Alberta Co-op with Share Capital

Alberta Business Registry, with its in-house legal and accounting team, is a one-stop solutions for corporate filling. As a member of various government entities, we are able to provide the following services:

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• NUANS search and name approval
• By-laws, custom articles
• CRA accounts
• WCB accounts
• Corporate seal, minute book binder
• Annual return, corporate maintenance
• Domain name reservation
• Address services
• Express registration queue
• And many more

Yes, our customer service agents can provide general guidelines and assistance (not legal advice). Feel free to call us at 403-768-2726 during our business hours, you may initiate a Live Chat only in business hours.

Yes, it’s a one-time payment with no recurring monthly or annual fees.

Yes, of course. The Certificate of Incorporation and Articles of Incorporation are provided directly by the Corporate Registry unit of the Government. The Articles of Incorporation are drafted by our in-house legal counsel. You also have the option to choose custom Articles of Incorporation if needed.

An order can be placed online, with payment options including credit card or e-transfer. Upon receiving the order, we will review it and proceed with the registration accordingly. You have the option to receive the corporate documents either via email or by post.

Yes, we offer 3 types of post-incorporation and maintenance service:

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• Annual Return: At the end of the year, we will prepare and file your annual corporate return on your behalf.

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• Phone Support:
corporate Update (address change, director's change, shareholder change, officer change). We handle all required filings and ensure compliance with government regulations. Please Click Here for more details.

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• Complete Maintenance: Annual Return + Phone Support + Notice of Changes Click Here for more details.

Yes, we provide:

• Basic Articles: Click here to see the Sample
• Standard Articles: Click here to see the Sample
• Custom Articles: For more customizations, we offer Custom Articles which could be prepared as per requests (available in next steps).

NUANS stands for Newly Upgraded Automated Name Search. It is a federal name search system used to check for existing business names that may be similar to yours, helping to avoid potential conflicts. To register a corporation, a valid Reservation Report is required. Please Click here to see the sample of NUANS Report

A name typically consists of two key elements: a distinctive element and a descriptive element. The distinctive element should be unique or a made-up word, avoiding common English terms, while the descriptive element can be a common word that describes the nature of your business. For example, in "Mike Construction," 'Mike' serves as the distinctive element and 'Construction' acts as the descriptive element. Please provide your ideal name, and if it doesn't meet the criteria, we will guide you in finding a suitable alternative.

Every corporation is required to have a legal suffix following its name. You can select the option that best complements your business name for appearance purposes.

If you opt for electronic documents, we will send the PDF files to your billing email. Alternatively, you can choose to receive the electronic documents via email and have printed copies sent to you by post.

Yes, the requested date for incorporation must be either today or set for a date within the next 30 days. It cannot be a past date.

Please specify your primary business activity in one or two words. This will help us select the most appropriate activity from the government system.

• It must be physical address in this Province.
• A P.O. Box or virtual address is not permitted, a physical address is required.
• All documents related to the corporation will be sent to this address.

The registered address can be updated in the future by paying the necessary filing fees. Many corporations begin with a residential address if they do not have a commercial rental address at the time of registration, but they often change it later when needed.

Our address service is an annual mail and scanning service designed for corporations that do not have a local physical address in this province. This service can be renewed each year for a similar fee. Any corporation-related documents we receive will be scanned and emailed to you for your convenience.

Every Alberta corporation must appoint an Agent for Service who must reside in Alberta. This individual would be the primary point of all communications from the government. This could be the primary director or any other director who resides in Alberta. If all directors are non-Alberta residents, you can appoint an Alberta attorney or can take the service offered by us.

Yes. You can change the Agent for Service any time. We offer such service through our website.

Yes. You can check mark on the form where it says, "If you don't have an 'Agent for Service' in this province, click here".

A director serves as the decision-maker for a corporation, responsible for making administrative choices and having the authority to add or remove other directors within the organization.

• Must be 18 years and above.
• A director can be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a non-Canadian citizen
• Should not be in a status of bankruptcy.

If you are a lawyer, accountant, or another service provider opening this corporation on behalf of a client, please refrain from entering your name here. This section is designated for the primary owner(s) of the corporation. We do not communicate directly with the directors; instead, we will reach out to the individual listed in the billing address.

To register a corporation, it is necessary to provide information for at least one director. In the future, you have the option to add or remove directors from your corporation. If you opt for "complete maintenance" services (in the following steps), you will be able to add or remove a director at no additional cost in the future.

Each director possesses equal authority and control over the corporation. The second director has the ability to remove the primary director, and vice versa. Therefore, you may wish to add an additional director whom you trust.

The incorporator(s) are typically the same as the director(s). An incorporator is defined as the person or persons applying to incorporate the business. As such, the incorporator(s) can be individuals or another corporation.

If you are a lawyer, accountant, or another service provider opening this corporation on behalf of a client, please do not enter your name here. The incorporator(s) are typically the director(s) and owner(s) of the corporation. We do not communicate directly with the directors; instead, we will reach out to the individual listed in the billing address.

If you are incorporating this business as a subsidiary or operating company under a parent or holding company, you may select "incorporator is another corporation" and list the parent or holding company’s name as the incorporator.

The Articles of Incorporation are registered with the government during the corporation's registration process. Once the business is incorporated, the articles can be modified through proper filing of Articles of Amendment, along with the applicable fees.

The "Advanced Articles of Incorporation" enable the issuance of Class A common voting shares and Class B common non-voting shares. If you wish to customize the names of common, preferred, voting, non-voting, or any other share classes, you can select the "set my own text" option. The custom share structure option will be presented in the subsequent steps.

Corporate bylaws, also referred to as a company constitution, are the rules, rights, regulations, and policies established by a corporation. These bylaws are typically prepared by a corporate lawyer to ensure that no rules or clauses conflict with the Provincial Corporations Act or the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA).

Corporate Minutes refer to the compilation of corporate records, including the articles of incorporation, that are made available for inspection by anyone or during an audit. Corporate Bylaws and Minutes may also be required by certain banks to open an account.

Yes, the expense is tax-deductible. When you incorporate a company, the expenses are categorized as business development expenses, which are tax-deductible. Any expenditures incurred after incorporation are classified as operating expenses, which are not tax-deductible. Furthermore, handling this separately later requires a corporate lawyer, resulting in a significant increase in cost and time (which is also not tax-deductible).

Since a corporation is a separate legal entity from its owners, it can only be owned by holding its shares. The corporation's assets and equity are divided into portions, each of which is referred to as a share. For example, if a corporation issues 100 shares valued at $1 each, the total net worth of the corporation would be 100 x $1 = $100.

To simplify corporate filing, most people initially set a share price of $1. Over time, the share price and the number of shares can be increased as needed.

A corporation's stock is divided into shares, and those who own these shares are, in fact, the owners of the corporation. To categorize the owners, shares are classified accordingly. Owners of Class A common voting shares have the right to vote on changes to the corporation's policies and rules, while owners of Class B common non-voting shares do not possess such rights.

In simple terms, shareholders are the owners of a corporation. If a corporation has only one shareholder, that single shareholder owns 100% of the shares, regardless of how many shares there are.

A corporation has 2 shareholders: John and Mike.
Case 1: Both owners have rights to vote: Assign class A to both.
Case 2: Only John has voting rights: Assign class A to John and class B to Mike.

Share number cannot be in decimal point.
Case 1: John, Mike, and Ali each own the same percentage of the corporation. For example, if the total number of shares is 300, each would own 100 shares, resulting in an equal ownership of one-third (33.33%) of the corporation.
Case 2: John owns 40%, Mike owns 30% and Ali owns 30%: Assign shares 40 to John, 30 to Mike and 30 to Ali.
Case 3: John owns 51%, Mike owns 24.5% and Ali owns 24.5%: Avoid decimal point by doubling the proportion. Assign 102 to John, 49 to Mike and 49 to Ali.

Yes, you can change the share price, the number of shares, and the shareholders at any time.

The business number (BN) is a nine-digit number assigned by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) and serves as a common client identifier for businesses, streamlining their interactions with federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Each corporation must have its own unique business number.

Corporations are required to report all income and expenses to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). A Corporate Tax ID, also known as RC 0001, is used for this purpose. Every corporation must obtain a Corporate Tax ID from the CRA.

Company's official email is added to the company profile. Your corporation's notifications, warning and messages goes directly to this email address. If you need to reset your company key at any time, the reset code will be sent to this email.

The corporation's officers (such as the President, CEO, Vice President, Secretary, etc.) are responsible for managing the daily operations of the business. In their respective roles, they are granted legal authority to act on behalf of the corporation in nearly all lawful business-related activities.

In the early stages, most corporations assign a single individual to multiple roles, such as director, incorporator, officer, and shareholder. As the company grows, these roles can be redistributed among other individuals to better manage the organization.

Typically, the titles 'President' or 'CEO' are assigned to the primary director or the most significant individual in the corporation. The subsequent roles may include Vice President (VP), Treasurer, Secretary, Administrative Assistant, and others.

If you sell products and services in Canada and collect GST/HST from your customers, you are required to obtain a GST/HST Account Number. The customer's invoice or receipt must display the HST number. Failing to collect HST may result in penalties from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

If you hire employees, including yourself, you will need a Payroll Account Number. If you do not have any employees, you can process your own salary or that of a family member through the payroll account to take advantage of CRA's 'income splitting' strategy. Please note that this refers to the initial setup of a payroll account with the CRA and is not a payroll service.

If your business involves importing physical goods, obtaining this account is required. The government uses this account to facilitate customs clearance.

If your business involves exporting physical goods, obtaining this account is necessary. The government uses this account to manage the customs clearance process.

Registering with the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) is mandatory for most businesses in Alberta within 10 days of hiring their first employee. Certain types of businesses may be exempt from this requirement based on their activities. (Examples are banks, insurance companies, hair salons (with exceptions), private schools or daycares, travel agencies, etc.) but many employers in these industries choose to register with the WSIB anyways for protection to their workers. For small businesses and startups, WCB registration is particularly crucial, as it provides financial security in the event of a workplace accident.

Share certificates are legal and official proof of ownership of a corporation. Bank may require to show it to open a bank account. Most people choose 5 share certificates to save on costs, some choose 10 or 20. That includes blank certificates in case you want to add spouse, child or friend as shareholder in the future.

The company seal is a tool used to stamp or emboss important documents, indicating that they have been certified and approved by the Board of Directors of the company. It is commonly used for:

1. employment and vendor contracts
2. minutes from Board of Directors meetings
3. leases
4. To be granted for bank loans or mortgages
5. any contracts or agreements

Supplies, including the minute book binder, seal, and share certificates, will be shipped by Canada Post to your corporation's mailing address.

Yes, we provide 3 types of post-incorporation and maintenance service:

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• Annual Return: At the end of the year, we will file annual corporate return for you.

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• Phone Support:
corporate Update (address change, director's change, shareholder change, officer change). Please Click Here for more details.

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• Complete Maintenance: Annual Return + Phone Support + Notice of Changes Click Here for more details.

The Annual Return of a corporation must be filed for every Canadian corporation each year to maintain its active status. This filing ensures that the corporation's records are kept up to date.

Yes, the expense is tax-deductible. When you incorporate a company, the expenses incurred are referred to as business development expenses, which are tax-deductible. However, any spending made after incorporation is classified as operating expenses, which are not tax-deductible.

We recommend reserving a domain name that reflects your business name. If your desired domain name is already taken by a domain registration company or a competitor, it could become challenging to establish your brand and conduct business effectively without a proper website. (example: www.yourbusinessname.ca)

A Business Email Address is an email that incorporates your business name and is used for professional communications based on your custom domain. (example: CustomName@companyname.com)

A Google Business Profile is a free business listing offered by Google. that allows you to provide details and photos of your business, including your location, services, and products. Creating this free profile is an excellent way to enhance your visibility across Google services. Information from your Google Business Profile can appear in Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping.

3 types of registration queue we offer:

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• If you choose the Express Queue, we will email you the articles of incorporation, certificate and minute book in 2 Business Hours weather it is named or numbered corporation.

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• If you choose the Priority Queue, we will email you the corporation's articles, certificate and minute book in 1 Business Day weather it is named or numbered corporation.

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• If you choose the Regular Queue, we will email you the corporation's articles, certificate and minute book in 10 Business Days weather it is named or numbered corporation.

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The package does not include the extraction of the draft version from governmental systems or sending it to our customers. If you wish to review the draft before the final submission, this option is available. Please note that the speed of the service you choose will determine when the draft copy is emailed to you. If we do not receive your approval within the designated timeframe, our representative will proceed with the final submission and subsequently deliver the relevant company establishment documents to you.

Canada Post offers the following options for shipping an item across Canada:

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• Xpresspost Certified: This service is designed for sending documents that captures the recipient's signature upon delivery. It is ideal for sending important notices, as well as legal and court documents, ensuring that you have proof of receipt.

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• Expedited: is fast, cost-effective ground shipping within Canada. All items can be tracked and have on-time guarantees.

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• Regular Parcel:This is a cost-effective ground delivery service available to customers.

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