Share Your Feedback: What type of business number do you have?

[Helen]

We’re looking forward to releasing some new products for our sellers in Canada and have a few questions for you all about your businesses. In some of our new products, we may need to request a business number, which you may receive when you register your business with your federal or local government agency. 

1. Have you registered your business with a federal or local/provincial government agency? And did you receive a business number after registering with that agency?
2. If you received a business number, please let us know which agency issued your business number.
3. What is the number you received referred to? (E.g. Company ID, Registry ID, etc.)
4. Do you know what this number is, and would you have this readily available?
5. If you are a sole proprietor or part of a partnership, do you have a business number even though it is not required?

Thank you for your help! 

[julie_cmm]

1. Have you registered your business with a federal or local/provincial government agency? And did you receive a business number after registering with that agency? We are registered in Quebec and we have a business number.
2. If you received a business number, please let us know which agency issued your business number. By le Registraire des entreprises du Québec
3. What is the number you received referred to? (E.g. Company ID, Registry ID, etc.) The Quebec enterprise number (NEQ for short) is comprised of 10 digits.
4. Do you know what this number is, and would you have this readily available? Yes
5. If you are a sole proprietor or part of a partnership, do you have a business number even though it is not required? n/a

[lodestone]

Hi Helen:

1. Have you registered your business with a federal or local/provincial government agency? And did you receive a business number after registering? 
   Yes, I am in Nova Scotia and I have registered provincially as well as federally; two separate numbers.
   
2. What is the number you received referred to? (E.g. Company ID, Registry ID, etc.
   Referred to as a Registry Number and GST number
   
3. Do you know what this number is, and would you have this readily available?
   Yes it is readily available.
4. If you are a sole proprietor or part of a partnership, do you have a business number even though it is not required?
   correct

[lenjobakes]

1. Have you registered your business with a federal or local/provincial government agency? And did you receive a business number after registering with that agency?

We incorporated federally and then registered our federal incorporation provincially (Ontario). We have a corporation number from both. We also have a business number with the CRA.

2. If you received a business number, please let us know which agency issued your business number.

CRA business number is the one widely used for us.

3. What is the number you received referred to? (E.g. Company ID, Registry ID, etc.)

Corporate number or CRA business number.

4. Do you know what this number is, and would you have this readily available?

Yes! Memorized because it is used so often.

5. If you are a sole proprietor or part of a partnership, do you have a business number even though it is not required?

N/A

[Crystal72]

1. Have you registered your business with a federal or local/provincial government agency? And did you receive a business number after registering with that agency? Yes, I registered my business and I have a business number. 
2. If you received a business number, please let us know which agency issued your business number. Canada Revenue Agency
3. What is the number you received referred to? (E.g. Company ID, Registry ID, etc.) Business Number
4. Do you know what this number is, and would you have this readily available? Yes
5. If you are a sole proprietor or part of a partnership, do you have a business number even though it is not required? I have a brick and mortar so this was required.

[boats2go]

Hi Helen! 

Have registered businesses in Canada as well as the US… it’s somewhat similar. 

In Canada, a business is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency by a “Legal entity”. Legal entities can be an individual, corporations, partnerships, Non-Government Organizations etc. The process of creating a legal entity, such as a corporation, is dependent on the jurisdiction of operation. You can choose to register a legal entity Federally with Industry Canada or Provincially. 

Once your legal entity is set up, or you decide to be a sole-proprietor, you can get a Business Number (BN) from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) online, in a few minutes. 

A business number is NOT required however for small businesses that have less than 35,000 in revenue to date. If square was to use this a a method for validation of a seller, it would be an unwarranted barrier to entry for many small businesses and new start-ups. 

If you want to know all the nitty gritty details, Google “Canada Revenue Agency Business Number registration”. They have a great How-To guide on when and how you need to register your business. From experience, it’s more user friendly and simplified than the IRS’s business registration.

Cheers to all,

Paul

[Beteasinc]

Yes I have a business number to operate a business in Canada 

[EB5000]

My business is registered as a Corporation with Provincial government.  Business Number is provided by the Canada Revenue Agency.  I do not have it always readily available.

I am not a sole proprietor.

[ylmalibuclub]

1. Have you registered your business with a federal or local/provincial government agency? And did you receive a business number after registering with that agency? Federal Business Number
2. If you received a business number, please let us know which agency issued your business number. Canada Revenue Agency (CRA - equivalent to IRS in the States)
3. What is the number you received referred to? (E.g. Company ID, Registry ID, etc.) Business Number (BN) for federal, and a PST number for submitting Provincial Sales Tax to the British Columbia government.
4. Do you know what this number is, and would you have this readily available? Memorized for federal, readily available for PST.
5. If you are a sole proprietor or part of a partnership, do you have a business number even though it is not required? We're a non-profit society and are required to have a BN for federal tax (GST) and charity filings. Outside of my work, I have family members with sole proprietors linked to their Social Insurance Number (SIN - equivalent to SSN in States) and anyone with a sole proprietorship (probably also a partnership but I don't have any experience with them) making more than a set amount per year in their business is required to submit for GST under their BN.

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed-incom...

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses.html

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/taxes/sales-taxes/pst/register

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/taxes/sales-taxes/pst/charge-collect

[Jeff_at_Osprey]

1. In Ontario, there is a harmonized tax agreement between the Federal and Provincial governments.  This means where years ago a business had both a GST NUMBER (Federal) and a Provincial Sales Tax number, all are operated under a single, harmonized sales tax, with only one number referred to as the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) number.

2.  HST is operated under the jurisdiction of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), so its federal.

3.  It is an eight digit number related to your business for all matters pertaining to taxation, with various add on ie depending on the tax account being assessed (sales tax, pay-roll deductions, income tax).

4. Yes, if you collect HST on sales in Ontario, the HST number MUST BE INCLUDED ON ALL INVOICES AND RECEIPTS.

5. The threshold or requirement to have a business number is not based on incorporation, or ownership, but if you have annual sales of greater than $30,000. 

[madebyvictoriak]

I have not register my business yet. I honestly don’t know what this number is so I would not be able to have this available. 😅

[candydepot]

• Have you registered your business with a federal or local/provincial government agency? And did you receive a business number after registering with that agency?
  • Yes this is required to collect and remit sales taxes.
• If you received a business number, please let us know which agency issued your business number.
  • Canada Revenue Agency
• What is the number you received referred to? (E.g. Company ID, Registry ID, etc.)
  • Business # which is also linked to HST, Payroll, ETC
• Do you know what this number is, and would you have this readily available?
  • Yes
• If you are a sole proprietor or part of a partnership, do you have a business number even though it is not required?
  • N/A

[Kick_Stands_Up]

1. Yes and yes

2. BC Registry Services

3.  National Business Number

4. 84892 1565 BC0002

5. Sole Proprietor