Ontario Business Name Registration, the Document Once Called a Master Business Licence

Register your Ontario business name with a CPA firm that will first tell you whether you should be incorporating instead. Ontario now issues a business name registration in place of the old Master Business Licence. It costs $60, lasts five years, gives you no ownership of the name and creates no company. We pass the $60 through at cost as its own line. If a corporation is the better answer, we say so before you pay anything. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.

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Business Name Registration in Ontario, Explained Before You Pay

If a bank, landlord or general contractor has asked you for a Master Business Licence, what they need today is your business name registration and its nine-digit Business Identification Number. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.

A registration is cheap, but it only records the name you trade under. It does not stop anyone else using the name and it does not separate you from your business. A Chartered Professional Accountant checks your numbers first and tells you plainly if a corporation, at $335.00 in total with us, would serve you better.

Start on the Intake Form See Pricing

$60 Registry Fee

The Ontario Business Registry charges $60 for a sole proprietorship or partnership name, passed through at cost.

Processed Immediately Online

An online registration is processed straight away.

Register or Incorporate

A CPA tells you which one your numbers point to before anything is filed.

Actively Accepting New Registrations

Sole proprietors, partnerships and corporations adding a trade name.

Open Evenings and Weekends

9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday, from 13 Ontario offices and online.

Always Within Reach

Call 647-212-9559. We do not bill for calls while your registration is in progress.

Business Name Registration Services

A Chartered Professional Accountant reviews whether a business name registration is the right filing at all, and tells you plainly when incorporating is the better answer.
Confirmation of whether you must register under the Business Names Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. B.17.
Where you already own a corporation, a written answer on whether your trading name needs its own registration.
A search of the Ontario Business Registry for identical and closely similar names, with a written note on any conflict.
A written warning where your name resembles a registered trademark.
Preparation and filing of the registration, with the business activity described the way you actually work.
Your registration confirmation, nine-digit Business Identification Number and company key by email, with a note on keeping the key private.
A written note of your expiry date five years out, and when the renewal window opens and closes.
Your Canada Revenue Agency business number and only the program accounts you need: RT for HST, RP for payroll and RM for import and export.
A written answer on HST against the $30,000 small supplier threshold.
A plain statement in your file that the registration gives no exclusive right to the name and creates no separate legal entity.
Your questions answered by phone and email while the registration is in progress. We do not bill for calls.

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What an Ontario business name registration actually is

A name recorded on a public register, not a company and not a licence to operate

A business name registration records who is trading under a name. It is not a company, and it is not permission to run a particular kind of business.

What the Ontario Business Registry issues today

You receive a business name registration confirmation from the Ontario Business Registry.

Your nine-digit Business Identification Number and your company key

Each registration gets a nine-digit Business Identification Number (BIN) and a company key. The company key controls changes to the registration, so keep it private.

Why the Master Business Licence no longer exists under that name

The Ontario Business Registry replaced the old ServiceOntario process on 19 October 2021

When the Ontario Business Registry launched on 19 October 2021, the document once called a Master Business Licence became the business name registration.

What to say to a bank, a landlord or a general contractor that still asks for an MBL

Give them your business name registration confirmation and your Business Identification Number. That is the same document under its current name.

Why provincial guidance still uses the phrase “formerly known as a Master Business Licence”

Ontario’s own pages still use the old name, because so many people search for it and ask for it.

Who has to register a business name in Ontario

Sole proprietors trading under anything other than their own full legal name

Subsection 2(2) of the Business Names Act requires an individual to register any name other than their own. See registering a sole proprietorship in Ontario.

General partnerships and limited liability partnerships

Partnerships register the name they trade under, and the same $60 fee and five-year term apply.

Corporations carrying on business under a name other than their exact corporate name

Subsection 2(1) says a corporation must not carry on business or identify itself to the public under any name other than its corporate name unless that name is registered.

The own-name exemption, and how adding two words removes it

Trading as Priya Sharma needs no registration. Trading as Priya Sharma Design does.

Registering a trade name for a corporation you already own

Why your corporate name and your operating name are two different things

1234567 Ontario Inc. is the legal name. Riverside Landscaping is the name customers see. The second one must be registered.

When a second brand under one corporation needs a second registration

Each different name the corporation trades under needs its own registration. No second corporation is created.

How the trade name appears on invoices, contracts, signage and your bank account

Subsection 2(6) of the Business Names Act requires a corporation trading under a registered name to show both the registered name and its corporate name on contracts, invoices, negotiable instruments and orders.

What happens to the trade name if the corporation is dissolved or amalgamated

The registration belongs to the corporation, so it goes with the corporation. Review it at any dissolution or amalgamation.

The five-year term and the renewal nobody diarises

The registration expires five years after it is filed

Subsection 4(1.1) of the Business Names Act makes a registration effective for five years from the date it is accepted.

The renewal window, six months before expiry through to 60 days after expiry

Ontario states that you can renew from six months before the expiry date until 60 days after it.

What happens after day 60, and the new Business Identification Number you are forced to take

After 60 days you cannot renew. You register the same name again and receive a new Business Identification Number and a new company key, which your bank and suppliers then need.

The amended registration you file when an address or business activity changes

Changes are filed as an amended registration. Ontario charges no fee to amend or cancel online.

What an Ontario business name registration costs

The $60 government fee charged through the Ontario Business Registry

The Ontario Business Registry charges $60 to register a business name for a sole proprietorship or partnership, online or by mail.

The $60 renewal fee five years later

Renewal is a fresh filing at the same $60.

Our service fee, shown as its own separate line

Our service fee is confirmed to you in writing before anything is filed, and it is always shown separately from the government fee. See every fee, ours and the registry’s, in one table.

A business name registration gives you no name protection

Two unrelated businesses may hold identical registered names in Ontario

The register records who is trading under a name, not who owns it, so duplicates can exist.

Registration is a public record of who is trading, not a right of ownership

A registration gives you no exclusive right to the name and no way to stop someone else using it.

Where real name protection comes from, being a registered trademark under the Trademarks Act

Exclusive rights come from a registered trademark through the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, which is a separate process.

What a registry search tells you, and the three things it does not

A search shows names already on the Ontario register. It does not show unregistered names in use, it does not clear trademarks, and it does not cover other provinces. Incorporating under a name cleared by an Ontario-biased NUANS report gives a corporate name real protection on the register.

A business name registration creates no separate legal entity

A sole proprietor stays personally liable for every debt and every claim

A creditor suing your registered name is suing you. Your savings and your home are within reach.

A registered trade name does not create a second company beside your corporation

The corporation remains the only legal person. The trade name is just another name for it.

What this means when you sign a contract, a lease or a personal guarantee

Sign as the person or corporation that actually exists, and show both names where the Act requires it.

Business name registration set against incorporation

Cost, term and renewal compared

A registration costs $60 and expires every five years. An Ontario corporation costs $335.00 in total with us and never expires, but files an annual return and a T2 each year.

Liability, name protection and taxation compared

A registration gives no liability protection, no name protection and taxes all profit at personal rates. A corporation limits liability, protects its corporate name on the register, and can claim the small business deduction.

The point at which a $35.00 incorporation is plainly the better answer

Once profit exceeds what you need to draw, or once a lease, an employee or a big contract appears. Incorporate in Ontario for $35.00 plus the $300 registry fee, and see what is due after your certificate arrives.

How we prepare and file your registration

The intake form and the CPA structure review that comes before any filing

You complete the intake form. A CPA answers the register-or-incorporate question first.

The registry search and the written trademark warning

We search the Ontario Business Registry and tell you in writing about any conflict or trademark risk.

Filing, your registration confirmation, and your Canada Revenue Agency business number

We file online, send your confirmation, BIN and company key, and open your business number. See HST return filing at Gondaliya CPA.

Free Business Name Consultation

Case Studies: Register or Incorporate

Scarborough Cleaner – The MBL the Bank Wanted

The problem: A Scarborough cleaner was asked by the bank for a Master Business Licence and could not find where to get one.

What we did: We explained it is now a business name registration, registered the name for $60, and sent the confirmation and Business Identification Number.

The result:

Bank account opened
Expiry date in writing
HST position explained

Vaughan Corporation – A Second Brand

The problem: A Vaughan numbered corporation wanted to sell under a new brand name without incorporating again.

What we did: We registered the brand as a trade name of the existing corporation and showed how both names must appear on invoices and contracts.

The result:

No second corporation needed
Both names on invoices
Renewal diarised

Hamilton Contractor – Incorporate Instead

The problem: A Hamilton contractor asked for a business name, but was about to sign a large subcontract.

What we did: We explained a registration gives no liability protection and incorporated in Ontario instead for $335.00 in total.

The result:

Corporation, not a registration
Contract signed by the company
Personal assets separated

Start on the Intake Form

Simple Process

How to Register a Business Name

Start Your Registration See Pricing

Here is how a registration runs with us, from the first question to the confirmation in your inbox.

Step 1

Intake and CPA Review

Complete the intake form. A CPA confirms whether to register or incorporate.

Step 2

Name Search

We search the Ontario Business Registry and write up any conflict or trademark risk.

Step 3

Registration Filed

We file online the same day you approve it. Online filings are processed immediately.

Step 4

BIN, Key and Calendar

We send your confirmation, BIN and company key, open your business number and set your renewal dates.

Why Choose Open Corporation for $35 for a Business Name Registration?

Accurate and Compliant Filing

Registrations prepared under the Business Names Act and checked against the registry before they are filed.

Affordable, Fixed Pricing

Our fee confirmed in writing first, and the $60 government fee at cost on its own line. A 60-day fee-matching policy backs it.

Planned Around Your Tax

HST, business number and renewal dates set out before you start trading.

Support After Filing

The parent firm keeps the books, files HST and payroll, and prepares the T2 and annual return when you need it.

Our Official Partners

Transparent Pricing – No Hidden Fees

Our service fee is confirmed to you in writing before anything is filed. Government fees are passed on exactly as the registry charges them. See every fee, ours and the registry’s, in one table.

Item	Amount	HST	Total	Who charges it
Government fee: business name registration for a sole proprietorship or partnership, filed online	$60.00	Not applicable	$60.00	Ontario Business Registry
Government fee: the same registration filed by mail	$60.00	Not applicable	$60.00	Ontario Business Registry
Government fee: renewal at the end of the five-year term	$60.00	Not applicable	$60.00	Ontario Business Registry
Government fee: amendment or cancellation, filed online	$0.00	Not applicable	$0.00	Ontario Business Registry
Government fee: business name registration for a corporation’s trade name	Confirmed in writing before filing	Not applicable	Confirmed in writing before filing	Ontario Business Registry
Business number and RT, RP and RM program accounts	$0.00	Not applicable	$0.00	Canada Revenue Agency
Alternative: our incorporation fee	$35.00	Included	$35.00	Open Corporation for $35, a department of Gondaliya CPA
Alternative: Articles of Incorporation, Ontario, filed online	$300.00	Not applicable	$300.00	Ontario Business Registry
Total to incorporate in Ontario instead, with no five-year expiry	$335.00	Included in our $35.00	$335.00	Us and the Ontario Business Registry, as two separate lines

Every 2026 government registry fee in one table.

What Is Not Included

The $60 government registration fee, payable to the Ontario Business Registry.
The $60 renewal in five years. We give you the date; renewing stays your responsibility.
Any exclusive right to the name.
Any limited liability. A registration does not separate you from the business.
Trademark clearance or any application to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
Incorporation, the minute book and corporate registers. Those are separate engagements.
Bookkeeping, HST returns, Form T2125, your T1 and any T2 return.
Legal advice. We are a CPA firm, not a law firm.
Municipal licences, zoning, home occupation permits and trade licences.
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board registration and employment standards obligations.
Registration in any province other than Ontario.

How Long Each Stage Takes

Stage	Who	Time
CPA confirms whether to register or incorporate	Us	1 business day
Registry searched and result written up	Us	1 business day
Registration drafted and sent for approval	Us	1 business day
Registration submitted	Us	Same day as your approval
Registration processed, filed online	Ontario Business Registry	Immediate (registry stated)
Registration processed, filed by mail	Ontario Business Registry	15 business days (registry stated)
Confirmation, BIN, company key and expiry calendar sent	Us	1 business day after the registry confirms

Before Anything Is Filed

What a CPA Checks Before You Incorporate

Start Your Intake Form

Most people on this page are about to spend $60 on the wrong problem, so we look at the numbers first.

Check 1

Expected profit

If profit will exceed what you need to draw, a corporation usually wins.

Check 2

Family and shares

A registration cannot split income. A corporation can, subject to tax on split income rules.

Check 3

Year end

A sole proprietor generally uses 31 December. A corporation can pick any first year end within 53 weeks.

Check 4

HST

The $30,000 small supplier threshold, and whether registering early is worth it.

Check 5

Regulated professions

A trade name will not satisfy a college that requires a professional corporation.

Check 6

Moving across

Whether a section 85 rollover moves an existing business into a corporation without a gain.

Ready to Register or Incorporate the Right Way?

A CPA tells you whether to register a business name or incorporate, and we file the same day you approve.

Start on the Intake Form Book Your Consultation

Business Name Registration Across Ontario

Business name registrations are filed online, so you never need to visit. When you want to meet, our offices are open 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday, on 647-212-9559.

Toronto (ON)

55 Queen St E Ste 1205, Toronto, ON M5C 1R6

Mississauga (ON)

2100 Camilla Rd #716, Mississauga, ON L5A 2J8

Brampton (ON)

4 Starhill Crescent, Brampton, ON L6R 2P9

Scarborough (ON)

24 Clementine Square, Scarborough, ON M1G 2V7

Vaughan (ON)

19 Cabinet Crescent, Woodbridge, ON L4L 6H9

Oshawa (ON)

210 Durham St, Oshawa, ON L1J 5R3

Ottawa (ON)

2090 Neepawa Ave a314, Ottawa, ON K2A 3L6

Etobicoke (ON)

60 Stevenson Rd #1601, Etobicoke, ON M9V 2B4

Hamilton (ON)

70 Starling Dr, Hamilton, ON L9A 0C5

Guelph (ON)

1155 Gordon St, Guelph, ON N1L 1S8

Windsor (ON)

4387 Guppy Ct, Windsor, ON N9G 2N8

North York (ON)

150 Graydon Hall Dr #912, North York, ON M3A 3B2

Cities we serve remotely

Remote incorporation inCalgary Remote incorporation inVancouver Remote incorporation inEdmonton Remote incorporation inMontreal Remote incorporation inWinnipeg Remote incorporation inLondon Remote incorporation inKitchener-Waterloo Remote incorporation inBarrie Remote incorporation inKingston Remote incorporation inHalifax Remote incorporation inRegina Remote incorporation inSaskatoon Remote incorporation inSurrey

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Industries We Help Start in Ontario

Physicians

Dentists

Real Estate Agents (PREC)

IT Consultants

Restaurants and Food Trucks

Franchise Owners

E-commerce and Amazon Sellers

Manufacturing

Grocery and Convenience Stores

Import and Export

View All Industries

Business Name Registration FAQs

Is a Master Business Licence still issued in Ontario?

No. Since the Ontario Business Registry launched on 19 October 2021, what you receive is a business name registration confirmation. Ontario’s own guidance still describes it as formerly known as a Master Business Licence. If someone asks for an MBL, give them your registration confirmation and your nine-digit Business Identification Number.

How long does an Ontario business name registration last?

Five years. Subsection 4(1.1) of the Business Names Act makes a registration effective for five years from the date it is accepted. You can renew from six months before expiry until 60 days after. The province does not chase you, so put the date in your calendar.

How much does it cost to register a business name in Ontario?

The Ontario Business Registry charges $60 to register a business name for a sole proprietorship or partnership, online or by mail, and $60 to renew it five years later. Amending or cancelling online costs nothing. Our service fee is confirmed to you in writing before anything is filed and shown on its own line.

Does registering a business name protect the name?

No. A registration gives no exclusive right to the name and no way to stop anyone else using it. Exclusive rights come from a registered trademark through the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Registering a name that is already someone’s trademark can still expose you to a claim.

Does a business name registration make my business a company?

No. It creates no separate legal entity, so a sole proprietor stays personally liable for every debt and claim. Only incorporation creates a separate legal person. Incorporating in Ontario costs $335.00 in total with us: our $35.00 fee with HST included plus the $300 government fee.

Does my corporation need to register a trade name?

Yes, if it trades under any name other than its exact corporate name. Subsection 2(1) of the Business Names Act requires it, and subsection 2(6) requires both the registered name and the corporate name on contracts, invoices and orders. The corporation still signs; no second company is created.

What happens if I miss the renewal deadline?

After 60 days past expiry you cannot renew. You must register the same name again and receive a new Business Identification Number and a new company key. Your bank, the Canada Revenue Agency and suppliers then need the new number.

Can two businesses register the same name in Ontario?

Yes. The register records who is trading under a name, not who owns it, so identical names can appear. If the name matters commercially, look at a trademark application or incorporating under a name cleared by an Ontario-biased NUANS report.

What is a Business Identification Number?

It is the nine-digit number the Ontario Business Registry gives a registered business name. It is different from the nine-digit business number the Canada Revenue Agency issues for your RT, RP and RM accounts. Keep both, and keep your company key private.

Should I register a business name or incorporate?

Register if you are testing an idea, earning modestly and carrying little risk. Incorporate once profit exceeds what you need to draw or real liability appears. A registration costs $60 for five years; an Ontario corporation costs $335.00 in total with us, never expires and limits your liability.

Do I need a business name registration to open a business bank account?

Usually yes, if the account is in a trade name. Banks commonly ask for the registration confirmation and Business Identification Number. A corporation opening an account in its own name normally shows its Articles of Incorporation instead. Check the exact list with your branch.

What if I trade under only my own name?

Subsection 2(2) of the Business Names Act only requires an individual to register a name other than their own, so trading under your own full name alone needs no registration. Add anything, such as a word describing the business, and you must register. Either way, a sole proprietor stays personally liable.

Meet Your Business Registration Experts

A Chartered Professional Accountant reviews whether to register or incorporate before anything is filed.

Sharad Gondaliya, CPA

Principal

Bio

647-212-9559

Vandana Goel, CPA

Accounting Specialist

Bio

647-250-0242

What Our Clients Say

These Google reviews belong to Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation and cover every service the firm provides. See all reviews.

Insights for New Business Owners

Sole proprietorship registration

Named company incorporation

A corporate name cleared by NUANS.

Corporate name rules

Banned words, consent words and endings.

How to incorporate in Ontario

OBCA rules, fees and filings.

See More Guides

10 Smart Business Name Tips That Save You Money

Ask the structure question first

A $60 registration is cheap; staying unincorporated too long is not.

Use your own name to skip registration

Your full legal name alone needs no registration.

Diarise the expiry date

Five years from filing, and nobody reminds you.

Renew inside the window

Miss day 60 and you get a new BIN and company key.

Keep the company key private

It controls changes to your registration.

Show both names on paperwork

A corporation must show its corporate and registered names.

Do not rely on it for the name

Registration gives no exclusive right.

Search trademarks too

A registry search does not clear trademarks.

Watch the $30,000 HST line

Count four consecutive calendar quarters.

Incorporate before the risk arrives

Sign leases and big contracts as a corporation.

Browse Our Affordable Incorporation Services

Incorporation

Name and Address

After Incorporation

Verified Business Registration CPA Firm

Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation is registered with CPA Ontario under firm registration number 61330051. Our clients have left us 1,300+ five-star Google reviews, and we work from 13 Ontario offices, open 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday. We back every filing with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 60-day fee-matching policy, and we are a Xero Partner Award Winner 2026. The platform is operated by WealthBamboo Inc., a federal corporation. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. See incorporation services at Gondaliya CPA.

CPA Ontario Membership Number

61040184

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CPA Firm Registration Number

61330051

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Register or Incorporate: Get the Right Answer First

Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. Fill in the incorporation intake form, tell us the name you want to trade under and what you expect to earn, and a Chartered Professional Accountant will tell you whether to register a business name for $60 for five years or incorporate in Ontario for $335.00 in total, being our $35.00 fee with HST included plus the $300 government fee. If you already own a corporation and want a second brand, say so and we will register the trade name against it. Send payment by Interac e-Transfer to info@gondaliyacpa.ca with the security question set to “Not Applicable”, as auto-deposit is enabled. Card is also accepted.

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All incorporation and corporate filing services

No legal advice

Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation is a firm of Chartered Professional Accountants licensed by CPA Ontario, firm registration number 61330051. It is not a law firm. We prepare and file corporate documents and we provide accounting and tax advice. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and reading it creates no solicitor and client relationship. For legal advice, including advice on a shareholder agreement before you sign it, consult a lawyer licensed in the province where your corporation carries on business.

Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.