The practical order for setting up a business in Canada.

Decide the shape

Sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. The right answer depends on liability, taxes and how you want to be paid. See ISED's comparison before you register anything.

Register in the right order

• **Structure**: choose your business structure.
• **Name**: run a name search if you are incorporating or registering a trade name.
• **Registration**: register federally, provincially, or both depending on where you operate.
• **CRA accounts**: open the program accounts you need — Business Number, GST/HST (if applicable), payroll (if hiring).
• **Permits**: use BizPaL to find local permits and licences.

Then set up the basics

Business bank account, bookkeeping, and a simple record-keeping habit. Skip anything you don't need yet — you can always add later.