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CRA business number: register or look one up

Compiled by Mahmoud Halat, checked

Short answer

A business number (BN) is the 9-digit number the Canada Revenue Agency uses to identify your business. You need one if you incorporate or need a GST/HST, payroll or other CRA program account. The fastest way to get one is Business Registration Online through your CRA account. You may also get a BN automatically when you incorporate federally or in some provinces.

Who handles it

Canada Revenue Agency

Handles it everywhere in Canada.

Canada Service Map is independent and not a government website. The official page always has the final word.

Who can apply

  • Not every business needs a BN. You need one if you incorporate, or if you need a GST/HST, payroll or other CRA program account. An unincorporated business only needs a BN when it registers for a program account.

    Source: canada.cachecked #

  • You need a CRA account to use BRO. If you cannot register online, fill out Form RC1 and mail it to your tax centre.

    Source: canada.cachecked #

Steps

  1. Register online with Business Registration Online (BRO), which is the fastest way. You can get a BN and accounts such as GST/HST, payroll and corporation income tax at the same time.

    Source: canada.cachecked #

What you need

  • Have ready the owners' names, phone numbers and SINs, the legal and operating business names, mailing and physical addresses, the type of business and a description of its main activity.

    Source: canada.cachecked #

Where to go

  • Incorporating federally through Corporations Canada, or registering or incorporating in Alberta, BC, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, PEI or Saskatchewan, gives you a BN automatically.

    Source: canada.cachecked #

  • Businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec and Yukon do not get a BN from provincial registration and must register with the CRA.

    Source: canada.cachecked #

Good to know

  • A business can only have one BN. New CRA program accounts, such as GST/HST (RT) or payroll (RP), are added to the same BN.

    Source: canada.cachecked #

  • Save or print your BN when you finish in BRO, because it will not be sent to you. Sessions time out after 10 minutes of inactivity.

    Source: canada.cachecked #

  • Businesses located in Quebec register for and file GST/HST with Revenu Québec, not the CRA.

    Source: canada.cachecked #

Questions people ask

Do I need a business number for a sole proprietorship?

Only if you need a CRA program account, such as GST/HST or payroll. An unincorporated business does not need a BN otherwise.

Source: canada.cachecked #

How do I get a business number online?

Sign in to your CRA account, choose to add a business account, then select Register a business to use Business Registration Online. It is available daily except 3 am to 6 am Eastern time.

Source: canada.cachecked #

What does a CRA program account number look like?

It is your 9-digit BN, then a 2-letter code for the account type (such as RT for GST/HST or RP for payroll), then a 4-digit reference number.

Source: canada.cachecked #

Can I get a business number with a temporary SIN?

Yes. People with a temporary SIN starting with 9 register as residents using Business Registration Online.

Source: canada.cachecked #

Is my Ontario BIN or Quebec NEQ the same as a business number?

No. An Ontario Business Identification Number or a Quebec Enterprise Number cannot be used as your CRA business number.

Source: canada.cachecked #

Cite this page

Canada Service Map, "CRA business number: register or look one up", checked 13 October 2026, https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/business-number