A Business Number is the unique nine-digit identifier the CRA assigns to a business, to which program accounts like GST/HST, payroll and corporate income tax are attached.
The Business Number is your company's single identifier with the CRA and many other government programs. To the nine-digit BN, you add two-letter program account identifiers: RT for GST/HST, RP for payroll, RC for corporate income tax, and others for import/export.
Registering for a BN is the first step in setting up most of a business's CRA obligations. A corporation receives one on incorporation or when it first needs a program account; a sole proprietor registers when they need GST/HST or payroll accounts.
A new corporation gets Business Number 123456789. It adds an RT account for HST, an RP account for payroll, and an RC account for its T2, all under the same nine-digit BN.
Our certified accounting firm handles this for businesses and individuals across Canada, at fixed fees with no surprises.
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