What is a Corporation Key?
The Corporation Key is a 9-character code Corporations Canada uses to authorize online changes to your federal corporation — including filing your annual return. Since January 2024 it's required: there's no way to file a federal annual return online with just the corporation number.
The short version
- What it is: a confidential 9-character key, like a password for your corporation.
- Why you need it: Corporations Canada requires it to file the annual return online.
- Where it is: in the email Corporations Canada sent when you incorporated, and on annual-return reminder notices.
- Lost it? Request a free replacement — it's mailed to your registered office, so allow a few days.
Where to find your Corporation Key
For most corporations the key is in the incorporation email Corporations Canada sent when the company was created (and on filing receipts from before September 2021). It also appears on the paper annual-return reminder notices Corporations Canada mails out. If you incorporated through a lawyer or an online service, check the documents they handed back to you — the key is often in there.
How to get a replacement if you've lost it
You can request a new Corporation Key for free from Corporations Canada. For security, a replacement key is mailed to the corporation's registered office address — it is not emailed — so plan for a few days of mail time. Make sure your registered office address is current before you request it, or the key may go to the wrong place.
Do I have to log in myself?
No. You give us the Corporation Key and we file on your behalf — you never have to log into the government portal. The key is confidential to the corporation's directors, so only share it with a service you trust to file for you.
Don't have your key yet? You can still get started. Find your deadline first, and we'll walk you through getting the Corporation Key as part of filing.
Check your deadline while you find your key
Type your corporation name or number to see your next federal annual-return deadline.
Type at least 2 characters.
Results are based on Canada's public federal corporations registry and may lag the official record. Always confirm in your Corporations Canada Online Filing Centre. Compliance Calendar is an independent filing service — not Corporations Canada or any government agency.
Compliance Calendar is an independent filing service. We are not Corporations Canada or any government agency, and we don't provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. Process details follow Corporations Canada's current practice and can change — confirm in your Corporations Canada account.