Pay Corporations Canada filing fees

According to the Corporations Canada fee table, incorporating a business corporation online costs C$200 and is processed in one business day; express service, for C$100 more, cuts that to four business hours. The annual return costs C$12 online. Amending the articles to change the corporate name online costs C$200, and a certificate of compliance or existence is C$10 online (C$20 by email or mail). Check the current figures on canada.ca before you file, because the schedule is revised from time to time.

Online payments are made by credit card — Corporations Canada lists Visa, Mastercard and American Express. If you file by email or mail instead, do not put card details in the message: give a contact name and phone number, and Corporations Canada calls that person to take the card. The fees are in Canadian dollars, while a Mehbit card is funded in US dollars, so the amount that leaves the card is the fee converted at the rate on the day — top up a little more than the fee.

Read the refund rule before you pay: Corporations Canada says that once a payment for an online transaction has been processed, no refund is possible. Double-check the corporate name, the articles and every director’s details before you submit, because a mistake can mean paying the fee again.

Every federal corporation must file an annual return each year, within 60 days of its anniversary date. Filing keeps the company in good standing and avoids the risk of administrative dissolution. The annual return is not the corporation’s tax return, which goes to the Canada Revenue Agency. Information on individuals with significant control is filed at the same time, and changes to that register have to be reported within 15 days. To file, you need access to the corporation online or its corporation key.

Paying the fee is only one part of incorporating. Corporations Canada requires a registered office address in Canada, in the province or territory named in the articles, and it cannot be a post office box. Ordinarily at least 25% of the directors must be resident Canadians, and if there are fewer than four directors, at least one must be. This page describes the payment step only — for questions about your own corporation’s obligations, rely on Corporations Canada guidance or a qualified adviser.