Guide · Starting a business
Registering a business name
in Ontario, step by step.
If you trade under any name other than your own legal name, Ontario expects you to register it. The process is online, cheap and quick. The step worth adding is checking whether the matching domain name and social handles are free before they pay, and that is the part that costs money to fix later. Fees below are as of September 2026.
Published 2026-09-21 · Formory Group
The short answer.
A sole proprietor or general partnership registers a business name through the Ontario Business Registry. The fee is $60. The registration lasts five years, and renewing costs the same $60. Cancelling a sole proprietorship registration is free.
Incorporating is a different transaction. Registering an Ontario business corporation costs $300 and needs an Ontario-biased NUANS name search report, unless you choose a numbered name. Incorporating federally online through Corporations Canada costs $200.
Before you pay for any of it, spend ten minutes checking the domain and social handles. The registry will happily accept a name whose .ca domain belongs to someone else.
Who has to register.
The rule is in section 2 of the Business Names Act. An individual may not carry on business or identify the business to the public under a name other than their own unless that name is registered. Partners must register the firm name, unless the name is made up only of the partners' names. A corporation that trades under anything other than its corporate name must register that name too.
The federal government's business naming guide gives the plain case: a sole proprietor operating under their legal name, for example Jane Doe, generally does not need to register. Once the name becomes Jane Doe Plumbing or North Shore Plumbing, you are using a name other than your own, and you should register it.
A practical test: if the name appears on your truck, your invoices, your website or your Google listing, and it is not exactly your legal name, register it.
How to do it online.
You sign in to the Ontario Business Registry with an Ontario.ca login. Ontario's registration page suggests searching the registry first, which is free, to see whether the name is already in use. Then you fill in the registration, pay the $60 and receive your Business Identification Number, which is separate from the federal Business Number you get from the CRA.
Section 4 of the Act makes the registration effective for five years from the date the Registrar accepts it. Put the expiry date in your calendar now. Renewal costs the same as a new registration, according to Ontario's fee page.
What registration does not give you.
It does not give you the name. FedDev Ontario's guide to naming your business is direct about it: a sole proprietorship, partnership or trade name registered in Ontario receives no name protection. Another business can register something similar.
If the name matters to you, a registered trademark is the tool. Canada.ca notes a trademark registration gives exclusive rights across Canada for 15 years and can be renewed indefinitely. For a one-person trade business that is often more than you need in year one. It is worth knowing about before you print signage.
What happens if you skip it.
Two consequences in the Act matter. Under section 7, a business operating with an unregistered name cannot bring a court case connected with that business without the court's permission. That is a real problem when a customer refuses to pay and you want to go to Small Claims Court. The court must grant leave if the failure was inadvertent, nobody was misled and you have since complied, but you are now arguing a side issue first.
Under section 10, carrying on business in breach of the registration rule is an offence, with a fine of up to $2,000 for an individual and up to $25,000 for a corporation. Contracts you signed stay valid either way.
Sole proprietorship or incorporation.
The name registration is the cheap, simple start. Incorporation costs more to set up and maintain: an Ontario corporation files an annual return within six months of its fiscal year-end, and a federal corporation pays $12 to file its annual return online, according to Corporations Canada. In exchange, the corporate name is protected as part of incorporation.
The tax and liability reasons to incorporate are a conversation for your accountant, not for a name decision. What matters here: if you think you will incorporate within a year or two, choose a name you can incorporate under, and run the NUANS search when you get there. Section 2(6) of the Act also requires a corporation using a registered business name to show both names on contracts and invoices.
Check the domain and handles first.
Your name will live in more places than the registry: the domain, your email address, Instagram and Facebook handles, and your Google Business Profile. Before you register, check that the .ca and .com domains are available, or that you can live with the version that is. A .ca needs a Canadian connection; CIRA's Canadian Presence Requirements cover citizens, permanent residents and Canadian organizations. Buy the domain in your own account, not your nephew's or your web designer's; getting it back later is a headache you can avoid.
Keep the name identical everywhere. Google's Business Profile guidelines say your listing name should reflect the real-world name used on your storefront, website and stationery, without added keywords. A registered name of Doe Plumbing, a website saying Doe Plumbing and Heating Toronto, and a listing called Best Plumber GTA is exactly the mismatch those rules are written against. Our Google Business Profile setup guide covers the rest.
Once the domain is yours, use it for email too. A plumber writing from a Gmail address looks like a side job; see our comparison of Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
This is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, ask ServiceOntario or a business lawyer.
Sources.
- Ontario Business Registry: all services and fees
- Register your business online, Ontario
- Business Names Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. B.17
- Choosing a business name, Canada.ca
- Naming your business, FedDev Ontario
- Corporations Canada: services, fees and processing times
- CIRA Canadian Presence Requirements
- Google Business Profile guidelines
Questions
What people ask us.
Do I need to register my business name if I use my own name?
Generally no, if you use your legal name alone, such as Jane Doe. Once you add words like Plumbing or Renovations, you are using a name other than your own and should register it.
How much does it cost to register a business name in Ontario?
As of September 2026, $60 for a sole proprietorship or general partnership. The registration lasts five years and renewal also costs $60.
Does registering a business name protect it?
No. A sole proprietorship, partnership or trade name registered in Ontario receives no name protection. Incorporation protects the corporate name, and a trademark gives exclusive rights across Canada.
Can I register a business name and incorporate later?
Yes. Many owners start as a sole proprietor and incorporate later. An Ontario incorporation costs $300 and needs an Ontario-biased NUANS report unless you use a numbered name.
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