Are you a corporation in Canada?
Do you know that you must file an annual information return every year? It’s important to do this so that the government can keep track of your business and understand the ownership and management.
The first thing you need to do is figure out which type of return you need to file. This depends on where your business is registered and what kind of business you have. Each province or territory has its own rules about this; you can find out more information on the websites below.
Once you know which form you need to file, you can go ahead and fill it out and pay the fee charged by the government office in relation to the jurisdiction. The form will ask you for some basic information about your business, such as its name, address, as well as other information about ownership.
It’s important to file your annual information return on time. The deadline for filing varies depending on the type of return and the province or territory, but it is usually within 60 days to 6 months.
Filing an annual information return is an important part of running a business in Canada.
*As most of our Canadian clients in the past were in Ontario, we want to especially note the changes in 2021. You will see a bit more about these changes below. Before that time, Accountants 2.0 (and SRT Accounting) would file your information return with your tax return, until this was removed as a possibility in that change. Since then, business owners were left to do this for themselves manually. The expectation was for business owners to stay up to date with information about corporate requirements, as these changes were publicized heavily, as we still see business owners not understanding, or not being aware of these changes, we felt it necessary to post about it and provide it as a resource in their client tasks.
At Accountants 2.0, we are trying to help you in your requirements by adding a task in your annual workflows to remind you of your requirements, but please mark this in your own calendars when you find out your requirements through the below links. We have seen that so many Corporations have not been keeping up their corporate information, so we thought we could help.
We know this is difficult for many to do themselves, so we have listed some resources below to service you if you would prefer to have it done by a legal professional, or registration service. You of course can always work with your current legal service provider instead.
Here are the links to the relevant websites where you can learn more about the annual information return requirements based on the jurisdiction that you are incorporated in:
1. Federal Annual Information Return for Corporations:
https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/corporations-canada/en/annual-return-business-corporations
2. Alberta Annual Information Return for Corporations:
https://www.alberta.ca/corporations-cooperatives-organizations-annual-returns.aspx
3. British Columbia Annual Report for Corporations:
https://www.corporateonline.gov.bc.ca/WebHelp/overview_annbc.htm
4. Manitoba Annual Return for Corporations:
http://www.companiesoffice.gov.mb.ca/updating_manitoba_corporation.html
5. New Brunswick Annual Return for Corporations:
https://www2.snb.ca/content/snb/en/sites/corporate-registry/forms_information.html
6. Newfoundland and Labrador Annual Return for Corporations:
https://www.gov.nl.ca/dgsnl/registries/companies/annual-returns/
7. Northwest Territories Annual Return for Corporations:
https://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/en/nwt-corporations/
8. Nova Scotia Annual Return for Corporations:
https://beta.novascotia.ca/renew-business-or-non-profit-registration-registry-joint-stock-companies
9. Nunavut Annual Return for Corporations:
http://nunavutlegalregistries.ca/cr_index_en.shtml
10. Ontario Annual Return for Corporations:
Effective October 19, 2021, Ontario corporations must register and file their annual returns (not a tax return, but rather, an informational return) using the Ontario Business Registry system. This is separate from the annual Corporate Income Tax Return filing that must also be completed for a corporation (usually handled by an accountant).
Prior to October 19, 2021, Ontario corporations filed their annual returns in conjunction with their Corporate Income Tax Returns (i.e. when the Corporate Tax Return was filed, the annual return was filed automatically).
The Corporations Information Act Annual Return for Ontario Corporations is an annual submission disclosing basic non-financial information about an Ontario corporation (i.e. address, directors, officers) and is due six months after the year-end date of the corporation.
There is a lot of confusion regarding these filings as access by accountants and lawyers has been limited, leaving corporate owners/directors/officers to file on their own.
You can use the link below to self report with the province of Ontario.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-business-registry
11. Prince Edward Island Annual Return for Corporations:
12. Quebec Annual Updating Declaration for Corporations:
https://www.registreentreprises.gouv.qc.ca/en/modifier/mettre_a_jour/declaration_annuelle.aspx
13. Saskatchewan Annual Return for Corporations:
14. Yukon Annual Return for Corporations:
https://yukon.ca/en/file-annual-return-yukon-corporation
Goodlawyer is proud to partner with the good folks at Accountants 2.0. Members of their community get one free Micro Service and $150 off Goodlawyer Pro Annual memberships. Your discount codes will automatically be applied at checkout.
https://www.goodlawyer.ca/partner/srt-accounting
Ownr is a leader in incorporations for selective jurisdictions, and allow for the ability to manage your corporation compliance, including information return and minute book through the platform. Accountants 2.0 clients are subject to discounts on selected services through the link below.
https://partners.ownr.co/36r924l4r5ft