Change of owners, partners or directors

Depending on your business, a change of owners, partners or directors may require different actions, such as changing legal names or registering a new business number and new program accounts.

To avoid any delays or issues, the CRA must have up-to-date information on any changes of owners, officers or administrators.

This page covers general situations.

On this page

• Sole proprietorship
• Partnership
• Corporation
• Legal entity other than a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation
• Other considerations

Sole proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is legally and directly tied to one specific individual. If you sell or stop operating your business, you must close your business number (BN) and all your CRA program accounts by calling us at 1-800-959-5525.

A new owner can't continue using the old BN. They will have to get a new BN and new program accounts for the business. For more information, go to Business number.

If you are a sole proprietor who is a non-resident of Canada or you have a social insurance number beginning with a 9 or a 0, go to Non-resident GST/HST Enquiries.

Partnership

If the structure of your partnership changes and a partner leaves or one is added, call us at 1-800-959-5525.

For non-resident partnership changes, go to Non-resident GST/HST Enquiries.

A change of partners will have a different impact on your business depending on your partnership agreement. The legal name of the business may need to change depending on how it was registered:

• If the business uses a provincially registered operating name, it may not need to change
• If it was registered using the legal names of each partner, it may need to change

In some cases, if the partners change, the business is considered a new legal entity and requires a new business number as well as new CRA program accounts.

Corporation

Before you contact the CRA, any structure or owner changes for a corporation must be updated and validated with the federal or provincial incorporating authorities. The CRA can't control how long it takes for an incorporating authority to update their registry.

Once the changes to your corporation are visible on the corporate registry, send supporting documentation to the CRA to update business and owner information. For more information and steps to update director and business information, go to Access to corporate tax information.

If your business is incorporated or formed outside of Canada, go to Non-resident GST/HST Enquiries.

It is important to make sure that the incorporating authority's registry and the CRA have the correct directors' names on file. In certain circumstances, there may be legal implications for outgoing and incoming directors. We recommend that you get familiar with the corporate laws in the jurisdiction in which you are incorporated. For more information on a shareholder's limited liability, go to Assessing your responsibility for corporation's debts.

For more information on director's liability, see Information Circular IC89-2, Directors' Liability.

Legal entity other than a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation

This type of entity is unincorporated and is often referred to as an organization, group or association. Some examples include:

• First Nations bands, band councils or tribal councils (for the purposes of the Indian Act)
• local town athletic associations
• cultural organizations
• religious groups
• non-profit food banks
• charities that are unincorporated
• non-profit organizations that are unincorporated
• embassies or consulates

Online, by mail or by fax:

Add or delete an officer or administrator of an unincorporated entity online, by mail or by fax.

You must include the following information in your request:

• business number
• names, titles, social insurance numbers as well as telephone and fax numbers that should be added
• names that should be deleted
• printed name, telephone number and signature of the requestor
• any documentation supporting the change, such as signed meeting minutes

Note

If the request is related to a change to a First Nations elected council, you may provide the web address from the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada site with the current tribal council list of names using the Search by Tribal Council.

• Online

  You can send your request using "Submit documents" in one of the following online portals:

  • My Business Account
  • Represent a Client

• By mail or fax

  You can send your request by mail or fax at your CRA tax centre.

By phone:

Add or delete an officer or administrator of an unincorporated entity by phone.

To find out what information you will need to verify your identity, go to Assistance by phone.

If you are requesting a change to:

• a charity, call the telephone number for charities
• other legal entities, call the telephone number for businesses

Other considerations

In addition to the situations already covered, some changes may need further actions, have tax implications or have program specific requirements. We recommend that you review the rules for your business number's program accounts. For example, your payroll deductions accounts may need special attention when your business is undergoing changes (for more information, go to Payroll).

For more information on other business changes, go to Changes to your business and Canada Revenue Agency program accounts.

Forms and publications

• Guide T4002, Self-employed Business, Professional, Commission, Farming, and Fishing Income
• Guide T4012, T2 Corporation – Income Tax Guide

Related links

• Access to corporate tax information
• Amalgamation (Canadian corporations)
• Assessing your responsibility for corporation's debts
• Business and industry
• Change a business operating name
• Checklist for Small Businesses
• Closing CRA program accounts
• Corporations
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
• Non-resident GST/HST Enquiries
• Related provincial and territorial government sites
• Selling a business