We’ve had a lot of requests over the summer about how to open a business number or GST number with CRA. So here’s a step-by-step of the process:
1. Go to CRA’s online “Register a business” and click “Register” https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/registering-your-business/register.html
2. Enter your SIN # details and click “Next”;
3. At this landing page, enter your last name, DOB, and Postal Code, click the “Accept the Terms” box, and click Next;
4. Enter your phone information and click “Next”;
5. Select “I need a business number” and click “Next”;
6. Select the appropriate box for your business. For unincorporated businesses, choose “Business – Sole Proprietorship”. For a new corporation, choose “Business – Corporation”. For a nanny/payroll account, choose “Domestic worker”. **For this example, we are going to choose a Sole Proprietorship**
7. Fill out the owner contact info and click “Next”;
8. Fill out the general business info and click “Next”;
9. Fill out some address information and click “Next”;
10.Fill out some more address information and click “Next”;
11.Complete the “Business Activity” information, which is simply some basic information about what the business does, as well as what products/services the business offers;
12.**This is the last step of basic registration – Make sure all the info is correct at this point** Confirm the information that CRA has on file and click “Confirm”;
13.Congratulations, you now have a business number (Fun Fact: In the tax world, this is known as your “RC” number.) You may now need to register some extra accounts, like GST (“RT” number) or Payroll (“RP” number), so click the “Register CRA accounts for this business”;
14.Confirm SIN # info and click “Confirm”;
15.Select the accounts you want to register (Typically either GST or Payroll) and provide the information required by CRA.
This is the of the road for this walk-through, but finishing things up from here should be fairly straight-forward. As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact us for help.
Usual Disclaimer: This information is for general information purposes only, and deals with complicated and time-sensitive info that may not apply to your situation. Tax rules are always changing, and this information may not be current. Tax is complicated, this information is not tax advice, and don’t rely on this info to make tax decisions – Hire someone to help you.