Professional Corporation Renewals: Deadlines & Fees 2026
A professional corporation stays alive on two separate clocks. The corporate registry expects an annual return or annual report, on the anniversary-based schedule every corporation follows. The regulator expects its own renewal — a fee, a shareholder confirmation, sometimes a fresh corporation profile report — on a fixed date that has nothing to do with your incorporation anniversary. Most lapses happen because someone assumed the two were the same filing. They never are.
This page collects the regulator renewal deadlines and fees we've verified on the regulators' own sites, plus the registry-side obligations, so a practice manager can build the whole compliance calendar from one table. Corporate Registry Services tracks and files both sides for clients — book a free consultation if you'd rather never think about this page again.
The registry side is the one that gets missed, because it moves with each corporation's own anniversary rather than a shared date — how to file a medical professional corporation annual return covers what it is, when it falls due, and what a strike-off costs to undo.
Regulator renewal calendar (verified 2026)
| Regulator (profession) | What renews | Deadline | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPSO (physicians, ON) | Certificate of authorization | Anniversary of the certificate's issue date (not June 1 — that is your own registration renewal) | $175 | $400 on first application; renew via CPSO portal; certificate stays valid while renewal is processed; notify CPSO of physician-shareholder changes |
| RCDSO (dentists, ON) | Certificate of authorization | July 31 ($200 after) | $175 | All certificates expire Aug 31 and are revoked Sept 1; portal-only |
| OCP (pharmacists, ON) | Certificate of authorization | March 10 | $512.90 (HST incl.) | Renewal requires a corporation profile report dated within 30 days — order it early |
| LSO (lawyers, ON) | Certificate of authorization | Expires Dec 31; renew ≥90 days before | Confirm current fee | Auto-revoked if unrenewed 12 months after expiry |
| CPSA (physicians, AB) | Professional corporation permit | Alongside Dec 31 practice-permit window (separate process) | $200 + GST per physician shareholder | $200 late penalty per PC; revival $200 + GST |
| Law Society of Alberta (lawyers) | Permit to practise as a PC | December 31 | $252 (incl. GST) | Renew via Lawyer Portal "My PC"; lapsed permit = fresh application at full $525 |
| CPA Alberta (accountants) | PC registration | May 31 (year Apr 1–Mar 31) | ~$325.50 (confirm current schedule) | Penalty June 1, suspension July 1, cancellation Aug 30 |
| CPA Ontario (accountants) | Annual Practitioner Due / registration | September 30 | $260 + HST per CPA ($45 late) | COA holders confirm public-accounting status |
| CPSBC (physicians, BC) | Health profession corporation permit | March 1 (permit year Mar 1–end Feb) | $135/yr | $100 late penalty; reinstatement required after May 1; $350/licensee on first application |
| CPSNS (physicians, NS) | Medical corporation permit | December 31 (permit year Jan–Dec; renewal opens Nov 1) | $100 Nov · $125 Dec · $225 Jan | $150 on first application; renewed by the medical director; separate questionnaire from your own licence renewal, both due in November |
| CPSNB (physicians, NB) | Registration on the Corporations Register | Prior to December 1 — so November 30 in practice | $300/yr | $300 on first registration; single calendar deadline for every corporation, not an anniversary |
| CPSM (physicians, MB) | Medical corporation permit | Alongside your annual certificate of practice renewal | $241 (2025 schedule — confirm Fee Bylaw) | Requires a valid certificate of practice; CPSM must notify the Companies Branch of non-compliance |
| CPSS (physicians, SK) | Medical professional corporation permit | Annual — confirm in your CPSS account | Confirm current fee schedule | College publishes permit, late and restoration fees; also operates a revalidation process |
| Law Society of BC (lawyers) | Law corporation permit | Annual, alongside your practising certificate | $420 incl. GST on the permit; renewal per Schedule 1 | The Certificate Respecting the Corporate Name is not a permit — no legal services until the permit issues; all directors and the president must be practising lawyers |
| CPABC (accountants, BC) | Professional accounting corporation incorporation permit | Annual | $120.75 ($115 + GST) | The permit is not a licence to practise public accounting — that renews separately; name takes "Ltd."/"Inc."/"Corp.", not "Professional Corporation" |
| CDSA (dentists, AB) | Professional corporation permit | Annual, alongside your practice permit | $500 application; confirm annual fee with the college | Articles must be college-endorsed before the registry filing; all voting shares held legally and beneficially by regulated members |
| College of Chiropractors of Alberta | Professional corporation permit | Annual | Confirm current fee with the college | Same endorsement-first sequence as CPSA; shareholders and directors must be regulated members |
Where a fee says "confirm," the regulator hadn't published a current figure on the pages we verified — treat the date as firm and check the fee schedule when renewing.
The registry side (don't skip it)
Ontario corporations file an annual return via the Ontario Business Registry within six months of fiscal year-end. Alberta corporations file an annual return through a registry agent each anniversary month — miss two consecutive years and the corporation is struck. BC companies file an annual report (about $43.39) via Corporate Online each anniversary. A struck or dissolved corporation instantly invalidates the regulator's authorization too, and several regulators (OCP explicitly) demand a fresh corporation profile report at renewal precisely to prove the registry side is alive and current.
What happens if you miss a renewal
The pattern is consistent across regulators: a late fee first, then suspension or revocation of the certificate/permit, then a full re-application at the original (higher) fee — CPSA charges a $200 revival, the Law Society of Alberta requires a brand-new $525 application, RCDSO revokes on September 1. During the gap, income earned through the corporation sits in a grey zone your accountant and college will both dislike. On the registry side, prolonged non-filing ends in dissolution — and reviving a dissolved corporation is a separate, slower, court-order-flavoured process in some jurisdictions.
Build the calendar once
For a typical incorporated Ontario physician the full-year compliance list is exactly four items: the certificate of authorization renewal on its own issue-date anniversary (look it up in your CPSO profile — it is not June 1, which is your personal registration renewal), OBR annual return within six months of fiscal year-end, corporate tax filings, and a shareholder-register check whenever family circumstances change. An Alberta physician swaps in the CPSA permit renewal in the December practice-permit window and the registry-agent annual return in the anniversary month. It isn't complicated — it just punishes forgetting.
Frequently asked questions
Is the regulator renewal the same as my corporation's annual return?
No — they are entirely separate filings to separate bodies. The annual return (registry) keeps the corporation legally alive; the regulator renewal (college or law society) keeps your certificate of authorization or permit valid. Missing either one eventually invalidates the whole structure. Diarize both.
What happens if my certificate of authorization lapses?
Regulators apply late fees, then revoke — RCDSO certificates expire August 31 and are revoked September 1; the LSO auto-revokes 12 months after expiry. Practising through a corporation without a valid authorization is professional misconduct territory, and reinstatement means re-applying at the full original fee.
When is the CPSO incorporation renewal due?
On the anniversary of the certificate's own issue date, at $175, through the CPSO member portal — CPSO states "the renewal date is the same as the certificate's date of issue," and the exact date is in your online profile. It is not June 1; that is the deadline for your personal registration renewal, which catches a lot of physicians out. The certificate of authorization was $400 on first issuance. Report physician-shareholder changes when they happen — don't save them for renewal time.
Do I need a corporation profile report to renew?
For some regulators, yes — the Ontario College of Pharmacists requires one dated within 30 days of the renewal. Others require it on shareholder changes or re-application. It's the registry-side proof that your corporation exists and its directors match your filing.
Never miss a renewal again — free consultation
Two filings, one deadline-proof plan. In a free consultation, a Corporate Registry Services specialist builds your corporation's complete compliance calendar — regulator renewal, registry annual return, and the documents each one needs — and can file both sides for you every year.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Is the regulator renewal the same as my corporation's annual return?
No — they are entirely separate filings to separate bodies. The annual return (registry) keeps the corporation legally alive; the regulator renewal (college or law society) keeps your certificate of authorization or permit valid. Missing either one eventually invalidates the whole structure. Diarize both.
What happens if my certificate of authorization lapses?
Regulators apply late fees, then revoke — RCDSO certificates expire August 31 and are revoked September 1; the LSO auto-revokes 12 months after expiry. Practising through a corporation without a valid authorization is professional misconduct territory, and reinstatement means re-applying at the full original fee.
When is the CPSO incorporation renewal due?
On the anniversary of the certificate's own issue date, at $175, through the CPSO member portal — CPSO states "the renewal date is the same as the certificate's date of issue," and the exact date is in your online profile. It is not June 1; that is the deadline for your personal registration renewal, which catches a lot of physicians out. The certificate of authorization was $400 on first issuance. Report physician-shareholder changes when they happen — don't save them for renewal time.
Do I need a corporation profile report to renew?
For some regulators, yes — the Ontario College of Pharmacists requires one dated within 30 days of the renewal. Others require it on shareholder changes or re-application. It's the registry-side proof that your corporation exists and its directors match your filing.
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