You can incorporate an Ontario corporation online through the Ontario Business Registry, often the same day, and the government filing fee is $300. The judgment is in what surrounds the filing: named or numbered, Ontario or federal, who holds which shares, and the organising documents and agreements that make the company work. Smutylo Law+ incorporates and organises Ontario and federal corporations at a fixed fee.
Many people file the articles themselves and stop there. The common problems show up later: shares that were never formally issued, a minute book that does not exist, one founder holding shares the other thought were shared, or IP still owned by a founder personally. Each is fixable, and each costs more to fix during a financing or a sale than at the start.
Each is quoted at a fixed fee, including the government filing fee and the name search where needed, after a free 20-minute call.
Not always. A sole proprietorship is simpler and cheaper, and incorporation brings annual filings and separate corporate tax returns. Incorporation usually makes sense once there is meaningful liability risk, profit you can leave in the company, more than one owner, or investors on the horizon. See incorporate or stay a sole proprietor. Physicians, dentists, accountants and other regulated professionals incorporate under special rules; see professional corporations.
The Ontario government filing fee for articles of incorporation is $300 through the Ontario Business Registry. A named corporation also needs a NUANS name search report. Legal fees for incorporation and organisation at Smutylo Law+ are quoted as a fixed fee, which depends on the share structure and whether you add a shareholder agreement or other founder documents.
An Ontario corporation is usually simpler for a business operating mainly in Ontario. A federal corporation offers name protection across Canada, but must also register in each province where it carries on business, must file information about individuals with significant control with Corporations Canada, and must have at least 25% resident Canadian directors.
A numbered company uses a number assigned by the government, such as “1234567 Ontario Inc.”, and needs no name search. It can still operate under a registered business name. A named company carries a name of your choice, which requires a NUANS search report and must meet the province’s naming rules.
Yes. The Ontario Business Registry allows anyone to file articles of incorporation online. The filing is the simple part; the share structure, organisational resolutions, share issuance, registers and agreements between owners are where errors tend to be made, and those are harder to fix later.
No. Ontario removed the requirement that at least 25% of directors be resident Canadians in July 2021. Federal corporations under the Canada Business Corporations Act still have that requirement.
Book a free 20-minute call. You will leave with a recommendation on structure and a fixed fee.
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