Incorporating in Canada is really three different processes wearing one name: federal
incorporation under the CBCA, Ontario incorporation through the Ontario Business Registry, and
Alberta incorporation through a private registry agent. The right starting question is not “how
do I incorporate” but “under which law”, because that choice sets your filing fee, your name
protection, your annual paperwork, and what happens when you expand into another province.
The three routes at a glance
The fee amounts above are the government portions only. Alberta’s registry agent service fee is
set by each private agent, not the province, and a NUANS report is a separate private-sector
cost everywhere it is required. A numbered company avoids the name-search cost in every
jurisdiction.
Start with these answers
Mistakes that cost founders real money
- Treating the government fee as the total cost. Alberta’s registry agent fee and any
NUANS report sit on top; legal help for share structure is separate again.
- Defaulting to a named company. A numbered company skips the NUANS cost entirely, and a
trade name can carry the brand.
- Assuming federal incorporation means no more registrations. A federal corporation still
registers in each province where it carries on business.
- Forgetting the annual return. Every jurisdiction requires one, it is not the tax return,
and missing it can end in involuntary dissolution.
Official starting points
Guide last updated August 8, 2026.
How the CCPC small business deduction actually works, why the tax-rate benefit shrinks as a corporation grows, and where Ontario and Alberta diverge.
What business name registration actually protects in Ontario and Alberta, why lawsuits still happen anyway, and how trademarks differ.
A side-by-side look at how federal, Ontario, and Alberta law require employers to prevent, investigate, and document harassment complaints.
The filing steps, fees, and post-incorporation deadlines for setting up an Ontario corporation, plus the requirement most founders miss.
A side-by-side look at how federal, Ontario, and Alberta corporations report director and shareholder changes, and where the process actually differs.
What Alberta's Business Corporations Act actually demands of a registered office address, and the circumstances that rule a home out.
What Ontario's Business Corporations Act requires of a registered office, where a home address won't work, and what to weigh first.
Name or number, the Alberta NUANS report, preparing articles of incorporation, appointing directors, and what arrives at the end.
The order Ontario, Alberta, and federal incorporation actually follow, why the question keeps coming up, and how to plan the timeline.
Whether your profession can incorporate at all, why it does not shield you from malpractice, and the federal tax rules that change the math.
How you get a numbered company, why founders choose one over a word name, and how to use a trade name alongside it after incorporation.
The two CBCA dissolution routes, which one applies to you, the resolution each needs, and how remaining property and liabilities are handled.
The resolutions a CBCA change actually requires, how a director can resign instead, and the Corporations Canada reporting deadline.
Which law governs your dissolution, how the partnership and corporation routes differ across the three jurisdictions, and closing CRA accounts after.
Which regime governs your letter, what it must say in each jurisdiction, and the common-law layer none of the three statutes covers.
What 'distinctive' actually screens out, how confusion review differs from trademark risk, and when reserving a federal name is worth it.
The federal, Ontario, and Alberta fee comparison, the name-search cost that applies almost everywhere, and how to decide where to file.
What incorporating actually changes, where cost and process differ by jurisdiction, and the criteria for choosing between the two.
The organizational meeting, issuing shares and recording resolutions, calling the first shareholders' meeting, and where you must register provincially.
Setting up your records office, getting a federal Business Number, where accounting records must be kept, and the annual return.
The full line-item breakdown of incorporating in Alberta, why registry agent fees vary so widely, and which fee you can skip entirely.
What the federal, Ontario, and Alberta name choice turns on, how the mechanics differ once you decide, and where risk survives a clear report.
Word name versus numbered name in Ontario, the naming rules to check, ordering an Ontario-biased NUANS, and reading it for conflicts.
Federal, Ontario, and Alberta side by side, what changes once you operate in more than one province, and how naming rules differ.
Which CRA accounts arrive automatically on incorporation, where your confirmation comes from in Ontario versus Alberta, and what you must register yourself.
What the articles must include, standard versus custom provisions, Alberta's unlimited liability option, and the filing fees at a glance.
What a share structure sets out, when a single class of common shares is enough, what adding classes requires, and Alberta's filing difference.
The Alberta incorporation process step by step, why the NUANS clock is already running, and what really determines your total timeline.
Federal, Ontario, and Alberta timelines side by side, which jurisdiction suits you, and what actually drives your total elapsed time.
Where the liability trade-off actually bites, the limits of limited liability, setup costs in Ontario and Alberta, and how to decide.
Where the corporate shield stops: director liability for unpaid wages, the statutory exceptions, and Alberta's unlimited liability corporation.
What drives federal incorporation cost up or down, what the filing fee does not cover, and how Ontario and Alberta compare.
What each Alberta name type actually is, when the NUANS step is skipped, and the objection risk a chosen name carries in practice.
What actually triggers extra-provincial registration, how Ontario and Alberta each handle it, and the reciprocal exception that skips the paperwork.
What actually changes when you incorporate, the signals that usually prompt the decision, and the federal-or-provincial choice that follows.
How self-filing works federally and in Ontario, why Alberta puts a registry agent in the way, and where legal advice still earns its fee.
What Alberta's default corporate rules leave unaddressed, when you clearly need an agreement, when you can skip it, and what must be unanimous.