What is an Ontario Certificate of Good Standing

Ontario Certificates of Status are issued by the Ontario Ministry of Government Services for Ontario companies. Sometimes these are called Certificates of Good Standing or Certificates of Compliance and all companies registered in all jurisdictions in Canada and for that matter all companies registered in any country can obtain these certificates when needed. They are called Certificates of Status in Ontario.

Sometimes a Certificate of Status is requested by an institution in order to confirm that a corporation has met its legal requirements and considered in good standing by the government.

If you obtain an Ontario Certificate of Status it will show the following: (a) the current name of the corporation; (b) the number assigned to the corporation by the government called the Ontario Corporation Number; and (b) whether or not the corporation is in good standing.

All Ontario companies have to file a federal tax return within six months of the financial year end of the company in each year. If returns are not filed the tax department will request the Ontario Companies Branch to dissolve the company. If a Certificate of Status is ordered for a dissolved company it will not be clear.

Ontario companies must file Ontario annual returns each year and if those returns are not filed for a number of years the company will be dissolved. You will not receive a favourable Certificate of Status if a company has been dissolved for non-filing of Ontario annual returns.

The government does not refund the money if a clear Certificate of Status cannot be issued. Basically it will issue a Certificate of Status that indicates the Ontario company is not in compliance and you will then need to file any outstanding returns and order a new Certificate of Status. A Certificate of Status is not cheap so if you know in advance you have not made your filings you should at the least ensure all Ontario annual returns are filed before ordering your Certificate of Status. If you have some outstanding tax returns but have not been dissolved then you will still receive a favourable Certificate of Status as long as your Ontario annual returns have been filed with the Ontario Companies Branch.

A Certificate of Status is not an Ontario corporate search. If you are trying to determine information about an Ontario company you should have an Ontario Corporate Profile search done rather than ordering a Certificate of Status.

If your corporation is selling or buying property, is entering into a major contract, wants to register a car against the corporation, a Certificate of Status might be requested by the law firm, by the government or the bank involved. Any corporation might be asked for confirmation that it has made its proper filings and be requested to provide a Certificate of Status.

Resources for Canadian Business Owners provides information about Ontario Certificates of Status and other legal products including Ontario Company Searches.

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