Professional Corporation in BC: The 2026 Complete Guide
A professional corporation in BC is always a two-step product. First, you incorporate a company with BC Registries under the Business Corporations Act — the same statute that governs every other BC company. Second, you obtain a permit or registration from your professional regulator, because in British Columbia the right to practise a regulated profession through a corporation comes from your profession's own legislation, not from the corporate registry. Skip the second step and you own a company that is not allowed to do the one thing you built it for.
The regulator depends on the profession. Physicians and other health professionals now fall under the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) — the statute that replaced the Health Professions Act on April 1, 2026 — and need a health profession corporation permit from their college. Lawyers need a law corporation permit from the Law Society of BC under the Legal Profession Act. Chartered Professional Accountants need a professional accounting corporation permit from CPABC under the Chartered Professional Accountants Act. This guide walks through who can incorporate, the common process, naming rules, and how a professional corporation differs from a regular BC company.
Who can form a professional corporation in British Columbia
| Profession | Regulator | Authorization document | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians and surgeons | College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) | Health profession corporation permit | Health profession corporation in BC (CPSBC permit guide) |
| Lawyers | Law Society of British Columbia | Law corporation permit | — |
| Chartered Professional Accountants | CPA British Columbia (CPABC) | Professional accounting corporation permit | — |
| Dentists and oral health professionals | BC College of Oral Health Professionals | Health profession corporation permit | — |
| Other regulated health professions (pharmacists, nurses, physical therapists, massage therapists and more) | The profession's college under the HPOA (e.g. College of Pharmacists of BC, CHCPBC, CCHPBC) | Health profession corporation permit, where the profession's designation regulation requires one | — |
Detailed CRS guides for BC lawyers, accountants and oral health professionals are coming soon; in the meantime, the two-step framework below applies to all of them. Since April 1, 2026, six colleges regulate BC's health professions under the HPOA: CPSBC, the BC College of Nurses and Midwives, the BC College of Oral Health Professionals, the College of Pharmacists of BC, the College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC, and the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC. Each college's designation regulation and bylaws set out whether a corporation permit is required and on what terms — so always start with your own college's current rules, not an article written under the repealed Health Professions Act.
The common process
Step 1 — the registry step. Every BC professional corporation begins life as an ordinary company under the Business Corporations Act. You reserve a name with BC Registries ($30 name request fee; a $100 priority service is available), prepare articles and an incorporation agreement, and file the incorporation application through Corporate Online for a $350 government fee. Your articles must contain whatever restrictions your regulator requires — for example, share-ownership restrictions that mirror section 59 of the HPOA for health profession corporations, or section 82 of the Legal Profession Act for law corporations. Getting these clauses right the first time matters, because amending articles later means more filings and more delay.
Step 2 — the regulator step. With the certificate of incorporation in hand, you apply to your college or professional body for its permit. CPSBC issues health profession corporation permits (application fee C$350 per licensee, annual permit fee C$135 per corporation, with a March 1 renewal deadline). The Law Society of BC issues law corporation permits ($420 application fee, GST included), after first approving the corporate name. CPABC registers professional accounting corporations under sections 39–41 of the Chartered Professional Accountants Act, and every member practising through the corporation must also hold a public practice licence.
Then both tracks must be kept alive: the corporation files a BC annual report ($43.39) within two months of each incorporation anniversary, and the regulator's permit is renewed on the regulator's own cycle. Our renewals and compliance guide covers both calendars.
Naming rules in British Columbia
BC professional corporation names are approved twice. BC Registries applies the ordinary name rules for companies, and your regulator applies its own profession-specific rules — usually before you file anything with the registry. CPSBC requires a Name Approval Request Form to be submitted and approved under section 7-6 of its bylaws before incorporation documents are filed. The Law Society of BC requires a Certificate Respecting Corporate Name (allow up to five business days), and a law corporation's name must include "law corporation", "law ULC" or "law unlimited liability company". CPABC must approve the corporate name of a professional accounting corporation. The safest sequence is: confirm the name with the regulator, then reserve it with BC Registries, then incorporate — a name reservation holds for 56 days, which is normally enough time to complete both approvals.
PC vs regular corporation
A BC professional corporation is not a special corporate form — it is a standard Business Corporations Act company wearing regulatory handcuffs. The differences are all restrictions. Voting shares are limited to licensed members of the profession (under section 59 of the HPOA for health professions, section 82 of the Legal Profession Act for lawyers, and section 40 of the CPA Act for accountants, which also requires every director to be a member in good standing). The business is typically restricted to the practice of the profession. And incorporation does not shield you from professional liability: section 80 of the HPOA confirms that a licensee's professional accountability is unaffected by the corporate structure, and the other professions' statutes take the same approach.
What you keep is tax parity with every other Canadian-controlled private corporation: access to the small business deduction on active practice income, the ability to time when income is paid out to you personally, and potential deferral of personal tax on earnings left in the corporation. Whether those benefits outweigh the extra filings depends on your income and spending — confirm the numbers with your accountant before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Can a doctor incorporate their practice in BC?
Yes. A physician incorporates a company under the Business Corporations Act, then obtains a health profession corporation permit from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. Since April 1, 2026, the permit regime operates under the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) and CPSBC bylaws. Without a valid permit, the corporation cannot provide health services.
How much does it cost to set up a professional corporation in BC?
Expect a $30 BC Registries name request plus the $350 incorporation fee, then your regulator's fee: CPSBC charges C$350 per licensee to apply and C$135 per year per corporation; the Law Society of BC charges $420 for a law corporation permit. Legal, accounting and CRS service fees are additional.
What replaced the Health Professions Act in BC?
The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) replaced the Health Professions Act on April 1, 2026. Six colleges now regulate BC health professions under it, and health profession corporation permits — including CPSBC's — are issued under the HPOA and college bylaws. Guides that still cite the old HPA are out of date.
Does a professional corporation protect me from malpractice claims in BC?
No. Incorporation limits ordinary commercial liability, but it does not reduce professional liability. Section 80 of the HPOA expressly preserves a licensee's professional accountability despite the corporate structure, and lawyers and accountants remain personally answerable to their regulators and clients for professional negligence. Insurance requirements continue to apply.
Can my spouse own shares in my BC professional corporation?
Not voting shares. Voting shares must be held by licensed members of the profession — eligible licensees under section 59 of the HPOA, practising lawyers under section 82 of the Legal Profession Act, or CPABC members in good standing. Some regulators allow relatives to hold non-voting shares (the Law Society and CPABC do); check your college's current bylaws first.
Do I renew a BC professional corporation every year?
Yes, twice over. The corporation files a BC annual report ($43.39) within two months of its incorporation anniversary, or risks dissolution after two missed years. Separately, most regulator permits renew annually — CPSBC permits expire the last day of February — although a Law Society of BC law corporation permit lasts the life of the corporation.
Incorporate your British Columbia professional corporation — free consultation
Two filings, one deadline-proof plan. In a free consultation, a Corporate Registry Services specialist maps both steps for your British Columbia practice — the registry incorporation with regulator-compliant articles and naming, and the regulator authorization that lets you practise through it — plus the annual renewals that keep both alive.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can a doctor incorporate their practice in BC?
Yes. A physician incorporates a company under the Business Corporations Act, then obtains a health profession corporation permit from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. Since April 1, 2026, the permit regime operates under the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) and CPSBC bylaws. Without a valid permit, the corporation cannot provide health services.
How much does it cost to set up a professional corporation in BC?
Expect a $30 BC Registries name request plus the $350 incorporation fee, then your regulator's fee: CPSBC charges C$350 per licensee to apply and C$135 per year per corporation; the Law Society of BC charges $420 for a law corporation permit. Legal, accounting and CRS service fees are additional.
What replaced the Health Professions Act in BC?
The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) replaced the Health Professions Act on April 1, 2026. Six colleges now regulate BC health professions under it, and health profession corporation permits — including CPSBC's — are issued under the HPOA and college bylaws. Guides that still cite the old HPA are out of date.
Does a professional corporation protect me from malpractice claims in BC?
No. Incorporation limits ordinary commercial liability, but it does not reduce professional liability. Section 80 of the HPOA expressly preserves a licensee's professional accountability despite the corporate structure, and lawyers and accountants remain personally answerable to their regulators and clients for professional negligence. Insurance requirements continue to apply.
Can my spouse own shares in my BC professional corporation?
Not voting shares. Voting shares must be held by licensed members of the profession — eligible licensees under section 59 of the HPOA, practising lawyers under section 82 of the Legal Profession Act, or CPABC members in good standing. Some regulators allow relatives to hold non-voting shares (the Law Society and CPABC do); check your college's current bylaws first.
Do I renew a BC professional corporation every year?
Yes, twice over. The corporation files a BC annual report ($43.39) within two months of its incorporation anniversary, or risks dissolution after two missed years. Separately, most regulator permits renew annually — CPSBC permits expire the last day of February — although a Law Society of BC law corporation permit lasts the life of the corporation.
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