Numbered Company vs Named Company: Which One Should You Incorporate
Compared on cost, name protection and filing. An Ontario numbered company costs $335.00 all in, a named one $360.00. Our fee is $35.00, HST included, on either.
This page compares two ways to incorporate the same corporation: taking a registry-assigned number such as 1234567 Ontario Inc., or filing under a word name you choose. Both are full corporations with identical tax treatment, identical liability protection and identical filing duties. Our fee to prepare and file either one is $35.00, HST included. Government fees are always shown separately because we do not mark them up. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. Below you will find the exact costs, a feature comparison, honest points in favour of each choice, and what a CPA looks at before the articles are filed.
The short answer
A numbered company suits an owner who needs the corporation open quickly, who is not selling under a brand name, or who has not settled on a name yet. A named company suits an owner whose business name is the business, such as a retail shop, a consumer brand, or a regulated practice whose college requires the member’s name in the corporate name. A named company costs a little more in either jurisdiction, because the name has to be searched first: our NUANS report is $25.00 for an Ontario named corporation under the Business Corporations Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. B.16, and $38.00 for a federal named corporation. A numbered corporation needs no search at all. Nothing about the choice is permanent: a numbered corporation can take a word name later by filing articles of amendment.
Price, line by line
Option A is a numbered company. Option B is a named company.
| Item | Option A: numbered | Option B: named | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our preparation and filing fee | $35.00, HST included | $35.00, HST included | $0.00 |
| HST status of our fee | Included in the $35.00 | Included in the $35.00 | None |
| Government fee, Ontario articles of incorporation (OBCA, online) | $300.00 | $300.00 | $0.00 |
| Government fee, federal articles of incorporation (CBCA, online) | $200.00 | $200.00 | $0.00 |
| Ontario-biased NUANS report | Not required | $25.00 | $25.00 |
| Federal NUANS name search | Not required | $38.00 | $38.00 |
| Ontario all-in cost | $335.00 | $360.00 | $25.00 |
| Federal all-in cost | $235.00 | $273.00 | $38.00 |
| Federal express filing surcharge, optional | $100.00 | $100.00 | $0.00 |
| Ontario Initial Return and Annual Return (Corporations Information Act) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Federal annual return (CBCA) | $12.00 | $12.00 | $0.00 |
| Ontario business name registration, five-year term | $60.00 if you trade under a name | $60.00 only if you trade under a second name | $0.00 |
| Articles of amendment to change the name later, online | $150.00 Ontario, $200.00 federal | Not needed | $150.00 or $200.00 |
Prices verified on 7 September 2026. The same figures are on our pricing page and in the Government fees 2026 register.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Option A: numbered | Option B: named |
|---|---|---|
| Price of the service | $35.00 | $35.00 |
| HST included | Yes | Yes |
| Government fee handling | Shown separately, charged at cost, no markup | Shown separately, charged at cost, no markup |
| Name search included | Not required for a number | NUANS report at $25.00 Ontario or $38.00 federal |
| Articles filed | Yes, by us | Yes, by us |
| Minute book | Not included in the $35.00 fee. Quoted on request | Not included in the $35.00 fee. Quoted on request |
| Share structure advice | Yes, before filing | Yes, before filing |
| CRA business number | Yes, we set it up | Yes, we set it up |
| HST registration | Yes, when you register or cross $30,000 | Yes, when you register or cross $30,000 |
| Payroll account registration | Yes, where you will pay salary | Yes, where you will pay salary |
| First-year bookkeeping | Quoted on request | Quoted on request |
| First T2 corporate return | Quoted on request | Quoted on request |
| Annual return reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Someone with a CPA licence accountable | Yes, CPA Ontario firm registration 61330051 | Yes, CPA Ontario firm registration 61330051 |
| Physical offices | 13 Gondaliya CPA offices in Ontario | 13 Gondaliya CPA offices in Ontario |
| Support hours | 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday | 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Fee matching | 60 days | 60 days |
| Ongoing subscription required | No | No |
| Who to call in a CRA audit | Your CPA at Gondaliya CPA, 647-212-9559 | Your CPA at Gondaliya CPA, 647-212-9559 |
| Who chooses the name | The registry assigns the next number | You choose, subject to examiner approval |
| Name protection | None beyond the number itself | Corporate name protected in the jurisdiction of filing |
| Risk of the name being refused | None | Real, and the fee is not refunded |
| Speed to certificate | Fastest available in the jurisdiction | Adds the name search step first |
| Can trade under a business name | Yes, register it separately | Yes, register a second name if wanted |
| Reads to customers and banks | Neutral, sometimes read as a holding entity | Carries the brand on every document |
| Changing later | Articles of amendment add a word name | Articles of amendment change the name |
Prices verified on 7 September 2026.
Where each option wins
A numbered company files fastest, because there is no name to search, no NUANS report to buy, and no examiner judgement to wait on.
A numbered company cannot be refused for confusion with an existing corporation, business name or trademark. A named filing can be, and the government fee is not returned.
A named company puts your brand on the articles, the bank account, the invoices and the contracts, which matters when the name is how customers find you.
A named company gives name protection in the jurisdiction of filing. Federal names under the Canada Business Corporations Act are protected across Canada. A number gives you nothing to protect.
Some regulated professions cannot use a number at all, because the governing college requires the member’s name in the corporate name.
Where we win
The same $35.00, HST included, applies to either structure. Nothing in the table above prices the decision for you.
Government fees appear as their own rows at cost. The $300.00 Ontario fee and the $200.00 federal fee are the registry’s, not ours.
The name search is a fixed $25.00 for Ontario or $38.00 federal, quoted before you file, rather than a price that changes by search house.
A CPA reviews the share structure before either filing, so the name decision is not the only thing settled at incorporation.
No subscription, a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 60-day fee-matching policy on either option.
Who should choose which
| Situation | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You need the corporation open before a fixed closing or contract date | Numbered | No name search step, so the filing is limited only by the registry’s own processing time |
| You are opening a retail shop, restaurant or consumer brand | Named | Customers find you by name, and the name belongs on the articles from day one |
| You are forming a holding corporation to hold shares or property | Numbered | There is no brand to protect and the entity rarely faces the public |
| You are a doctor, dentist, lawyer or engineer forming a professional corporation | Named | The governing college normally requires the member’s name in the corporate name |
| You have not settled on the brand and do not want to wait | Numbered | File now, add the word name later by articles of amendment |
| Your name is close to an existing corporation or trademark | Numbered first, then named once cleared | A refused name costs the government fee again and delays the opening |
| You expect to raise money or sell the business within a few years | Named | Buyers, lenders and investors read a word name as an established operating business |
Not sure whether you need a name?
Tell us what the corporation is for and we will tell you whether a number or a name serves you better, before you pay anything.
What a CPA checks before you incorporate
The name is the smallest decision at incorporation, and it is the one owners spend the most time on. Before we file either option, a CPA works through the structure. Who holds the shares, and in what classes, because a single class of common shares held by one person closes off dividend planning later. Whether a spouse or an adult child should hold shares, and whether the tax on split income rules under the Income Tax Act would tax those dividends at the top rate anyway. Whether a holding corporation belongs in the structure now or later.
The fiscal year-end date, which you choose once and change only with CRA consent. HST registration, which the Excise Tax Act requires once taxable supplies exceed $30,000 in four consecutive calendar quarters, and whether voluntary registration earlier is worth the input tax credits. Salary against dividends, and whether a payroll account is needed at all in year one.
For a regulated profession, eligibility with the governing college, which usually settles the numbered or named question for you. The small business deduction and whether associated corporations will share the $500,000 limit. Where a sole proprietorship is being converted, whether a section 85 rollover is needed to move assets without triggering tax.
Frequently asked questions
Is a numbered company cheaper than a named company?
Yes, slightly. In Ontario a numbered corporation costs $335.00 all in, being our $35.00 fee with HST included plus the $300.00 Ontario Business Registry fee, and a named corporation costs $360.00 because it adds a $25.00 Ontario-biased NUANS report. Federally a numbered corporation costs $235.00 all in with the $200.00 Corporations Canada fee, and a named corporation costs $273.00 with a $38.00 federal NUANS search.
Which of the two, numbered or named, needs a NUANS report?
Only a named corporation needs a NUANS report, because under the Business Corporations Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. B.16 the ministry assigns a numbered corporation the next available number, followed by “Ontario” and a legal ending. Federally, Corporations Canada assigns the number in the same way. A Canada-biased report is never acceptable for an Ontario named filing, and an Ontario-biased report cannot be dated more than 90 days before the articles are filed.
Can I change a numbered company to a named company later?
Yes, by filing articles of amendment and passing a special resolution of the shareholders. The Ontario Business Registry charges $150.00 for articles of amendment, and Corporations Canada charges $200.00 for articles of amendment filed online under the Canada Business Corporations Act. The corporation number, the business number and the corporation’s history all stay the same; only the name changes.
If I pick a numbered company, can I still market under a name?
Yes, picking a numbered company still lets you market under a registered business name, so 1234567 Ontario Inc. can trade publicly as a brand. In Ontario the registration is made with the Ontario Business Registry for $60.00, which lasts a five-year term and then needs renewal. A registered business name is not a trademark and gives no name protection, so it does not stop another business from using the same words.
Does the choice change my taxes or my CRA filings?
No. A numbered corporation and a named corporation are taxed identically, file the same T2 corporate income tax return with the Canada Revenue Agency within six months of the fiscal year end, and carry the same obligations for HST, payroll and the register of individuals with significant control. The only filings that differ are the corporate law ones tied to the name itself, such as articles of amendment.
What happens if the registry refuses my chosen name?
Corporations Canada or the Ontario Business Registry can refuse a name that is confusing with an existing corporate name, business name or trademark, is deceptively misdescriptive, or uses a prohibited or restricted word without consent. If the refusal comes before the certificate is issued, you choose another name and the government fee already paid is not returned. This is the specific risk a numbered filing does not carry.
Why owners trust the filing to us
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. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.
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Ready to file
Start with the incorporation intake form, or call 647-212-9559 and speak to a CPA. Our fee is $35.00, HST included, on either option, and the government fee is shown to you at cost before we file.
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.
Where to go next
Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA.
