If your business is a federal corporation, search its name: the results show its business number under its corporation number. A sole proprietorship or a provincial corporation is not on this site; see the steps below, or the business number lookup for the official registries.
In short
- Your business number (BN) is the nine-digit number the Canada Revenue Agency gave your business. It is on the CRA's letters and notices to you.
- In your CRA account, it is on the Welcome page once My Business Account is added.
- A federal corporation can find its BN on the federal corporation search, or on this site by its name.
- If you still cannot find it, call the CRA's Business Enquiries line, 1-800-959-5525.
How to find my business number
Look in your records
Your business number is on the letters and notices the CRA sent your business, and on the confirmation you saved or printed when you registered online. Business Registration Online shows the BN on screen and does not send it to you.
Sign in to your CRA account
Once CRA My Business Account is added to your CRA account, your BN is on its Welcome page.
Try your provincial account
If you registered through your province or territory, its online business account may show your BN.
Search a business registry
The CRA lists Corporations Canada's federal search, the Ontario Business Registry and Canada's Business Registries as places to search for a BN.
Call the CRA
If you still cannot find it, call Business Enquiries at 1-800-959-5525, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time. An agent may ask for details from your registration.
If your business is incorporated: BN and incorporation number
A federal corporation gets its BN and its corporate income tax account automatically once Corporations Canada approves the incorporation. Search your corporation's name in the box above, or on the federal corporation search: both show the BN. The federal search writes it as a 15-character account number such as 123456789RC0001; the first nine digits are your business number.
Incorporating in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island or Saskatchewan also gives you a BN. If you registered through British Columbia or Ontario, the CRA mails a notice confirming it. Your incorporation number is a different number: see the corporation number lookup.
If you are a sole proprietor
An unincorporated business needs a business number only when you register your business for a CRA account, such as GST/HST or payroll, so you may not have one at all. If you started registering online and your session timed out, a BN may have been created anyway: ask the CRA.
In Ontario, the Business Identification Number (BIN) you receive when you register a business name is an Ontario number, not your federal business number.
Your BN and your other business identifiers
Your BN is the identifier assigned by the CRA, and the Government of Canada's other programs, the provinces and municipalities use it to recognize your business information. It is one of several business identifiers:
- CRA program accounts: your BN with two letters and four digits, such as RC 0001 for corporation income tax and RT 0001 for the GST/HST.
- Corporation number: what many call the incorporation number, from Corporations Canada or your province. Find a federal one with the corporation number lookup.
- Provincial numbers: Quebec's ten-digit enterprise number (NEQ), Ontario's BIN for a business name, and others.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find my business number?
On the CRA's letters and notices to your business, on the Welcome page of My Business Account in your CRA account, in your provincial business account if you registered through a province, or by searching a business registry.
Is my CRA business number the same as my GST number?
Your GST/HST number starts with your nine-digit business number, then adds RT and four digits, such as 123456789 RT 0001. You have a GST/HST number only if you registered for GST/HST.
Is my business number the same as my incorporation number?
No. The incorporation number, or corporation number, comes from Corporations Canada or your province. The business number comes from the Canada Revenue Agency.
Can I find my business number online?
Yes. Sign in to your CRA account, where My Business Account shows it, or search your corporation on the federal corporation search, on Canada's Business Registries or on this site.
What if I never received my business number?
Business Registration Online shows the number on screen and does not mail it, so check what you saved. Otherwise call the CRA's Business Enquiries line at 1-800-959-5525.
How do I find my business number in Ontario?
The CRA lists the Ontario Business Registry as a place to search for a BN. Ontario's Business Identification Number (BIN) is a different number from the federal business number.
Official sources
- Ways to find an existing business number(opens in a new tab)
The CRA's list of places to find your BN, and the Business Enquiries hours.
- When you need a business number(opens in a new tab)
Who needs a BN, and the provinces that issue one when you register.
- Register as a resident with a Canadian business(opens in a new tab)
Business Registration Online, and why the BN is not sent to you.
- Contact the CRA(opens in a new tab)
Business Enquiries numbers, including the line for the territories.
- Search for a federal corporation(opens in a new tab)
The official federal search, which shows each corporation's BN.
- Canada's Business Registries(opens in a new tab)
The federal and seven provincial registries searched at once.
This page explains the general rules. It is not tax or legal advice for a particular situation. The Canada Revenue Agency's and Corporations Canada's own pages are the official word; this page was last checked against them on Oct 28, 2026.