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Business Guide

How to Set Up a New Corporation in Manitoba

Plain-English guidance on incorporating your Manitoba business — and how we make the whole process easy.

Why it matters

Why do people incorporate?

Incorporating means creating a separate legal entity for your business. Your corporation is distinct from you personally – it can own assets, sign contracts, hire staff, and be taxed separately. For many Winnipeg business owners, incorporating is one of the smartest financial moves they make.

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Protect your personal assets
Your personal finances are kept separate from your business liabilities.
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Pay less tax
Small business corporate tax rates are significantly lower than personal rates.
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Look more professional
Clients and lenders often take incorporated businesses more seriously.
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Easier to grow and sell
Corporations are easier to bring on partners, investors, or sell down the road.

The Process

How it works: Step by Step

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Step One

Register your corporation name

Your corporation needs a legal name. You have two options — a numbered company (e.g. 1234567 Manitoba Ltd.) which is quick and straightforward, or a named company (e.g. Currie Holdings Ltd.) which requires a NUANS name search to confirm availability. The Companies Office reviews all proposed names to make sure they aren’t too similar to existing ones. We help you choose the right option and handle the registration on your behalf.

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Step Two

Get your Business Number from CRA

Think of your Business Number (BN) as your corporation’s SIN number — it’s how the government identifies your business. Every corporation needs one. The BN is the foundation for all your CRA accounts and is based on a simple principle: one business, one number. We register your Business Number for you as part of the incorporation process so you don’t have to navigate CRA on your own.

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Step Three

Set up your PST, GST and Payroll accounts

Depending on your business, you may need to register for one or more government tax accounts. Here’s a simple breakdown of when each applies:

GST Account
Required if your annual sales exceed $30,000. You can register voluntarily if under this threshold, but once registered you must charge and remit GST regardless of sales.
PST Account (Manitoba)
Required if your annual sales exceed $10,000. Same rules apply — voluntary registration is possible below the threshold, but once registered you must collect and remit PST.
Payroll Account
Only needed if you have employees. We set this up for you and can also handle your ongoing payroll processing.

Ready to incorporate?

We’ll set up your corporation the right way — from day one

Local help. Clear answers. No unnecessary runaround.

Currie Accounting

Winnipeg’s trusted accounting firm for over 25 years, serving businesses and individuals with professional, reliable service.

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