Do I Need to File a Nil T2 if I Never Started Operating?
$300.00 Plus HST Per Tax Year
We are a registered EFILE electronic filer. Your return is transmitted to the Canada Revenue Agency electronically.
Written and reviewed by Sharad Gondaliya, CPA (Ontario), CPA Ontario Membership 61040184.
Yes. The first tax year begins on the incorporation date, not on the day the business starts trading, so a return is due within six months of that first fiscal year-end. A corporation that never opened for business files a nil return rather than no return.
Do I Need to File a Nil T2 if I Never Started Operating?
| Point | Figure |
|---|---|
| Date the first tax year begins | The incorporation date |
| Months after the first fiscal year-end to file | 6 |
| Returns needed before trading starts | One for each fiscal year |
| Fee per tax year | $300.00 plus HST |
Incorporating creates the obligation. A corporation that was registered and then left unused still has a fiscal year-end every year, and each of those years needs its own return until the corporation is dissolved.
Filing a Nil Return
This service is for a corporation with no activity in the tax year. A corporation with investment income, rental income, or dividends paid or received is not nil.
We are a registered EFILE electronic filer. Your return is transmitted to the Canada Revenue Agency electronically, and your CRA confirmation is emailed within 3 business days. You sign Form T183CORP before we transmit. The fee is $300.00 plus HST per tax year. See the full nil T2 filing cost, every T2 filing deadline, and catch-up nil T2 filing for outstanding years.
For the whole subject in one place, see the complete guide to the nil T2 return.
Related Questions
- Do I file every inactive year
- Can I file five years together
- Can I file it myself
- Can I dissolve with unfiled returns
- Can I file late, what applies
- Do I need to file with no activity
- Do I need to file with no bank account
- What happens if I do not file
Last reviewed: October 19, 2026