Ontario

Starting a construction business in Ontario

The order the paperwork actually happens in, which is not the order anybody explains it in. Sole proprietor or corporation and what that choice costs you later, the business number and the CRA accounts hanging off it, WSIB, the trade licence, and the insurance that arrives last and blocks your first bid.

7 ways to move forward

Practical guidesStart your business in OntarioThe eight setup stages in order, from incorporation through CRA, WSIB and licensing to bid ready: walk the three-step wizard to a live name check and an all-in filing price with government fees included, free and with no account, nothing filed until you authorize and pay.Practical guidesSole prop or incorporateThree paths priced on one screen: $100 for an Ontario sole proprietorship, $400 for an Ontario corporation, $300 federal, with the government filing fees inside each number. Fill the whole registration in, right to the review screen, before any account is needed.Practical guidesWe file it for youOne checkbox hands over the Articles of Incorporation and the four CRA program accounts. See the exact wording you authorize, which steps stay yours, what the all-in price covers, and the one panel every number lands in afterwards.Practical guidesWhat going out on your own costsTwo numbers decide this and only one gets discussed. The setup fees are hundreds. The gap between doing the work and being paid for it is thousands, and it is the one that closes businesses.Practical guidesBring your businessYou registered something, started charging, got work. Then a builder asked for a certificate you did not have. Drop your documents in, have the numbers read out of them, and land on a compliance checklist with what you already satisfy already ticked.After you qualifyIncorporationNamed vs numbered companies, Ontario vs federal incorporation, directors, share structure, and the step-by-step filing process.Practical guidesGoing independent, pricedWSIB, CPP at both halves, income tax, HST after $30,000, insurance and plates all arrive together. Add up your real monthly overhead, run it through a six-month cash forecast, and get the number that has to go on top of your rate.

Count it instead of estimating it

Do you have to charge HST yet?The small supplier threshold has two tests. The one that catches a contractor is the single quarter test, and it has no grace month. Enter your quarters and see which one bites first.Free, no signup.
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The rest of the Ontario library

Project documents & deliveryFinding construction work in OntarioBidding and prequalification in OntarioPricing construction work in OntarioGetting paid on Ontario constructionConstruction holdback in OntarioHST for Ontario contractorsConstruction bookkeeping in Ontario
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