Cost of Incorporating in Canada (2026): Fees by Province

Business owners have many factors to weigh when considering whether or not to incorporate. There are plenty of advantages to incorporating your business in Canada, but there are a few drawbacks to consider as well. As you begin to weigh the pros and cons, the incorporation costs are one of the points you’ll likely want to closely evaluate. 

To help you make the right decision for you and your business, here’s a breakdown of the costs, and some of the benefits of choosing Ownr if you decide now is the right time to incorporate your business in Canada.

Key takeaways

• Federal incorporation costs $200 online, while provincial government fees run from $200 in Nova Scotia to $397 in Quebec.
• On top of that, the base fee leaves out a name search or reservation ($27 to $75.58), Alberta’s registry agent fees, and extra-provincial registration for federal corporations.
• Once you’re incorporated, annual returns cost $12 federally, $0 in Ontario, and $106 in Quebec.
• Ownr’s incorporation plan costs $199 a year with an RBC business bank account and covers government filing, a NUANS report, and annual filings, while lawyers charge more.

What is incorporation?

Incorporation is a type of business ownership that makes your business a separate legal entity from you and other owners. When you incorporate, you create a corporation with many of the legal rights of a person. That’s different from a sole proprietorship, where the law treats you and your business as one person.

Why should I incorporate my business? 

Entrepreneurs often incorporate because a corporation offers limited liability, tax advantages, easier access to capital, and simpler long-term planning than a sole proprietorship.

Limited liability

A corporation is its own legal entity with separate taxes and debts. That means your personal assets, such as your home and car, have more protection from creditors if your business defaults on its debts or someone takes legal action against it.

By contrast, if you don’t incorporate, you and your business are not legally separate, so you can end up personally responsible for debts, losses, lawsuits, and other risks. That said, the CRA can still hold directors personally liable for some obligations, such as unpaid payroll source deductions.

Tax advantages

Corporations pay tax differently than individuals, and in many situations that means a lower rate. For example, a Canadian-controlled private corporation can claim the small business deduction on up to $500,000 of active business income, which lowers its federal rate from the general 15% to 9%.

Provinces set their own rates separately, and Ownr’s guides to Alberta tax rates and B.C. tax rates break those down. By incorporating, you can leave more money in the corporation instead of moving it to a personal account, reducing how much tax you pay.

Still, whether those savings outweigh the cost of incorporating depends on your income, which is why it helps to check at what income level you should incorporate.

Raising capital

Incorporating your business can also make it easier to raise capital, since some grant and investor programs require a corporation. It can also make your business more attractive to angel investors and give you the option to sell shares.

Long-term planning

Since a corporation is legally separate from its owner, it’s easier to transfer ownership to others. A corporation also continues to exist until someone dissolves it, no matter what happens to its owners. That helps with estate planning, or if you decide to step away from the business and transfer your shares to someone else.

How much does incorporation cost in Canada?

The government cost to incorporate in Canada runs from $200 federally to $397 in Quebec, but that base fee only covers part of the total.

Each row lists the name step separately because a numbered company skips it, while a named company pays for a name search or reservation first. In Alberta, a registry agent handles every filing and adds its own service fee on top of the government fee.

The annual return column then shows what you’ll pay every year to keep the corporation in good standing with its registry. Keep in mind that a federal corporation also registers in each province where it operates, and the B.C. example below shows how that changes the total.

Once the registry approves your filing, the corporation exists, but it still needs organizational documents like by-laws, resolutions, and share issuances before it can operate. You can draft those documents yourself after filing directly with the registry, or you can hire a lawyer to prepare them, along with a shareholder agreement if you have co-owners.

Online services sit between those two routes, and Ownr’s incorporation plan handles the government filing, the name search report, and the corporate documents for incorporation in one place. So when you compare quotes from different providers, check which of those pieces each one actually includes.

Named versus numbered company costs

A numbered company skips the name search or reservation fee, while a named company pays for that step in most jurisdictions before it files.

So the choice changes your branding and name protection, while the government incorporation fee stays the same either way. In Ontario and Alberta, that name step means a NUANS report, a name-conflict search that private providers sell at their own prices. Ownr’s NUANS guide explains how the report works.

Incorporating with Ownr

Ownr charges $199 a year for its incorporation package when you open an RBC business bank account, plus your jurisdiction’s one-time government fee. The package also means you won’t pay extra to draw up the documents your filings require. Ownr offers federal and provincial incorporation in Ontario and Quebec, as well as provincial incorporation in British Columbia and Alberta. Along with those documents, you’ll get:

• A full year of our Online Minute Book plan
• Company Name Registration
• Company Organization Documents & Share Issuances
• Access to Ownr Perks

Provincial incorporation costs

Provincial incorporation works well if you plan to keep your business local, since it registers your corporation with one province or territory. However, the province only protects your name within its borders, which can cause issues if you expand later. The fee table above lists base fees, so the notes below cover only the extras.

Provincial incorporation works well if you plan to keep your business local, since it registers your corporation with one province or territory. However, the province only protects your name within its borders, which can cause issues if you expand later. The fee table above lists base fees, so the notes below cover only the extras.

• British Columbia: When you incorporate in B.C., a numbered company skips the name request, while priority service adds $100 for faster processing.
• Alberta: The cost to incorporate in Alberta includes a registry agent’s service fee, which the province doesn’t regulate, and a named company needs an Alberta NUANS report too.
• Ontario: The cost to incorporate in Ontario has no separate name registration fee, since that only applies to sole proprietorships and partnerships. Instead, an Ontario-biased NUANS report from a private provider adds to your Ontario incorporation cost.
• Quebec: The cost to incorporate in Quebec goes up with priority processing, which raises the incorporation fee to $595.50 and the name reservation to $40.50.
• Manitoba: You file your articles before the name reservation expires, and annual returns are due the month after your anniversary month.
• Nova Scotia: The reservation price depends on whether you search Atlantic Canada or all of Canada.
• Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Yukon: Each registry sets its own fees.
• Northwest Territories and Nunavut: This guide doesn’t cover these territories.

Federal Incorporation costs

Federal incorporation costs $200 online through Corporations Canada, and you can add express service for $100 more. The base fee is lower, but a federal corporation also registers extra-provincially wherever it operates, and each province sets its own fee.

In B.C., that means $200 federally plus $380 for the province’s name request and registration, or $580 before any federal name fee, versus $380 provincially. Federal corporations also need at least 25% of their directors to be resident Canadians, or at least one if the board has fewer than four.

Worked example: federal versus provincial incorporation in British Columbia

A federal corporation operating in B.C. pays the federal fee and B.C.’s registration fee, so it costs more up front than a B.C. corporation.

It also needs a NUANS report and files in both places, meaning a $12 federal annual return plus the B.C. annual report, and other provinces repeat that pattern with their own extra-provincial fees. Still, federal incorporation can make sense if you plan to operate in several provinces, since it protects your name across Canada.

Additional incorporation costs to consider

In addition to the basic fees you’ll pay to incorporate federally or provincially, there are several costs associated with running a corporation that you’ll want to keep in mind if you choose to go the government route.

One-time incorporation costs

In some provinces, select private sector firms act as authorized service providers for incorporation, which means you also need to pay the firm you choose to work with for their services. Additionally, some business owners choose to hire a lawyer to take care of the incorporation process, which can add thousands of dollars to the total expense. 

Ownr offers a more affordable, no-fuss alternative to provincial or federal incorporation, helping you navigate required documents and automatically filing the necessary information with the government. 

If you incorporate federally, you’ll also need to register your federal corporation in each province or territory in which it will operate. Most provinces and territories charge for registering a corporation, with the fees varying by region.

If you run your business with partners, you may want to create a shareholder agreement. This will help protect the business from any issues or disagreements you may have with your partner down the road. Most businesses hire a lawyer to draw up a shareholder agreement, which typically costs somewhere between $500 and $1,000 CAD.

Ongoing incorporation costs

These repeat every year, and the table below covers both kinds.

Missing an annual return can lead to penalties or administrative dissolution, so it helps to budget for the hidden expenses of a cheap incorporation from the start.

The government requires corporations to file an online return that provides up-to-date information on the business’ address, date of last annual meeting, details about its directors and officers, and other key details. 

This filing is separate from your corporation’s income tax return and is completed annually on the anniversary of your business’ incorporation. You may face financial penalties or an administrative dissolution of your corporation if you fail to complete this annual return.  

There are fees associated with this annual filing, which vary based on whether your business is incorporated at the federal or provincial level. 

You’ll also need to file an annual tax return for your corporation, which is separate from your personal tax return. The fees associated with this will depend on the service you choose to complete the filing. Many business owners find that using a managed incorporation service helps ensure these critical deadlines are met and filings are completed accurately, removing the stress of tracking multiple compliance requirements while running a growing business.

Get your corporation set up with Ownr

Ownr files your incorporation and prepares the organizational documents you need, so you don’t pay separately to have them drafted. The package costs $199 a year with an RBC business bank account, plus your jurisdiction’s one-time government fee. It also includes a year of the Online Minute Book plan, company name registration, organization documents and share issuances, and Ownr Perks.

Incorporate with Ownr

If you’d rather handle each step yourself, read the guide to business incorporation in Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to incorporate in Canada?

Government fees to incorporate in Canada run from $200 for federal incorporation online to $397 in Quebec. On top of that, you may pay for a name search, a registry agent’s fee in Alberta, or extra-provincial registration, and the fee table breaks down each jurisdiction.

Is it cheaper to incorporate federally or provincially?

Federal incorporation costs $200, which is less than most provincial fees and matches Nova Scotia’s $200. However, a federal corporation also pays extra-provincial registration in each province where it operates, so the total often ends up higher, as the worked B.C. example shows.

How much does it cost to incorporate in Ontario?

Ontario charges $300 to incorporate online through the Ontario Business Registry. If you incorporate in Ontario with a name, you’ll also need an Ontario-biased NUANS report from a private provider, while a numbered corporation skips it and pays just the $300 government fee.

How much does it cost to incorporate in Alberta?

When you incorporate in Alberta, you pay a government fee plus a registry agent’s service fee, and the province doesn’t regulate what agents charge. A named company also needs an Alberta NUANS report, and you’ll file an annual return through an agent each year.

How much does it cost to incorporate in British Columbia?

B.C. charges $350 to incorporate, plus a $30 name request for a named company. A numbered company skips the name request, while priority service adds $100 if you need a name approved in one to two business days. Either way, you can incorporate in B.C. through Corporate Online.

How much does it cost to keep a corporation in good standing each year?

Annual returns cost $12 online for a federal corporation, $0 in Ontario, $43.39 in B.C., and $106 in Quebec. Every corporation also files a yearly T2 return with the CRA on top of its corporate annual return, and the T2’s cost depends on who prepares it.

What is the $500,000 small business limit?

The $500,000 small business limit is the amount of active business income a Canadian-controlled private corporation can earn each year at the lower small business tax rate. Federally, that rate is 9%, compared with 15% on general income, and each province sets its own lower rate.

Is it worth incorporating, and will I pay less tax?

Incorporating can lower your tax when you leave profit in the business, because the corporation pays a lower rate on retained earnings while you pay personal tax on whatever you withdraw. Beyond tax, limited liability helps protect your personal assets from business debts.