How to Obtain a CRA Tax Account
In this article:
CRA Tax Account
Your Business Number is the root of all your tax accounts with CRA (for example, HST, payroll, corporate tax, import/export). Your Business Number and Corporate Income Tax Number are assigned automatically by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) when you incorporate.
For Ontario Corporations, your Business Number will be sent by mail to the registered address of your corporation following incorporation. It will also be published in the Ontario Business Registry once it has been generated by CRA (usually 3-4 business days following incorporation). In order to access the Ontario Business Registry, you will need a Company Key, which is automatically generated upon incorporation. You will also need to create a Service Ontario ONe-Key Account. Click here to download our guide to accessing the Ontario Business Registry.
For Federal Corporations, the Business Number is generated upon incorporation. You can also find the Business Number for your Federal corporation in Corporations Canada freely searchable database.
Other CRA Tax Accounts
You can contact CRA directly at 1-800-959-5525 to register for any other tax accounts you require, including HST, Payroll and/or Import/Export.
It is free to get these tax accounts. However, once you obtain these tax accounts, you will have certain ongoing filing requirements with CRA. You should speak with your accountant prior to registering for these CRA tax accounts to understand the filing obligations and to confirm what tax accounts you require.
You may also wish to consider creating an online My Business Account with CRA for your corporation.
Quick Tips for HST
When registering for an HST over the phone, the CRA agent may ask you the following questions:
- Estimated annual income for the year. CRA wants to verify whether you are registering voluntarily or because you have reached the $30,000 threshold making it mandatory for you to register for HST.
- Year end for HST Filings. If you have not discussed this with your accountant, you can request that CRA leaves the year end as the default year end – December 31st. Once declared, it may be more difficult to change.
- How Often you want to file. Most people will start with annual filings. Once you reach a certain amount of revenue, you may be required to file more regularly.
- Type of Business.
