Thinking about starting a business in Ontario? One of the first big decisions you'll make is whether to incorporate. This isn't just paperwork; it’s a foundational step that turns your idea into a distinct legal entity, separate from you, the owner. This separation opens up a world of protections and opportunities for growth.
Incorporating means you're formally registering your company with the government. Once you do, your business gets the same rights as a person—it can own property, sign contracts, and manage its own bank accounts.
Choosing to incorporate is a major strategic move that sets the stage for your company's future. For anyone trying to make a mark in Ontario's competitive market, it signals that you're moving from a side hustle to a serious, scalable enterprise. It creates a formal structure that can make all the difference when it comes to growing, hiring top talent, or getting funded.
The biggest win? Limited liability. This creates a legal wall between your business's debts and your personal assets. If the company ever faces financial trouble or legal issues, your home, car, and personal savings are safe. That peace of mind is priceless for any entrepreneur.
Incorporating offers a powerful set of advantages that go far beyond just protecting your personal assets. Here's a quick look at how it can give your business a serious leg up.
Ultimately, incorporating shows everyone that you're building a lasting enterprise, not just a temporary project.
Beyond just protecting your personal bank account, incorporation gives your business a huge credibility boost. Having an "Inc." or "Ltd." after your name projects an image of permanence and professionalism. This isn't just vanity; it can be the tipping point for clients, partners, and especially investors, who almost always require a corporate structure before they'll write a cheque.
But the advantages don't stop there. Formalizing your business unlocks some very practical perks:
Incorporating is one of the clearest signals you can send that your business is built for the long haul. It’s not just about legal protection; it's about setting the stage for significant growth and opportunity in a competitive economic environment like Ontario's.
When you decide to incorporate, you have two paths: register provincially under Ontario's Business Corporations Act (OBCA) or go federal under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA).
Provincial incorporation protects your business name only within Ontario, which is perfect if you plan to operate locally. Federal incorporation, on the other hand, protects your name across all of Canada—a must-have for businesses with national ambitions. You can dig deeper into the strategic differences by exploring the various advantages of incorporating in Canada.
The trend is clear: entrepreneurs are formalizing their businesses in record numbers. In 2023 alone, entrepreneurs established roughly 65,000 new corporations in Ontario. That figure is about 28% higher than it was just five years ago, according to Invest Ontario's business plan. This surge shows a strong preference for the security and benefits that come with incorporation.
Navigating the complexities of these options and the associated government paperwork can feel overwhelming. Start Right Now is designed to simplify this entire journey, walking you through each decision and automating the filing process. We handle the complexities so you can establish your corporation quickly and correctly, letting you get back to what you do best—building your business.
Before you can file any official paperwork, there are a few foundational decisions you need to lock in. These aren't just boxes to check; they're the very blueprint for your new company, shaping everything from your brand identity to your legal obligations.
Getting these details right from the outset is a huge deal. Trying to fix a poorly chosen name or a messy corporate structure down the road is a headache you don't want. It’s often complex and can get expensive fast.
The Start Right Now platform was built to make this process feel less like navigating a legal maze and more like a straightforward, guided path.
Picking a name is often the most exciting first step. In Ontario, you’ve got two main routes you can take.
If you go with a custom name, you have to prove it’s unique. This is where the NUANS (Newly Updated Automated Name Search) system comes into play. The government requires a NUANS report to ensure your proposed name isn't already taken or confusingly similar to another business name or trademark.
The name search is built right into the Start Right Now process. It checks availability in real-time and helps secure your choice, making it a much smoother and more reliable experience. For a deeper dive into this, check out our guide on getting a NUANS report in Ontario.
Next up: where will your corporation legally "live"? You need to decide whether to incorporate provincially in Ontario or federally across Canada. This decision really boils down to your business ambitions.
An Ontario incorporation is ideal for businesses focused on a local or regional market. It gives your name protection within the province and generally keeps compliance and paperwork a bit simpler.
A federal incorporation, on the other hand, protects your business name nationwide. This is the way to go if you have plans to operate in multiple provinces or see your business growing across the country from day one. It offers much broader brand protection, though you'll still need to register in each province where you have a physical presence.
This choice isn't set in stone forever, but it really dictates your initial path. Think about your five-year plan. If you see expansion beyond Ontario in your future, going federal now could save you from a major rebranding effort later.
The final piece of this pre-incorporation puzzle is outlining your company's internal rules in a document called the Articles of Incorporation. Think of this as the constitution for your business.
You'll need to define a few key things here:
These details can feel a bit technical, but they are absolutely essential for keeping your corporation compliant and running smoothly. The Start Right Now platform breaks each of these requirements down into simple, easy-to-answer questions. Based on your answers, our system automatically generates the official Articles of Incorporation, taking the guesswork out of the process.
Let's be honest, the old-school way of incorporating a business in Ontario can be a real headache. Manually drafting complex legal documents and navigating government websites is a recipe for frustration. A small mistake—like a typo in an address or a flawed share structure—can get your application rejected, causing delays and extra costs you didn't budget for.
This is exactly the problem we built Start Right Now to solve. We’ve replaced the confusing, paper-heavy process with a smart, simple online experience you can finish in minutes, right from your computer. Our platform guides you step-by-step, translating dense legal requirements into plain-language questions about your business.
You bring the vision; we handle the paperwork. Our system does the heavy lifting, automatically generating the compliant, ready-to-file documents for you.
The Articles of Incorporation are the heart of your new company. This is the document that officially defines your business name, its registered office, who the directors are, and how ownership is divided through shares. Getting this right isn't just a formality—it's the legal foundation for your company's future.
With Start Right Now, you don’t need a law degree to draft perfect Articles of Incorporation. Our platform walks you through every decision with helpful context.
As you complete the questionnaire, our platform generates the official government forms in real-time. This completely removes the risk of manual errors and guarantees your documents are formatted exactly the way the government needs them.
Once the documents are ready, they have to be filed with the government. This is another point where the process can stall. Doing it yourself can leave you in the dark, wondering about the status of your application and when you'll finally get your official certificate.
Start Right Now eliminates that guesswork. We don't just prepare your documents—we manage the entire filing process for you. Thanks to our direct integration with the Ontario Business Registry, your application is submitted securely the moment you give us the green light.
Entrepreneurs can get stuck for weeks trying to navigate government portals on their own. Start Right Now is designed to get your corporation approved and operational in a fraction of that time, often within just one or two business days.
The second your incorporation is approved, you get more than just a confirmation email. We deliver all of your critical corporate documents—including your official Certificate of Incorporation—to a secure online dashboard. Everything is organized, always accessible, and ready for you to take the next steps, like opening a business bank account or applying for financing. It's simply the fastest, most reliable way of incorporating a business in Ontario.
Congratulations, your business is officially incorporated! It’s a huge milestone, and it's tempting to jump straight into operations. But receiving your Certificate of Incorporation is the starting line, not the finish line.
Now the real work of maintaining your corporation’s legal standing begins. Think of it like this: you’ve built the car, but now you need to keep it fuelled, registered, and properly maintained to stay on the road.
These next steps aren't just suggestions; they are non-negotiable legal requirements. They ensure your company stays in "good standing" and, most importantly, protect the limited liability you just worked so hard to get.
First things first: you need to organize your company's official records. This isn’t just about tidy bookkeeping; it’s a legal mandate under the Ontario Business Corporations Act (OBCA). All your foundational documents must be kept in what’s known as a corporate minute book.
This minute book is the official biography of your company. It must contain:
These records are absolutely vital. You'll need them for audits, legal proceedings, or due diligence if you ever decide to look for investors or sell the business. An incomplete minute book is a huge red flag and can cause serious headaches down the line.
A well-kept minute book proves your corporation is a legitimate, separate legal entity. If you neglect it, you risk "piercing the corporate veil," which could expose your personal assets to business debts—completely undoing the main reason you incorporated in the first place.
Building and updating a physical minute book is an old-school, cumbersome process. That's why Start Right Now provides a secure, digital minute book with every incorporation. Your essential documents are organized and accessible from day one, making compliance simple.
With the paperwork filed, it’s time to bring your corporation to life. This happens through a series of initial meetings where you make foundational decisions and formally record them.
The first directors will meet to appoint officers (like a President or Secretary), approve the corporate by-laws, authorize the opening of a company bank account, and formally issue shares to the founders. Every one of these actions is documented through written resolutions that go straight into your minute book.
Issuing shares is the step that makes ownership official. Each shareholder gets a share certificate representing their piece of the company. If you skip this, then on paper, nobody actually owns the corporation yet.
Now that your corporate structure is in place, you need to register with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Your corporation is its own taxable entity and needs a separate tax identity from you personally.
The key to this is the Business Number (BN)—a nine-digit identifier the CRA uses for everything tax-related. Once you have your BN, you can register for specific program accounts, including:
As part of our service, Start Right Now helps you secure your Business Number and essential CRA accounts right after incorporation, ensuring you're tax-ready from the get-go and avoiding the slow and confusing process of dealing with the CRA's portal directly.
Staying compliant isn't a one-and-done deal. Every year, your Ontario corporation has ongoing duties to keep its registration active and in good standing with the government.
This is more important than ever. Between 2015 and 2025, Ontario’s annual incorporations shot up by over 40%, with around 65,000 new corporations formed in 2023 alone. As noted in the Ontario Chamber of Commerce's 2025 Economic Report, these businesses fuel our economy, with 46% of companies expecting to grow—a confidence often tied to the stability of being incorporated.
Your most important annual task is filing the Annual Information Return. This filing simply confirms or updates key details about your corporation, like its official address and list of directors. For a full rundown, check out our guide on the Annual Information Return in Ontario.
Miss this deadline, and you could face penalties or even have the government dissolve your corporation against your will. To make sure that never happens, Start Right Now provides automated reminders for your annual filings, acting as your long-term compliance partner so you never miss a critical deadline.
When you decide to incorporate a business in Ontario, you're making a move that goes far beyond just protecting your personal assets. It's not simply a legal box to tick; it's a strategic decision that plugs your business directly into the province's economic engine, setting you up for real growth and impact.
Think about it: incorporated businesses are the foundation of Ontario's most powerful industries. From the tech hubs in Toronto and Waterloo to the advanced manufacturing centres in the southwest, corporations are the ones pushing innovation, creating high-quality jobs, and attracting serious investment. They provide a stable, credible structure that big partners, investors, and government agencies want to see before they'll even consider working with you.
Ontario's economy is a giant, and incorporated businesses are what keep it moving. This formal structure gives companies the stability and scalability they need to compete not just locally, but nationally and even globally. These are the businesses that hire at scale, pour money into R&D, and build lasting infrastructure.
You see it everywhere:
By incorporating, your business officially joins this powerful ecosystem. You're no longer just a sole proprietor with an idea; you're a recognized entity ready to contribute to—and benefit from—Ontario's economic momentum.
One of the biggest game-changers that comes with incorporation is access to capital. For many investors and funding programs, a corporate structure isn't just a "nice-to-have"—it's an absolute must.
Venture capitalists, angel investors, and government grant agencies need a formal entity to write a cheque to. They need to be able to buy shares, potentially take a seat on the board, and feel confident in your company's legal and financial setup. A sole proprietorship just doesn't offer that kind of security or structure.
Incorporation is the key that unlocks growth capital. It turns your business from a personal project into an investable asset, ready to attract the funding you need to innovate, scale, and make a real difference.
This access to funding is what fuels the whole innovation cycle. It's how a brilliant idea becomes a prototype, a prototype becomes a product, and a product becomes a company that employs hundreds. Using a platform like Start Right Now is a huge advantage here—it cuts through the red tape, letting you focus on the innovation that actually drives your business.
Every time an entrepreneur incorporates, they're laying the foundation for future jobs. As that newly incorporated business gets funding and starts to grow, it needs to hire people. It brings on developers, marketers, accountants, and operations staff, creating a ripple effect that strengthens the entire community.
The numbers tell the story. Ontario is home to over 22,000 high-tech firms, which together contribute a staggering CAD 53 billion to the provincial GDP. For 2025, Invest Ontario set a goal to bring in CAD 3.9 billion in new investments and help create 3,700 new jobs each year in sectors where incorporation is the norm. In fact, incorporated businesses were a major force behind the 59,200 net new jobs added in the first quarter of 2025, especially in manufacturing and professional services. You can dig into these trends yourself by checking out Ontario's economic outlook.
When you use Start Right Now to incorporate, you’re taking a decisive step to join this economic force. It's more than a legal task; it's a statement that your business is ready to grow, contribute, and become a part of Ontario's success story. You're not just building a company—you're helping build a stronger province.
Even with a step-by-step guide in hand, it's completely normal to have a few questions pop up when you're incorporating a business in Ontario. I see entrepreneurs ask about everything from timelines to legal roles, so let's clear up some of the most common ones.
Getting these details right is a key part of the process, but it shouldn't feel overwhelming. Platforms like Start Right Now are designed to handle these complexities for you, often answering the questions before you even think to ask them.
This is usually the first thing everyone wants to know: "How fast can I get this done?" The answer is, with Start Right Now, you can get your entire application prepared and filed in just a few minutes. We're directly connected to the Ontario Business Registry, so your submission is instant. You’ll typically get your official Certificate of Incorporation and all your digital corporate documents back within one to two business days. We even give you real-time updates so you're never left guessing.
This is a stark contrast to attempting the process through government portals yourself, which can take hours or even days and is prone to errors that cause frustrating delays. Start Right Now is the fastest, most reliable way to incorporate in Ontario.
This is a classic point of confusion for new founders, but the roles are actually very different. I like to use a sports team analogy to explain it.
Directors are the coaching staff. They are elected by the owners (the shareholders) to run the company day-to-day and make the big strategic plays. They're responsible for the overall governance and steering the ship.
Shareholders are the team owners. They own shares in the corporation, which is their piece of the pie. Their main power comes from voting on major decisions, like electing the directors or approving a big change to the company's structure.
For most small businesses and startups, the founder is usually both the director and the sole shareholder. You’re wearing both the coach’s hat and the owner’s hat, and that's perfectly normal.
Not necessarily. While you can always bring in a lawyer for really complex business structures or if you need a custom shareholder agreement, a lawyer is not required for a standard incorporation in Ontario. The process is much more accessible now, especially with modern online tools.
Platforms like Start Right Now are built to handle this exact task, removing the need for costly legal help. Our guided system walks you through every step, ensuring you meet all the legal requirements under the Ontario Business Corporations Act.
We automatically generate all the standard legal documents you need—from the Articles of Incorporation to the initial resolutions—based on the simple information you provide. It’s a way to save a ton on legal fees while knowing your filing is accurate, compliant, and done right the first time.
Yes, you absolutely can. Non-residents are welcome to incorporate a business in Ontario, but there’s a key rule you have to follow when it comes to who is on your board of directors.
The Ontario Business Corporations Act (OBCA) has a residency requirement. The rule is that at least 25% of your corporation's directors must be resident Canadians.
If you have a smaller board with fewer than four directors, it's even simpler: at least one director must be a resident Canadian. A "resident Canadian" is defined as a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident who actually lives in Canada.
This is a critical detail that's easy to miss. The Start Right Now platform has checks built right in to make sure your director info meets this rule before you file, which saves you from a potential rejection and delays.
Ready to launch without the guesswork? With Start Right Now, you can incorporate your Ontario business in minutes, get your official documents quickly, and access all the tools you need to stay compliant and grow. Launch your business today at StartRightNow.co.
