What is the starting base legal fee for incorporating a company?

The basic rate legal fees start at a mere $795.00, though considerable additional government registries and filing charges apply depending on the jurisdiction.

Does the complexity of a business incorporation affect its final cost?

Incorporating a company can be relatively straightforward or extremely complex depending on its intended purposes, which means prices increase as additional time or specialized legal expenses are incurred.

What is the standard hourly rate for legal work beyond basic incorporation?

The standard hourly legal rate for work beyond the base incorporation package is $400 per hour, plus applicable taxes and disbursements.

Basic Incorporations - Federal, Ontario, Alberta

Contact Neufeld Legal for your incorporation legal work at 403-400-4092 / 905-616-8864 or Chris@NeufeldLegal.com

Incorporating a company can be relatively straightforward, or it can be extremely complex, given the objective purposes for which it is intended to serve. As such, the cost of incorporating a company may be at the base rate, or as additional time and/or expenses are incurred, the prices will increase. Our basic incorporation legal fees starts at a mere $795.00; nevertheless, as you can well note from the subsequent pricing charts there are considerable additional charges that must be paid in the process [more on critical advantages over discount incorporation service providers]. With our basic incorporation package, you will be receiving the following:

Articles of Incorporation for your new company [more about articles of incorporation];
NUANS name reservation, should you wish a named company [more about named companies];
Extra-provincial registration, where required (note additional costs) [more about extra-provincial registration];
Initial information return filing, where required [more about initial information return];
Attainment of tax identification number from Revenue Canada [more about tax id number];
Corporate by-laws for the company [more about by-laws];
Organizational resolutions to authorize the company's creation [more about organizational resolutions];
Registers and ledgers laying out the specifics of the company's stakeholders and shareholdings [more about registers and ledgers];
Share certificates evidencing corporate share ownership [more about share certificates];
Reporting letter laying out what has been undertaken [more about reporting letter].

With respect to additional legal work related to the incorporation of your business , and its subsequent operations, please contact our law firm to be apprised as to what that additional work entails [more about additional legal work], together with the anticipated cost of undertaking such work. You will probably also wish to consider the differences as between a federal corporation vs an Ontario provincial corporation, or a federal corporation versus an Alberta provincial corporation. There is little benefit associated with incorporating a numbered company [more on numbered company advantages], especially when one compares them to the substantive advantages that are realized with incorporating a named company [more on named company advantages].

Ontario Provincial Incorporation: Basic Cost Breakdown

Expense / Item Description	Cost (CAD)
Provincial Charge for Incorporation	$300.00
Electronic Incorporation Filing Charge	$99.95
NUANS Name Reservation (Single Search)	$79.95
Initial Information Return & Electronic Filing Charge	$129.95
Legal Fees Work Specific to Base Incorporation (see below)	$795.00
Share Certificates (see below)	$15.00
Disbursements & Other Charges (see below)	$29.50
Applicable Taxes (HST)	$149.42
ESTIMATED BASE INCORPORATION TOTAL	$1,598.77

Federal Incorporation based in Ontario: Basic Cost Breakdown

Expense / Item Description	Cost (CAD)
Federal Government Fee for Incorporation	$200.00
NUANS Name Reservation (Federal Search)	$79.95
Initial Information Return & Electronic Filing Charge	$129.95
Legal Fees Work Specific to Base Incorporation (see below)	$795.00
Share Certificates (see below)	$15.00
Disbursements & Other Charges (see below)	$29.50
Applicable Taxes (HST)	$136.42
ESTIMATED BASE INCORPORATION TOTAL	$1,385.82

Alberta Provincial Incorporation: Basic Cost Breakdown

Expense / Item Description	Cost (CAD)
Alberta Government Charge for Incorporation	$275.00
Electronic Incorporation Filing Charge	$139.95
Alberta NUANS Report (Single Term Search)	$89.95
Legal Fees Specific to Base Incorporation (see below)	$795.00
Share Certificates (see below)	$15.00
Disbursements & Other Charges (see below)	$29.50
Applicable Taxes (GST)	$53.47
ESTIMATED BASE INCORPORATION TOTAL	$1,397.87

Federal Incorporation based in Alberta: Basic Cost Breakdown

Expense / Item Description	Cost (CAD)
Federal Government Fee for Incorporation	$200.00
NUANS Name Reservation (Federal Search)	$89.95
Extra-Provincial Registration (Alberta Govt Charge)	$299.95
Electronic Filing Charge for Extra-Provincial Registration	$139.95
Legal Fees Specific to Base Incorporation (see below)	$795.00
Legal Fees for Extra-Provincial Registration	$145.00
Share Certificates (see below)	$15.00
Disbursements & Other Charges	$29.50
Applicable Taxes (GST)	$60.72
ESTIMATED BASE INCORPORATION TOTAL	$1,775.07

Important Fee and Package Scope Notice: The flat rates associated with a standard basic incorporation are strictly limited to standard incorporations (i.e., legal fees include: drafting of articles of incorporation, preparation of by-laws, incorporation resolutions, registers and ledgers, reporting letter; share certificates are provided, with further corporate supplies being available at additional cost [i.e. corporate seal, minute book binder]; disbursements & other charges serve to offset costs of postage, printing, copies, whereas such things as couriers represent further charges), and do not involve complex corporate matters atypical for a basic setup. Additional legal work beyond the base package - including, but not limited to, customized multi-tier share structures, professional corporations, mandatory business licenses, specialized provincial registrations, permits, extra-provincial filings, or the drafting of an extensive Unanimous Shareholders' Agreement - is subject to standard professional hourly rates. Government fees and disbursements are current approximations and remain subject to regulatory changes.

So if you are looking to incorporate a new corporation (with the distinctions being particularly important, although far too frequently overlooked) or deal with the corporate legalities impacting your company, we welcome you to contact our law firm at 403-400-4092 [Alberta], 905-616-8864 [Ontario] or via email at Chris@NeufeldLegal.com for business incorporation services.

What is a Corporation

Key Advantages over Discount Incorporation Service Providers

Discounted incorporation service providers often lure clients with a low baseline price that excludes mandatory disbursements such as name search reports, filing fees, and the creation of a formal minute book. By omitting the minute book, these services leave the corporation without a legal record of share issuances and director resolutions, which are essential for compliance and future financing. Business owners frequently discover at the point of checkout or during a subsequent audit that they must pay significant additional sums to rectify these gaps. Without a complete corporate record, the entity remains vulnerable to administrative penalties and legal challenges regarding its internal governance. The initial savings are thus quickly erased by the professional fees required to bring the corporate records up to the necessary legal standard.

A critical failure in many automated or budget services is the lack of guidance regarding extra-provincial registration for businesses operating across multiple regional boundaries. While a provider may successfully file the initial articles of incorporation, they often skip the mandatory registrations required to legally carry on business in other jurisdictions. This oversight can lead to the corporation being unable to maintain bank accounts or enforce contracts outside its home territory, often resulting in immediate fines from regional authorities. Strategically addressing these registrations during the initial setup ensures that the corporate structure is robust and ready for expansion without the need for emergency legal interventions. Proactive multi-jurisdictional compliance prevents the accumulation of late fees and the costly administrative burden of retroactive filings, which can save a business thousands of dollars in the long term.

Strategic planning for extra-provincial registration also allows a business to optimize its tax footprint and operational flexibility from the outset. Many providers fail to explain that failing to register properly can lead to double taxation issues or the loss of specific regional tax credits that are only available to properly registered entities. By ensuring all regional registrations are handled correctly at the start, a company can avoid the disruption of being forced to re-incorporate or restructure under pressure from regulatory bodies. This foresight provides a stable legal foundation that supports seamless growth and protects the owners from personal liability risks associated with operating an unregistered business. Ultimately, the transparency lacking in budget services regarding these complex requirements is what leads to the most substantial and avoidable legal expenses as the business matures.