What a New British Columbia Corporation Must File
The First Return, and What Else British Columbia Wants
A new British Columbia corporation files one T2, which settles federal and provincial corporate income tax together. The separate obligation is a registry filing rather than a second tax return.
Written and reviewed by Sharad Gondaliya, CPA (Ontario), CPA Ontario Membership 61040184.
Last reviewed: November 11, 2026
$300.00 plus applicable sales tax per tax year. A first year with no activity is a nil T2 and is filed here at the published fee. In British Columbia the tax added to it is the GST and the provincial sales tax where it applies.
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One Tax Return, One Registry Filing
British Columbia levies corporate income tax through the federal return, so there is no provincial corporate return to find. That puts it on the opposite footing from Quebec and Alberta.
The registry still wants to hear from the corporation every year, and that filing reports no money and is not a tax return. It is not in this fee.
Operating in Another Province
Incorporating in British Columbia registers the corporation in British Columbia. Carrying on business in another province usually means registering there as well, which is an extra-provincial registration and a registry matter rather than a tax one.
It can also create a permanent establishment elsewhere, which changes which province the corporate income is allocated to. On a dormant first year with no activity anywhere none of that bites, and the permanent establishment checker is where to test it once trading starts.
The three first-year rules. The first tax year cannot exceed 53 weeks and the year-end must match CRA’s record or the transmission is rejected. Schedule 24, the first-time filer schedule, is required on the first T2 a corporation ever files. The year-end you report is the one the Canada Revenue Agency holds on file, so a different date on the return is refused rather than corrected.
What a New British Columbia Corporation Owes
| Item | Position in British Columbia |
|---|---|
| Federal corporate return | One T2 for the first tax year |
| Provincial corporate return | None. The federal T2 settles both sides |
| Schedule 24 on that first return | Required |
| First tax year limit | No more than 53 weeks |
| Registry annual filing | Owed yearly, and not a tax return |
| Sales tax added to the fee | The GST and the provincial sales tax where it applies |
| Fee per tax year | $300.00 plus applicable sales tax |
No tax rate is quoted here. Sales tax rates change, and the figure that matters when deciding whether to file is the fee. The whole amount with tax is on the screen before you pay.
The Order It Happens In
- Confirm whether British Columbia wants a corporate return of its own, because that decides how many returns the first year needs.
- Confirm the year-end the Canada Revenue Agency holds, because the return is matched against it.
- Check the first tax year against the 53-week limit.
- Complete Schedule 24, which the first return always carries.
- Prepare the nil GIFI schedules for the year: Schedule 100, Schedule 125 and Schedule 141.
- Sign Form T183CORP for that tax year on a secure single-use screen.
- Transmit the return and keep the confirmation.
Other Jurisdictions
- What every first T2 return needs
- A new Alberta corporation
- A new Manitoba corporation
- A new Saskatchewan corporation
Where the Rest of the Answer Is
The first-year T2 filing guide covers the whole subject, the Schedule 24 checker confirms whether a return counts as a first return, and the 53-week checker tests the first year-end. Which jurisdictions want a corporate return of their own is answered by the provincial return requirement checker.
If the corporation does not exist yet, incorporation is a separate step on a separate site: opencorporationfor35.ca covers it, and this page picks up once the corporation is registered.
Filing here is $300.00 plus applicable sales tax per tax year. See the full nil T2 filing cost and what it covers.
Start Nil T2 Filing NOWCheck Schedule 24
Your return is prepared and transmitted in Canada. Our credentials are never shared and no part of your file is sent offshore. Nil T2 filing price