Registering a business in Ontario is mostly online, mostly cheap, and split across several governments. The province handles your business name or corporation, the CRA handles your business number and HST, the WSIB handles workplace insurance, and your city may license certain trades and premises.

This guide walks through each step in order, with the government fees checked in September 2026. It is general information, not legal or tax advice: if you are unsure which structure or registrations apply to you, an accountant (and for incorporation, a lawyer) can confirm it for your situation.

Do you need to register a business in Ontario?

You need to register a business name if you operate under any name other than your own legal name. If you are a sole proprietor trading as "Jane Smith", no registration is required. If you trade as "Smith Renovations" or "Jane Smith Design", you must register that name.

That rule comes from section 2 of Ontario's Business Names Act, which says no individual shall carry on business or identify their business to the public under a name other than their own name unless the name is registered. The same Act covers:

  • Partnerships: partners must register the firm name, with an exception for a name made up only of the partners' names.
  • Corporations: a corporation that operates under a name other than its corporate name must register that name too. A numbered company such as "1234567 Ontario Inc." trading as "Smith Plumbing" needs a business name registration for "Smith Plumbing".

Skipping it has consequences. Under the Act, a person who breaks the registration rule can be fined up to $2,000 (up to $25,000 for a corporation), and a business that should be registered cannot bring a lawsuit in an Ontario court about that business without the court's permission. That second point matters the day a client refuses to pay.

Before you register anything, decide on your structure. Our guide to sole proprietorship vs corporation in Canada covers liability, tax, and cost differences.

How to register a business name in Ontario, step by step

You register a business name online through the Ontario Business Registry (OBR) for $60, and the registration is processed immediately. The steps below apply to a sole proprietorship or general partnership.

  1. Search the registry. Look up your proposed name in the Ontario Business Registry to see whether someone is already using it or something close to it.
  2. Start a registration and pick your business type. Choose "Register a Business Name for a Sole Proprietorship" or the general partnership option.
  3. Create your accounts. If you do not have an Ontario.ca Login and an Ontario Business Account, the registry prompts you to create them. You need a working email address.
  4. Enter your details. Fill in the business name and the owner information the form asks for.
  5. Pay the $60 fee by debit, Visa, or Mastercard.
  6. Save your documents and company key. You receive your Business Name Registration and a 9-digit Ontario Business Identification Number (BIN). The registry also gives you a company key, a unique code you need for future filings. Store it somewhere safe.

You can also file by mail with a cheque payable to the Minister of Finance. The fee is the same $60, but ServiceOntario lists a processing time of 15 business days instead of immediate.

What happened to the Master Business Licence?

The Master Business Licence has been renamed. Ontario now calls it a Business Name Registration, and the registry notes that this document was previously known as a Master Business Licence. It works the same way: it is proof that your business name is registered, and it expires every 5 years.

If a bank, supplier, or landlord asks for your "Master Business Licence", your Business Name Registration from the OBR is the document they mean.

How to incorporate a business in Ontario

Incorporating in Ontario costs $300 online through the Ontario Business Registry, processed immediately. The extra step compared with a name registration is the name search: unless you choose a numbered name, you need an Ontario-biased Nuans report.

Step 1: Choose a numbered or named corporation

A numbered corporation uses a number the registry assigns (for example, 1234567 Ontario Inc.). It needs no name search. A named corporation (for example, Smith Plumbing Inc.) requires a Nuans report.

Step 2: Get an Ontario-biased Nuans report

Nuans is a federal database that compares your proposed name with existing corporate names and trademarks. For an Ontario incorporation, the province requires an Ontario-biased or weighted Nuans report. A federal (Canada-biased) report is not accepted.

  • You order it from a private name search company, not from ServiceOntario.
  • The report cannot be dated more than 90 days before you file your articles of incorporation.
  • Ontario does not publish a government fee for the report. The price is set by the search company you use, so compare a few before ordering.

Step 3: File articles of incorporation in the OBR

Sign in to the Ontario Business Registry, choose "Incorporate an Ontario Business Corporation", and complete the articles: the corporate name, registered office address in Ontario, directors, share structure, and any restrictions. Pay the $300 fee. You receive your incorporation documents, an Ontario Corporation Number, and a company key.

Step 4: Set up the corporation after filing

Filing the articles creates the corporation, but it does not finish the job. You still need by-laws, an initial directors' resolution, share issuance, and your corporate records. Since January 1, 2023, Ontario corporations must also keep beneficial ownership information on file at their registered or head office. Ontario's Corporations Information Act also requires an initial return within 60 days of incorporation, and the filing fee is $0. Check in your OBR account that yours is on file.

This is where many first-time owners hire a lawyer or use an online incorporation service. Ownr is one service that handles Ontario and federal incorporations and publishes its package prices. See our sole proprietorship vs corporation guide for a breakdown of its plans.

See Ownr's current pricing (opens NorthVetted redirect)

Should you incorporate federally or in Ontario?

Incorporate in Ontario if you only plan to do business in Ontario; incorporate federally if you want name protection across Canada or expect to operate in several provinces. Both are legitimate, and the right answer depends on your plans.

Ontario (OBCA)Federal (CBCA)
Government fee to incorporate online$300$200
Name searchOntario-biased Nuans report for a named corporationBuilt into the online application for most filings
Name protectionOntarioCanada-wide
Annual return fee$0, filed in the OBR within 6 months of year end$12 online with Corporations Canada
Extra step to operate in OntarioNoneInitial return in the OBR within 60 days of starting business in Ontario ($0)

A federal corporation is an extra-provincial corporation in Ontario. Under the Corporations Information Act, it must file an initial return with Ontario within 60 days after it begins carrying on business in the province. It files annual returns with Corporations Canada instead. If it operates in other provinces, each one has its own extra-provincial registration and fees.

The lower federal fee does not always mean lower total cost: if you only ever work in Ontario, a federal corporation adds a second government to keep informed.

Get a CRA business number and open a GST/HST account

If you incorporate in Ontario, you get a CRA business number (BN) automatically. The CRA lists Ontario among the provinces where you receive a BN when you register or incorporate with the province. Sole proprietors only need a BN when they register for a CRA program account, such as GST/HST or payroll.

You register through the CRA's Business Registration Online (BRO). Since November 3, 2025, new BN and program account registrations must be done online. You can open these accounts in the same session:

  • GST/HST (RT account). You must register once your taxable revenue passes $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over the last four consecutive calendar quarters. Below that, registration is optional. Ontario's HST rate is 13%. Our GST/HST registration guide walks through the process and the voluntary registration question.
  • Payroll (RP account) if you will pay employees, including yourself on salary through a corporation.
  • Import/export (RM account) if you bring commercial goods into Canada.

A corporation is a separate person from you, so it needs its own GST/HST account even if you already had one as a sole proprietor. See the glossary entry for business number for how the BN and program account numbers fit together.

Do you need to register with the WSIB?

Most Ontario businesses with employees must register with the WSIB within 10 calendar days of hiring their first employee. The WSIB counts family members and sub-contractors when deciding whether you have workers.

Some industries are not required to have coverage and may register voluntarily. The WSIB lists examples such as banks, private daycares, travel agencies, photography studios, barber shops, and hair salons. Check the WSIB's industry list before assuming either way.

Do you need to register for Ontario's Employer Health Tax?

Most small employers do not need to register for the Employer Health Tax (EHT) because of the $1 million exemption. You must register if you are not eligible for the exemption, or if you are eligible but your Ontario payroll is more than your exemption.

The details, per Ontario's Ministry of Finance:

  • Exemption: the first $1 million of annual Ontario payroll is exempt for eligible employers.
  • Who is eligible: eligible employers that pay income tax, are not controlled by government, and have Ontario payroll (including associated employers) of less than $5 million. At $5 million or more, the exemption does not apply.
  • Associated employers share a single exemption and must file an agreement allocating it.
  • Annual return: due on or before March 15 for the previous year.

If your payroll is well under $1 million and you are eligible, there is nothing to file. Revisit this as you grow, and include associated companies when you add up payroll.

Do you need a municipal business licence?

Some businesses need a licence from their city, on top of provincial registration. It depends on your municipality and your type of business, so check your city's licensing office before you open.

Toronto is a useful example. The City of Toronto licenses specific business types under its licensing by-law, Chapter 545 of the Toronto Municipal Code. Its licence list includes trades such as building renovators, drain contractors, heating contractors, master plumbers, and plumbing contractors, as well as eating establishments, personal service settings, and pet shops. Many other businesses, such as an online consultancy, do not appear on the list. Toronto's licence-type page is the place to check, and 311 can answer questions.

Separately, zoning rules decide where you can run a business, and building permits apply to construction and renovation work. Other Ontario cities have their own by-laws, fees, and licence lists.

Open a business bank account

Open a separate business bank account as soon as you register. A corporation needs its own account because its money is not yours. A sole proprietor is not legally required to have one, but mixing personal and business money makes bookkeeping and CRA questions harder.

Have your Business Name Registration or incorporation documents and your government ID ready when you apply. Compare fees and transaction limits in our review of the best business bank accounts in Canada.

How to renew or update your Ontario registration

A business name registration lasts 5 years, and you renew it in the Ontario Business Registry for $60. The renewal option appears in your account 6 months before expiry, and you can renew up to 60 days after it expires.

  • Expired more than 60 days: you cannot renew. You must register the name again and receive a new BIN and company key.
  • Changes: Ontario asks you to report changes to your information within 15 days. Amendments and cancellations of a business name registration have no fee online.
  • Corporations: file the Ontario annual return in the OBR within 6 months of your fiscal year end. The fee is $0. The CRA stopped accepting Ontario annual returns on the province's behalf on May 5, 2021, so file it in the OBR directly.

Put your expiry date and annual return date in your calendar now. That is simpler than re-registering a lapsed name.

Cost table: registering a business in Ontario

These are government fees for online filing, checked in September 2026. They do not include lawyer, accountant, or service fees.

ItemGovernment feeNotes
Business name registration (sole proprietorship or general partnership)$60Valid 5 years, processed immediately online
Business name registration renewal$60From 6 months before to 60 days after expiry
Amend or cancel a business name registration$0Online or by mail
Ontario incorporation (articles of incorporation)$300Processed immediately online
Ontario-biased Nuans reportSet by private providerOnly for a named corporation; no government fee published
Federal incorporation$200Online through Corporations Canada
Ontario corporation initial and annual returns$0Filed in the OBR
Federal annual return$12Online through Corporations Canada
Certificate of status$26Often requested by banks and lenders
CRA business number and GST/HST accountNo CRA fee listedBusiness Registration Online
WSIB registrationPremiums based on your industry and payrollWithin 10 days of your first hire

Checklist: registering your Ontario business

  1. Choose your structure: sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation.
  2. Pick a name and search the Ontario Business Registry.
  3. For a named Ontario corporation, order an Ontario-biased Nuans report and file within 90 days.
  4. Create your Ontario.ca Login and Ontario Business Account.
  5. Register your business name ($60) or file articles of incorporation ($300).
  6. Save your registration, BIN or Ontario Corporation Number, and company key.
  7. For a corporation, complete by-laws, resolutions, share issuance, and registers, and confirm your initial return is filed within 60 days.
  8. Register with the CRA through Business Registration Online for GST/HST (required above $30,000) and payroll if needed.
  9. Register with the WSIB within 10 days of your first hire, or right away if you work in construction.
  10. Check whether you need to register for the Employer Health Tax.
  11. Check your city's business licence list and zoning rules.
  12. Open a business bank account.
  13. Add your renewal date (5 years) or annual return date (6 months after year end) to your calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to register my business in Ontario?

If you are a sole proprietor using only your own legal name, you generally do not need to register a business name. You must register if you operate under any other name, and every general partnership must register its firm name. Incorporating is always a registration.

How much does it cost to register a business in Ontario?

Registering a business name costs $60 online for 5 years. Incorporating an Ontario corporation costs $300 online, plus the cost of an Ontario-biased Nuans report if you choose a word name. A CRA business number and GST/HST account do not have a CRA fee listed.

Is a Master Business Licence still a thing in Ontario?

The document is now called a Business Name Registration. Ontario says it was formerly known as a Master Business Licence, and it still expires every 5 years.

How long does it take to register a business in Ontario?

Online business name registrations and incorporations through the Ontario Business Registry are processed immediately, according to ServiceOntario. Mailed filings take about 15 business days.

Does registering my business name in Ontario give me a GST/HST number?

No. The business name registration gives you a 9-digit Ontario Business Identification Number, which is not a CRA business number. You open a GST/HST account separately with the CRA through Business Registration Online.

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