The Steps below will guide you through your Post Incorporation Tasks:

1. CREATE A MINUTE BOOK
   1. Purchase a minute book to organize official documents. The following information must be contained in the Minute Book:
      1. Articles of Incorporation/Amendment
      2. By-Laws
      3. Shareholder Agreements
      4. Any agreements/directions by sole shareholder restricting the power of directors
      5. Minutes and Resolutions of the shareholders
      6. Register showing full name of each Director and the date they began and ceased as a director
      7. Minutes of meetings and resolutions of the Board of Directors
      8. Register showing names of Shareholders, with class and quantity of shares held
      9. Register showing details of share issue, transfer and amount due on each share
      10. Forms filed by the Corporation
      11. A sample each of the corporations share certificates
      12.                                                                        ORDER MINUTE BOOK                                     DESK TOP MINUTE BOOK
2. FILE FORM 1
1. Put a Copy in the Minute Book
2. Once your corporation is registered and you have your certificate of incorporation, you have 60 days to file a Form 1 Initial Notice.  This provides  public record of the officers and directors of the corporation (you can provide up to 6).  Failure to file a Form 1 (within the specified period) can lead to penalties against the corporations.  The Initial Notice  lists the name, address & position of each director/officer a and the date they were appointed/elected. If any of this information changes, a new Form 1 must be filed within 10 days of the change.                                                                                                                                                                               
3.                                                                                                                                                FILE FORM 1  
3. FIRST DIRECTOR RESOLUTIONS
   1. The Person(s) indicated on the Articles of Incorporation as the first directors must approve certain things immediately following incorporation:
      1. Appointing Officers
      2. Allotting shares and confirming the amount paid for these shares
      3. Enacting the general operating by-law
   2. The first director can then resign, if he chooses, once he has enacted these resolutions:
4. ORGANIZATION MEETING
   1. Immediately following incorporation, or as soon as possible, the incorporator should call a meeting of the directors in order to organize the corporation. All directors should be notified in writing, in advance, of the place, date and time of the meeting. The following items should be addressed at this first meeting:
      1. General by-laws should be approved
      2. Registered Office location should be approved
      3. Officers should be appointed
      4. Banking arrangements should be adopted
      5. Decide on a corporate Seal and adopt one if applicable
      6. The fiscal year should be set
      7. One form of each class of share certificate must be approved, a copy of each to be placed in the Minute Book
      8. Appoint or waive the Appointment of Accountants
5. RECORD DETAILS OF THE SHAREHOLDERS
   1. Private Corporation must have at least 1 Shareholder and as many as 50
   2. Each Share represents a vote, and those votes represent control of the corporation
   3. You must document the names and addresses of each shareholder, when they became shareholders, of what kind of share, how many, their value, and when/if they relinquished their shares
6. FIRST SHAREHOLDERS MEETING
   1. After shares are allotted, a First Shareholders meeting must take place. A shareholder does not have to be a director or officer of the corporation (and Directors do not have to be shareholders). Owners, however, are usually both. At the first Shareholders Meeting, the following items will be approved:
      1. Approve the Corporate By-Laws
      2. Approve the acts/resolutions of the incorporator/first director
      3. How many Directors of the Corporation there will be
      4. Appointment of the Auditor or Accountant*
      5. Accept the first director resignation, if applicable, and confirm the appointment of directors
      6. A Shareholders Agreement should be prepared which outlines how corporation will be managed, how it will resolve disputes, what happens if one or more shareholders dies, how the corporation will prevent the shareholders from competing with the corporation, and how shares are distributed upon dissolution, etc.
   2. *Most private companies are not required to have their books audited, but many corporations will show, in their by-laws, that the shareholders approve an audit not be performed
7. CONSENT TO ACT AS DIRECTOR
   1. Directors must show that they have consented to act as Director of the corporation by signing a consent which is kept in the Minute Book.
8. ADOPT BORROWING BY-LAW
1. Even though the general By-law of the corporation sets out the rules and procedures for the execution of documents and the borrowing of money by the corporation, a specific banking by-law and banking resolution should be adopted by the board of directors. This resolution should be approved at the time of organization so that the appointed officers can sign on behalf of the corporation. The financial institution with whom you plan to deal with will normally have its own pre-printed resolution and by-law which can be utilized for these purposes. The banking institution may require a certified copy of the borrowing by-law and banking resolution which has been passed by the Board of Directors.

Do you need a business number or a program account?

It is important to know what a business number (BN) and program accounts are to know if you need them. Generally, you need them for doing business with the government. Not all businesses need a BN and program accounts. If you do not need a program account, you do not need a BN.

The business number and program account

The business number is a nine-digit number that gives each registered business its own unique identifier.

A program account is what your business gets when it registers for a program. Programs help you meet some tax and accounting responsibilities, such as payroll deductions if you have employees.

You may need more program accounts as your business grows and changes, but you only need one BN for your business.

When a business registers for one of the programs, they get a:

• program account
• business number (if it does not already have one)

If you already have a BN and you change the legal ownership or the structure of your business, you may have to register for a new BN. For more information, go to Changing your business status.

When you need a program account

See the following examples to find out if you need to register. For example, your business has employees and needs to register for the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST). This means your business will need a payroll deductions program account and a GST/HST program account. It also means your business will receive a BN.

Example 1

Example 2

How to find out if you need a program account

Each program account has special rules and requirements that tell you if you need to register for them. To find out if you need one or more program account, see their links.

The most common program accounts a business may need:

• GST/HST (RT)
• Payroll deductions (RP)
• Corporation income tax (RC)
• Import-export (RM)

Find out if you need to register for a GST/HST account

You cannot register for a GST/HST account if you provide only exempt goods and services.

You have to register for a GST/HST account if both situation applies:

• you provide taxable supplies in Canada
• you are not a small supplier

Use the following sections to determine if you have to register.

Voluntary GST/HST registration if you are a small supplier

If you decide to register voluntarily, you have to:

• charge, collect, and remit the GST/HST on your taxable supplies of property and services
• file GST/HST returns on a regular basis
• stay registered for at least one year before you can cancel your registration (unless you stop your commercial activities)

Once registered, you may be eligible to claim ITCs to recover the GST/HST paid or payable on your purchases and operating expenses. For more information, see Input tax credits.

If you want to register, see How to register for a GST/HST account.

If you choose not to register, you do not charge the GST/HST (other than on certain taxable supplies of real property) and you cannot claim ITCs.

Voluntary GST/HST registration for non-residents

You can choose to register voluntarily in the following cases:

• you are engaged in a commercial activity in Canada
• you are a non-resident person who, in the ordinary course of carrying on business outside Canada, regularly solicits orders for goods (except prescribed goods) to be exported or delivered to Canada
• you are a non-resident person who, in the ordinary course of carrying on business outside Canada, enters into an agreement to supply services to be performed in Canada
• you are a non-resident person who, in the ordinary course of carrying on business outside Canada, enters into an agreement to supply intangible personal property such as intellectual property:
  • to be used in Canada
  • that relates to real property situated in Canada
  • that relates to goods that are ordinarily situated in Canada
  • that relates to services to be performed in Canada

Generally, if you do not have a permanent establishment in Canada, or if you make supplies in Canada only through another person's fixed place of business, and you apply to be registered for the GST/HST, you have to provide us with security.

Information you need to register for a GST/HST account

When you register, you need to know your effective date of registration. This date depends on whether your registration is mandatory or voluntary.

If you have charged the GST/HST on your sales more than 30 days before registering, call 1-800-959-5525 for special instructions.

Use the following sections relating to information you have to provide when you register for a GST/HST account.

How to register for a GST/HST account

Use the following sections for the three ways you can register.

What to do after you register for the GST/HST

Once you have registered a new GST/HST account, the CRA may contact you for information. Having complete and correct information on file for your business allows us to serve you better.

As a GST/HST registrant, you are required to and responsible for:

• charge the GST/HST
• file a GST/HST return
• remit (pay) the GST/HST

You can also make changes to your:

• fiscal year
• reporting periods
• accounting periods
• locations, branches, or divisions of your business

For more information, see Make changes to a GST/HST account.