Business costs

Most published “cost to incorporate” numbers are wrong in the same direction: they quote the government fee and stop. The real bill stacks a government fee, a service or agent fee where the province requires an intermediary, a name-search report unless you take a numbered name, and the recurring annual costs that keep the corporation alive. This page tracks the verified government figures and links the line-item breakdowns.

Verified government fees (checked 2026-08-08)

Alberta’s incorporation fee follows the Registry Agent Product Catalogue, which is republished periodically with increases; always check the current catalogue rather than an older article’s figure. Registry agent service fees and NUANS pricing are private-sector charges with no government cap.

Start with these answers

• Setup costs: the line-item breakdowns for Alberta, Ontario, and federal incorporation, plus the cross-jurisdiction comparison.
• Recurring costs: annual maintenance federally, in Alberta, and in Ontario.
• Cost levers: numbered companies skip the name-search fee; doing it yourself vs using a lawyer covers where paid help earns its fee.
• Adjacent costs: probate fees for estate planning around the business.

Where budgets go wrong

1. Anchoring on the lowest advertised total. Advertised incorporation packages differ mostly in the service fee and what’s bundled; the government portion is identical.
2. Ignoring year two. Annual returns, registered-office arrangements, and record-keeping are the recurring bill nobody quotes at signup.
3. Pricing only the home province. Expanding means extra-provincial registration fees in each new province of business.

Official starting points

• Alberta Registry Agent Product Catalogue (current fees)
• Ontario.ca: incorporating a business corporation
• Corporations Canada services and fees

Guide last updated August 8, 2026.