Open Corporation for $35 vs using a lawyer
Incorporate for $35.00, HST included, with the government fee shown separately at cost. A CPA checks your share structure before it is filed. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. Questions first? Call 647-212-9559, 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday.
A lawyer and a CPA firm sell different things, which is why the gap is this wide. Falcon Law PC, a Mississauga law firm, publishes three flat fees for the same incorporation: $799, $1,499 and $2,999, each plus tax and disbursements. Our charge to draft and file the identical Articles of Incorporation is $35.00 with the HST already inside it. Government fees never join that figure: $300 to the Ontario Business Registry under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario), or $200 to Corporations Canada, both at cost, as set out in the Gondaliya CPA incorporation cost breakdown. Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. A lawyer can give legal advice and we cannot.
The short answer
Open Corporation for $35 suits anyone who wants the corporation filed correctly and the tax work that follows handled by the same licensed CPA firm. A lawyer suits anyone who needs a legal document drafted or a legal opinion given: a unanimous shareholder agreement, a co-founder who may leave, a business being bought, or a structure someone is likely to argue about later.
On the professional fee alone the gap is $764.00 against the lowest law firm package we could verify, before HST is added to the lawyer’s fee. The government fee is identical either way, because the registry sets it and neither side marks it up. If two or more unrelated people will hold shares and their arrangement is not already in writing, pay the lawyer.
Price, line by line
| Item | Open Corporation for $35 | Using a lawyer | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional fee, articles prepared and filed | $35.00, HST included | $799 plus tax and disbursements, Falcon Law PC starter package | $764.00 in our favour, before tax is added to theirs |
| Professional fee including a prepared minute book | Minute book quoted on request | $1,499 plus tax and disbursements, Falcon Law PC intermediate package, with share certificates and by-laws | Ask us for a quote before you compare |
| Professional fee including a shareholder agreement | Not offered. We are a CPA firm, not a law firm | $2,999 plus tax and disbursements, Falcon Law PC comprehensive package | Only a lawyer can do this |
| Government fee, Ontario articles online (OBCA) | $300.00 at cost. HST is not charged on registry fees | $300.00, billed to you as a disbursement | $0.00 |
| Government fee, federal articles online (CBCA) | $200.00 at cost. HST is not charged on registry fees | $200.00, billed to you as a disbursement | $0.00 |
| Ontario-biased NUANS report, named company | $25.00, HST included, ordered by us | Not listed on the firm’s pricing page | Ask the firm |
| Total, Ontario numbered company | $335.00 | $1,099 before tax, or $1,202.87 with 13% HST on the $799 | $867.87 including HST |
| Total, federal numbered company | $235.00 | $999 before tax, or $1,102.87 with 13% HST on the $799 | $867.87 including HST |
| Ongoing subscription | $0.00. Nothing renews | $0.00. Lawyers bill by the matter | Neither side subscribes you |
Law firm prices read from Falcon Law PC’s own incorporation page and last checked on 15 October 2026. Competitor pricing changes, and we re-check this table every quarter. Our full fee list sits on the pricing page, with the government fee shown separately on every line.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Open Corporation for $35 | Using a lawyer |
|---|---|---|
| Price of the service | $35.00 | $799 to $2,999 plus tax and disbursements at Falcon Law PC. Most Ontario firms do not publish a figure |
| HST included | Yes | No, HST is added |
| Government fee handling | Its own line, at cost | Passed through as a disbursement |
| Name search included | Federal name search included in the $200.00 Corporations Canada fee. Ontario NUANS report $25.00 | Not listed on the firm’s pricing page |
| Articles filed | Yes | Yes |
| Minute book | Yes, quoted on request | Yes, inside the $1,499 package, with share certificates and by-laws |
| Share structure advice | Yes, a CPA reviews the classes and who holds them, for tax | Yes, and a lawyer can also draft the legal documents behind it |
| CRA business number | Yes, quoted on request | Not listed on the firm’s pricing page |
| HST registration | Yes, quoted on request | Not part of the packages. This is accounting work, not legal work |
| Payroll account registration | Yes, quoted on request | Not part of the packages |
| First-year bookkeeping | Yes, quoted on request | Not part of the packages |
| First T2 corporate return | Yes, quoted on request | Not part of the packages |
| Annual return reminder | Yes. Ontario within six months of fiscal year end under the Corporations Information Act, federal within 60 days of the anniversary at $12 | Not listed on the firm’s pricing page |
| Someone with a CPA licence accountable | Yes. Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation, CPA Ontario firm registration 61330051 | No. A lawyer holds a Law Society of Ontario licence, which is a different licence for different work |
| Physical offices | 13 across Ontario | One Mississauga office at Falcon Law PC. Varies by firm |
| Support hours | 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM, seven days, 647-212-9559 | Not listed on the firm’s pricing page |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | Not listed on the firm’s pricing page |
| Fee matching | 60-day fee-matching policy | Not listed on the firm’s pricing page |
| Ongoing subscription required | No | No |
| Who to call in a CRA audit | The CPA firm that filed the articles and prepares your T2 | A lawyer, if the audit becomes a dispute or an appeal. Not for the return itself |
| Unanimous shareholder agreement | No. We are not a law firm | Yes, inside the $2,999 package |
| Legal advice and legal privilege | No | Yes |
Law firm prices read from Falcon Law PC’s own incorporation page and last checked on 15 October 2026. Competitor pricing changes, and we re-check this table every quarter.
Where they win
A lawyer can draft a unanimous shareholder agreement, under section 108 of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) or section 146 of the Canada Business Corporations Act, and advise you on it. We cannot, and we will not pretend otherwise. Our guide sets out what a shareholder agreement covers.
Legal privilege. What you tell your lawyer is protected. What you tell your accountant generally is not, and that difference matters when a disagreement is already forming.
The $1,499 package arrives with a minute book prepared, including share certificates and by-laws, inside one published price. We quote our minute book on request.
If your share register will be contested, by a departing co-founder, an outside investor or a family member, a lawyer is drafting for that argument. We are structuring for tax. Those are different jobs.
Where we win
The fee line. $35.00 with HST already inside it against $799 plus tax and disbursements is $764.00 before tax, and that is the entire gap, because the government fee row differs by $0.00 on both the Ontario $300.00 and the federal $200.00.
The rows underneath the filing. HST registration, payroll registration, first-year bookkeeping and the first T2 return are ours in the table above and outside the lawyer’s packages, because Canada Revenue Agency work is not legal work.
The accountability row. CPA Ontario firm registration number 61330051 sits behind the return that gets signed, and a Law Society licence does not cover it.
The reach row. Thirteen Ontario offices, phone answered 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM seven days, a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 60-day fee-matching policy, all published rather than quoted on request.
Who should choose which
| Situation | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One founder, one class of shares, first corporation | Open Corporation for $35 | Nothing here needs drafting. It needs filing correctly and a year-end plan |
| Two or more unrelated founders splitting ownership | Using a lawyer | A unanimous shareholder agreement is a legal document. Ours is a tax review, not a contract |
| You are buying an existing business or its assets | Using a lawyer | The purchase agreement, indemnities and closing are legal work we do not do |
| Sole proprietorship being converted, with assets to move | Open Corporation for $35 | A section 85 rollover has to be planned and filed with the CRA, and that is CPA work |
| Professional corporation for a doctor or dentist | Open Corporation for $35 | Share ownership limits and college approval drive the structure. Our professional corporation guide sets out the rules |
| A partnership already in dispute, or a co-founder leaving | Using a lawyer | You need privilege and a drafter. Bring us in afterwards for the tax |
| Budget is the binding constraint and the structure is simple | Open Corporation for $35 | $335.00 all in for an Ontario numbered company filed with the Ontario Business Registry, against $1,099 before tax. See our Ontario incorporation guide |
What a CPA checks before you incorporate
The honest version of this comparison is that a lawyer and a CPA decide different things, and the incorporation needs both kinds of decision made. We are a CPA firm. We do not provide legal advice and we do not draft shareholder agreements.
What we decide is the tax structure the articles have to support. The number of share classes and what each carries, so that a spouse can hold shares without control and a partner can be bought out at a frozen value without new articles. Who holds each class, tested under section 120.4 of the Income Tax Act, where the excluded business test looks at hours actually worked in the business, and the excluded shares exception is closed to a corporation that earns 90 percent or more of its business income from services.
We also decide the things that never appear in a legal document. Your first fiscal year end, chosen within 53 weeks of incorporation against your billing cycle and your instalments. HST registration timing against the $30,000 small supplier threshold, and whether registering early recovers more than it costs. Salary against dividends, the RRSP room salary creates, and whether a payroll account opens now. Whether the $500,000 small business deduction is shared with a corporation you already own. Whether a holding company is worth a second corporate return this year.
Where a sole proprietorship is converting, we prepare the section 85 election so goodwill and equipment move in without a gain. Where a shareholder agreement is genuinely needed, or a dispute is foreseeable, that is a lawyer’s work and we say so.
Case studies
A single founder with a lawyer’s quote
The situation: A consultant starting their first corporation had a law firm quote of several hundred dollars plus tax for a numbered Ontario company with one shareholder.
What we did: We reviewed the plan, set up one class of voting shares with room for a second class later, and filed the articles the same day for $35.00 plus the $300.00 registry fee.
The result:
- Corporation filed for $335.00 in total
- Share classes ready for a spouse later
- Year end and HST timing set at the start
Two co-founders and no agreement
The situation: Two unrelated founders asked us to incorporate a software company they would own equally.
What we did: We explained that an equal split with no written agreement needed a lawyer, and pointed them to one before filing. Once the agreement was drafted, we filed the articles and set up the tax accounts.
The result:
- Shareholder agreement drafted by their lawyer
- Articles matched the agreement
- Payroll and HST accounts registered by us
A sole proprietor with equipment
The situation: A trades business owner with a truck, tools and a client list was quoted for incorporation by a law firm, with no mention of the tax on moving the assets.
What we did: We incorporated the company and prepared the section 85 election so the assets moved in without a taxable gain.
The result:
- Assets transferred with no gain reported
- Election filed on time
- First T2 prepared by the same firm
Frequently asked questions
How much does a lawyer charge to incorporate a business in Ontario?
Falcon Law PC, a Mississauga law firm, publishes $799, $1,499 and $2,999 plus tax and disbursements for Ontario and federal incorporations. Most Ontario firms publish no figure at all, so we do not quote an average. Those three prices were read from the firm’s own pricing page.
Do I need a lawyer to incorporate in Ontario?
No. The Business Corporations Act (Ontario) does not require a lawyer to file Articles of Incorporation, and the Ontario Business Registry accepts the filing for the $300 government fee. A lawyer becomes necessary when a legal document has to be drafted or a legal opinion given.
Can a CPA firm file my articles of incorporation?
Yes. Neither the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) nor the Canada Business Corporations Act reserves incorporation filings to lawyers. We prepare and file the articles and handle the tax registrations. We do not give legal advice, which is regulated under the Law Society Act.
What does a lawyer’s incorporation fee not cover?
The Canada Revenue Agency work. Your T2 corporation income tax return is due within six months of the fiscal year end, GST/HST registration is required once taxable sales pass $30,000, and a payroll account is needed before the first pay. None of that is listed in the $799, $1,499 or $2,999 packages.
Do lawyers charge the government fee on top of their fee?
Yes, as a disbursement. Falcon Law PC quotes all three packages plus tax and disbursements, so the $300 Ontario Business Registry fee or the $200 Corporations Canada fee is added, the same amount we charge you at cost.
When is a lawyer worth $2,999 instead of $35.00?
When two or more people will own shares and no agreement exists between them. A unanimous shareholder agreement settles what happens if a founder leaves, dies or wants to sell, and that document is worth far more than the fee difference on the day it is needed.
Book a free consultation call
Not sure whether you need a lawyer? Tell us about your shareholders on a free call, and a CPA will tell you plainly.
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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Incorporate with a CPA, or call a lawyer first
Open Corporation for $35 is a department of Gondaliya CPA. If your situation needs a shareholder agreement, tell us and we will say so plainly before you pay us anything.
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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.
