer than four directors (CBCA s. 105)
Government filing fee	$300	$200 online
Annual return	Ontario Business Registry, within 6 months after year-end, no fee	Corporations Canada, within 60 days after each anniversary, $12 (no Ontario annual return; Ontario initial return and notices of change only)
ISC information	Kept in a register at the registered office (or another Ontario location the directors choose); not filed with the government	Kept in a register and filed with Corporations Canada (since Jan 22, 2024); some of it is publicly searchable
Governments to report to	One	Two or more
Tax rates	Same	Same

Our recommendation: Ontario, unless you have a real reason for federal

If your business is based in Ontario and sells mainly in Ontario, incorporate in Ontario. It’s one registry, one annual return, no director residency rule and nothing to file in a second jurisdiction, and the tax result is identical.

Federal incorporation makes sense when:

You’ll carry on business in several provinces soon. You’ll need extra-provincial registrations either way, but a federal name is checked against names across Canada, and provinces generally must accept it when you register there (it doesn’t override earlier provincial names or trademarks).
Your brand name matters nationally. A federal corporate name is checked against names across Canada. (A corporate name is not a trademark; for full protection you register a trademark with CIPO.)
A franchisor, funder or partner asks for it. Some lenders, investors and government programs prefer or require a federal corporation.
You value the federal public profile. Some owners like that anyone can confirm a federal corporation on Corporations Canada’s free search.

Federal does NOT mean “lower tax”, “more credible with the CRA” or “able to work outside Canada” on its own. Ontario corporations can sell across Canada and abroad; they only need to register in another province once they carry on business there, for example by having an office, staff or a registered address there.

More detail in our guides to federal vs provincial incorporation and sole proprietorship vs corporation.

Step by step: how our incorporation services in Ontario work

Book a call. Tell us about your business, partners, income and plans. Online across Canada, or in person by appointment in Etobicoke and Mississauga.
Confirm the structure. Ontario or federal, named or numbered, directors, officers, registered office and share classes.
Name search. For a named Ontario company we order the NUANS report and review the results with you before filing; a federal word name is searched inside Corporations Canada’s Online Filing Centre instead.
We file the articles. Once you approve and sign, we file online. Ontario and federal online filings are usually certified the same or next business day.
Register where needed. Federal corporations: the Ontario initial return. Any corporation carrying on business in another province: that province’s extra-provincial registration (government fees vary by province; our work quoted separately).
We register with the CRA. Business number and the RC, RP and RT accounts you need.
Organize the company. Minute book, by-law, organizational resolutions, share issuance and registers (Full Legal Documents option).
Set up year one. Bank account checklist, bookkeeping system, year-end choice and a deadline calendar.

Law: Ontario Business Corporations Act s.4 (articles of incorporation); Ontario Business Corporations Act s.5 (contents of articles).

What we need from you

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Item	Why
Proposed name (or "numbered") and two backups	NUANS search and articles
Registered office address in Ontario (street address, not a PO box)	Required in the articles; it is where the corporation's records are kept
Full names, addresses and residency of each director	Articles, initial return and, for federal, residency rule
Officers (president, secretary, etc.)	Initial return and resolutions
Shareholders, number and class of shares, amount paid	Share issuance and registers
Each individual's date of birth and how they control shares (direct, through a holdco or trust)	Individuals with significant control register
Business activity and expected first-year revenue	CRA program accounts and GST/HST timing
Preferred fiscal year-end	T2 and annual return timing

The building blocks of a new corporation

Name search and NUANS. A NUANS (Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search) report compares your proposed name with existing corporate names and trademarks. Ontario requires an Ontario-biased NUANS report for a named corporation, and the report is valid for 90 days. A federal word name is searched inside Corporations Canada’s Online Filing Centre, so no separate report is needed. A numbered company (for example “1234567 Ontario Inc.”) needs no name search, and it can operate under a registered business name ($60 to register in Ontario) or change its name later by amending its articles.

Articles of incorporation. Your articles set out the corporation’s name, registered office, minimum and maximum number of directors, share classes and any restrictions on share transfers or business activities. Most private companies restrict share transfers so they stay private. Changing articles later costs a government fee and new paperwork, so we draft them with your next five years in mind.

By-laws and organizational resolutions. By-laws are the company’s internal rules: how directors are elected, how meetings work, who signs cheques and contracts. Right after incorporation, the directors and shareholders pass organizational resolutions: adopt the by-law, issue the first shares, appoint officers, set the year-end, choose the bank and decide whether to appoint an auditor or (if all shareholders consent) waive the audit.

Minute book. The minute book is the corporation’s legal record: articles, by-laws, resolutions, registers of directors, officers, shareholders and share transfers, the ISC register and copies of share certificates. Corporations must keep these records at the registered office (or another place the directors choose). Banks, buyers, lenders and the CRA can ask to see them, and gaps usually surface at the worst time, such as during a sale or a CRA review.

Share structure. Most owner-managed companies use more than one class of shares, for example voting common shares for the founders plus non-voting or discretionary dividend classes. The right structure depends on who owns the business now and who might later. Family members receiving dividends may be caught by the tax on split income (TOSI) rules, which can tax those dividends at the top personal rate, so we review TOSI before issuing shares to anyone other than you. Issuing shares at the start costs almost nothing; reorganizing later can cost thousands.

Directors and officers. Directors manage the corporation and are personally liable for certain debts it doesn’t pay, including unremitted payroll source deductions and GST/HST and up to six months of unpaid employee wages. A director must be an individual at least 18 years old, of sound mind and not bankrupt. Officers (president, secretary, treasurer) run day-to-day affairs; in small companies one person often holds every role.

Registered office. An Ontario corporation’s registered office must be a street address in Ontario, not a PO box. A federal corporation names the province of its registered office in its articles and keeps the address on file with Corporations Canada. You can use your home address, your business premises, or a lawyer’s or accountant’s office if they agree. The address on the public record is visible to anyone who searches.

CRA business number and program accounts. Your corporation gets one nine-digit business number (BN) and separate program accounts: RC for corporate income tax, RP for payroll deductions once you pay salary, and RT for GST/HST. GST/HST registration is required once taxable sales pass $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, and you can register voluntarily earlier to claim input tax credits. Ontario corporations normally receive a BN automatically when they incorporate online; we then open the program accounts you need. If you’ll hire, see our payroll services.

Individuals with significant control (ISC). Federal and Ontario private corporations must keep a register of individuals who own or control 25% or more of the shares (by votes or by fair market value) or who have direct or indirect influence that amounts to control in fact. The register is updated within 15 days of learning of a change and reviewed at least once a year. Federal corporations also file this information with Corporations Canada (since Jan 22, 2024), and some of it is publicly searchable; Ontario corporations keep the register privately, at the registered office or another Ontario location the directors choose, but must produce it to regulators or law enforcement on request. Fines for failing to keep the register apply to the corporation and to directors.

Law: Ontario Business Corporations Act s.22 (shares); Canada Business Corporations Act s.24 (shares).

Extra-provincial registration

Incorporating in one jurisdiction does not let a corporation carry on business everywhere without registering.

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You are	Doing business in	What's needed
Ontario corporation	Ontario only	Nothing extra
Ontario corporation	Another province (office, staff or address there)	Extra-provincial registration in that province, government fee varies
Federal corporation	Ontario	Ontario initial return within 60 days, then notices of change when information changes; no Ontario annual return; no fee
Federal corporation	Another province	That province's extra-provincial registration and annual filings
Any corporation	Quebec	Registration with the Registraire des entreprises; French-language name rules apply
Any corporation	Selling online or shipping across Canada from Ontario	Usually no extra-provincial registration, but GST/HST and provincial sales tax rules may still apply

We file the Ontario registration for federal corporations as part of your package. Registrations in other provinces are quoted separately.

Law: Extra-Provincial Corporations Act s.4 (licensing); Corporations Information Act s.3 (extra-provincial initial return).

After you incorporate: ongoing obligations

Incorporating starts a set of yearly filings. Missing them leads to penalties and, eventually, dissolution.

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Obligation	Who	Deadline	Government fee
Ontario annual return (Ontario Business Registry)	Ontario (OBCA) corporations	Within 6 months after each financial year-end	None
Federal annual return with ISC information (Corporations Canada)	Federal corporations	Within 60 days after each anniversary of incorporation	$12 online
ISC register update	Every Ontario and federal private corporation	Within 15 days of a change; reviewed yearly	None
Annual shareholder and director resolutions	Every corporation	Usually within 6 months after year-end (OBCA/CBCA annual meeting rules)	None
T2 corporate income tax return	Every resident corporation, even with no income	Within 6 months after year-end	None
Corporate tax balance owing	Every corporation with tax payable	2 months after year-end; 3 months for many Canadian-controlled private corporations claiming the small business deduction	None
GST/HST returns	Registered corporations	Monthly, quarterly or annually depending on sales	None
Payroll remittances, T4 and T5 slips	Corporations paying salary or dividends	Remittances usually by the 15th of the next month; slips by the last day of February	None

Evergreen note: deadlines and fees as published on Oct 13, 2026. See the CRA’s corporation tax rates and the official registries for current rules.

The annual return. It confirms your corporation’s directors, officers and registered office are current. Ontario corporations file through the Ontario Business Registry; it is no longer filed with the T2. Federal corporations file with Corporations Canada, including ISC information; they don’t file an Ontario annual return, but they do keep their Ontario registration current with notices of change. A corporation that keeps missing returns can be dissolved, which can put its assets, bank account and contracts at risk until it is revived. Our minute book maintenance includes filing your annual return every year: the Ontario annual return for Ontario corporations, or the Corporations Canada annual return and ISC information for federal corporations.

The T2. Every corporation resident in Canada must file a T2 every year, even with no income or activity. The T2 includes financial statements in GIFI format and, for Ontario, the Ontario schedules (Schedule 500 and others) are filed with the T2. Late filing costs 5% of unpaid tax plus 1% per full month, up to 12 months. See our corporate tax services.

Books and records. A corporation needs its own bank account and its own books, separate from yours. Records must generally be kept for six years from the end of the tax year they relate to. We can run your bookkeeping monthly and file your GST/HST returns.

Law: Income Tax Act s.150(1) (T2 filing); Corporations Information Act s.3.1 (annual return); Ontario Business Corporations Act s.140 (records).

Minute book maintenance: $500 a year

Your minute book is the corporation’s legal memory. For $500 a year plus HST/GST, we keep it current:

Annual resolutions of directors and shareholders (approving financial statements, electing directors, appointing an accountant or waiving the audit)
Dividend resolutions whenever you pay yourself dividends
Director, officer and shareholder changes, share issuances and transfers
Your register of individuals with significant control, reviewed each year
Filing your annual return, included: the Ontario annual return for Ontario corporations, or the Corporations Canada annual return and ISC register for federal corporations

Law: Ontario Business Corporations Act s.140 (records); Canada Business Corporations Act s.20 (corporate records).

When to incorporate

Often, once your business earns more than you need to live on. Active business income of a Canadian-controlled private corporation (CCPC), up to the $500,000 small business limit, is taxed at the federal small business rate of 9% plus Ontario’s small business rate of 2.2% from July 1, 2026, a combined 11.2% (Ontario: corporate income tax; CRA corporation tax rates). Ontario’s rate was 3.2% before July 1, 2026, so a corporation whose year straddles that date pays a prorated rate. Profit you leave in the company is taxed at that rate until you pay it out as salary or dividends, when personal tax applies.

Evergreen note: rates as of Oct 13, 2026. The linked Ontario and CRA pages always show the current rates.

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	Sole proprietorship	Corporation
Tax on profit	Personal rates on all profit, whether you spend it or not	11.2% on active business income up to $500,000; personal tax only when you pay yourself
Liability	You are personally liable for business debts	Generally limited to the corporation (personal guarantees and director liabilities still apply)
Paying yourself	Draws (not deductible)	Salary, dividends or a mix
Yearly filings	T1 with form T2125	T2, annual return, minute book, separate books, T4 or T5 slips
Set-up cost	Low (Ontario business name registration $60)	$499 or $999 + government fees
Accounting cost	Lower	Higher: separate books and a T2 every year
Losses	Deducted against your other personal income	Stay in the corporation; carried back 3 years or forward 20 years
Selling the business	Assets sold; no lifetime capital gains exemption on the business itself	Qualifying small business corporation shares may be eligible for the lifetime capital gains exemption ($1,275,000 for 2026, indexed each year; current amount on the CRA's indexation adjustment page)
Bringing in partners or investors	Partnership agreement; shared liability	Issue shares

Law: Income Tax Act s.125(1) (small business deduction).

Is it time? A quick checklist

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Signal	Leans toward incorporating	Leans toward waiting
Profit vs what you live on	Profit is well above your personal spending	You need almost every dollar personally
Stability	Revenue is steady, with repeat clients	Still testing the market
Liability	Contracts, staff, premises or product risk	Low-risk consulting or side income
Growth	Partners, investors, financing or a future sale planned	No plans to grow or sell
Client setup	Several clients and real independence	One client that controls your work (personal services business risk)
Losses	Expect profits	Expect start-up losses you'd like to use against other income

When it usually makes sense: you earn more than you spend and can leave profit in the company; you want liability protection; you plan to bring in partners or investors; or you might sell one day. When it usually doesn’t (yet): profit is small, you need every dollar personally, your business is still testing the market, or you’d be a personal services business (an incorporated employee working for one main client), which loses the small business rate and is taxed at a much higher rate. Try our salary vs dividend calculator, then talk to us.

Fill in the form and press Calculate to see your estimate.

Want a CPA to check your numbers?

CPA-led, flat-fee pricing
CRA-ready filings, on time
Free 30-minute call, no obligation

Book a Free 30-Min Call

Rates used: Federal small business rate (net): 9% (source); Ontario small business (lower) rate: 2.2% (source); Business limit (small business deduction): $500,000 (source); Non-eligible dividend gross-up: 15% (source); Federal dividend tax credit, non-eligible (% of taxable amount): 9.0301% (source); Ontario dividend tax credit, non-eligible (% of taxable amount): 2.9863% (2026) (source); CPP rate (employee and employer, each): 5.95% (source); YMPE: $74,600 (source); Federal brackets (up to, rate) (source); Ontario brackets (up to, rate) (source); Incorporation only (flat): $499 + government fees and HST/GST (source); Incorporation with full legal documents (flat): $999 + government fees and HST/GST (source).

Ready to incorporate? Ontario or federal, done right. Book a Free 30-Min Call

Timing tips.

Pick your year-end on purpose. A corporation’s first fiscal year can end on any date within 53 weeks of incorporation. A year-end outside your busy season makes the T2 easier and can defer when bonuses are taxed personally.
Incorporate before big contracts start, so revenue and contracts are in the company’s name from the beginning.
Moving an existing business in? A sole proprietorship’s assets can usually be transferred to the new corporation on a tax-deferred basis with a section 85 election (form T2057), filed by the earliest due date of the parties’ tax returns. Quoted separately.
Watch passive income. Once a CCPC and its associated corporations earn more than $50,000 of investment income in a year, the small business limit shrinks, reaching zero at $150,000.

Example scenario (illustration, not a real client): a Mississauga IT consultant with three clients earns $180,000 of profit and lives on $90,000. As a sole proprietor, all $180,000 is taxed at personal rates. Incorporated, the $90,000 left in the company is taxed at the small business rate until it’s paid out, which can fund equipment, savings or debt repayment. If most of the work came from a single client that controls how it’s done, the personal services business rules could remove that benefit, so we check that first.

Holding companies

A holding company (holdco) is a corporation that owns shares of your operating company (opco). Owners use one to move surplus cash out of the operating company (generally tax-free as an inter-corporate dividend, subject to anti-avoidance rules), to protect retained earnings from business creditors, to hold investments, or to bring family members in through a trust. A holdco adds a second T2, a second annual return and a second minute book, so it rarely makes sense on day one. We set up the opco’s share classes so a holdco can be added later without a costly reorganization. Holdco setup is quoted separately after the first call.

Law: Income Tax Act s.112(1) (intercorporate dividends); Income Tax Act s.55(2) (deemed proceeds or gain).

Professional corporations

Doctors, dentists, lawyers, CPAs and some other regulated professionals in Ontario can practise through a professional corporation, but only with their regulator’s approval and with ownership limited to members of the profession (and, for some professions, family members through non-voting shares). The name must include “Professional Corporation”. We can coordinate the corporate and tax side with your regulator’s requirements; quoted separately.

Law: Ontario Business Corporations Act s.3.1 (professional corporations).

Online service vs lawyer vs T-Ledgers

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	Online filing service	Lawyer	T-Ledgers BEST VALUE
Who looks at tax	Nobody	Usually not the focus	Reviewed by a CPA with your tax in mind
Share structure advice	Template	Yes, often billed hourly	Yes, flat fee
CRA accounts set up	Sometimes extra	Sometimes	Included
Books and T2 afterwards	No	No	Same firm, if you want
Price	Low, but extras add up	Often hourly	$499 or $999 + government fees, fixed

Book a Free 30-Min Call

After you incorporate, one firm for everything

Your new company will need monthly bookkeeping, a T2 corporate tax return every year, GST/HST filings once you’re registered, and payroll if you pay yourself a salary or hire staff. We do all of it under one roof, so you won’t need a new firm once your incorporation is done.

Local incorporation pages: Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Oakville.

Meet your CPA

Wajahat Ajmal, CPA, FCCA leads T-Ledgers and oversees our incorporation services in Ontario. He brings experience from KPMG and as an independent contractor for a tax filing company. Our team handles the filings, and a CPA reviews each incorporation for its tax effects: who owns the shares, how you’ll pay yourself and whether a holding company makes sense later. Verify CPA membership.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to incorporate in Ontario?

Our fee is $499 for incorporation only, or $999 with full legal documents, plus government fees and HST. The Ontario government fee is $300 and the federal fee is $200 online. A NUANS report for a named Ontario company is an extra $25; a federal word name is searched inside Corporations Canada’s Online Filing Centre, so no separate report is needed. Minute book maintenance is $500 a year plus HST/GST, including your annual return (Ontario for Ontario corporations; Corporations Canada with ISC for federal corporations). All prices exclude government fees.

What's in the Full Legal Documents option?

Everything in Incorporation Only, plus a complete minute book, by-law, organizational resolutions, registers (including the ISC register) and share certificates.

How long does incorporation take?

Online filings in Ontario and federally are usually certified the same or next business day once we have your signed information. CRA program accounts and the minute book follow over the next few days.

What information do I need to incorporate?

The name (or “numbered”), a registered office street address, each director’s name, address and residency, officers, shareholders and share classes, and details for the ISC register. We send you a short checklist after the first call.

Do you incorporate businesses outside Ontario?

Our incorporation service is for businesses based in Ontario, whether you choose Ontario or federal incorporation. For bookkeeping, payroll and tax, we work with owners across Canada.

Should I incorporate federally or in Ontario?

If your business is based and operates mainly in Ontario, we recommend Ontario: one registry, one annual return, no director residency rule and the same tax rates. Federal suits businesses working in several provinces or wanting a name checked across Canada, but it also has to register in Ontario and each other province where it carries on business.

Does a federal corporation pay less tax?

No. A corporation’s tax depends on where it earns its income, not where it’s incorporated. A federal corporation based in Ontario pays the same rates as an Ontario corporation.

What is extra-provincial registration?

Registering your corporation in a province other than the one it was incorporated in, required once it carries on business there, for example with an office or staff. Federal corporations operating in Ontario file an Ontario initial return.

Who can be a director?

An individual aged 18 or older, of sound mind and not bankrupt. Ontario corporations can have directors who live anywhere. Federal corporations need at least 25% resident Canadian directors, or at least one if there are fewer than four.

Numbered or named company: which is better?

A numbered company is faster and skips the name search, and it can operate under a registered business name or change its name later. A named company builds your brand from day one.

Do I need a NUANS report?

For a named Ontario corporation, yes: an Ontario-biased NUANS report (our $25 add-on), valid for 90 days. For a federal word name, you don’t order a separate NUANS report; the name search is built into Corporations Canada’s online incorporation filing (a separate federal NUANS report is still needed for revivals and amalgamations). A numbered company needs no name search.

How should I set up my shares?

Most owner-managed companies use more than one class, such as voting common shares plus non-voting or discretionary dividend shares. We design the classes around who owns the business now, family members (with the TOSI rules in mind) and a possible holding company later.

What is a minute book and do I need one?

It’s the corporation’s legal record: articles, by-laws, resolutions, registers and share certificates. Every corporation must keep these records. Banks, buyers and the CRA can ask to see it.

What is the ISC (transparency) register?

A register of individuals who own or control 25% or more of the shares or have significant influence over the corporation. Ontario and federal private corporations must keep one; federal corporations also file it with Corporations Canada, and some of it is publicly searchable.

What CRA accounts does my corporation need?

A business number plus program accounts: RC for corporate income tax, RP for payroll if you pay salaries, and RT for GST/HST once taxable sales pass $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters (or earlier if you register voluntarily). We set these up.

What tax rate does a small corporation pay in Ontario?

From July 1, 2026, active business income up to the $500,000 small business limit is taxed at 9% federal plus 2.2% Ontario, a combined 11.2%. Income above the limit and investment income are taxed at higher rates. Rates change; the CRA’s corporation tax rates page shows current figures.

Can I pay myself salary, dividends or both?

Yes. Salary is deductible to the company and creates RRSP room and CPP; dividends are simpler but create no RRSP room. Most owners use a mix. Try our salary vs dividend calculator, then book a call.

When should I switch from a sole proprietorship to a corporation?

Usually when profit is consistently more than you need to live on, when you want limited liability, or when you plan to bring in partners or sell. Existing assets can often move in tax-deferred with a section 85 rollover, quoted separately.

What is an annual return and what happens if I miss it?

It confirms your corporation’s directors, officers and registered office. Ontario corporations file within six months after each year-end; federal corporations file within 60 days after each anniversary. Repeatedly missed returns can lead to the corporation being dissolved.

What is minute book maintenance?

For $500 a year plus HST/GST, we keep your minute book current with annual resolutions, dividend resolutions, director or shareholder changes and your ISC register, and we file your annual return each year (the Ontario annual return for Ontario corporations, or the Corporations Canada annual return and ISC register for federal corporations). All prices exclude government fees.

Do I need a holding company?

Not at the start for most owners. A holdco helps once your company has surplus cash to protect or invest. We set up your share classes so one can be added later.

Does my corporation file a T2 if it had no income?

Yes. Every resident corporation must file a T2 every year, even with no income or activity. It’s due six months after year-end.

Ready to get started?

Book a Free 30-Min Call Call (866) 254-5368

Online across Canada, or in person by appointment in Etobicoke and Mississauga.

Disclaimer: The articles, calculators and other content on this website are general information only, not tax, accounting, legal or financial advice. Calculator results are estimates based on the rates and assumptions shown and may not match your situation. Tax rules change and depend on your province, business structure and the facts of your case, so speak with a CPA, and a lawyer where legal matters are involved, before acting. T-Ledgers accepts no liability for decisions made based on this information. Book a free consult with T-Ledgers.