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There is no EIN in Canada. An EIN is the US employer identification number from the IRS, and the Canadian equivalent is the 9-digit business number from the CRA. Which one you need depends on where the business operates: a Canadian business registers with the CRA, and gets an EIN only if it has a reason to deal with the IRS.
What is the Canadian version of an EIN?
The business number, or BN. It’s a unique 9-digit identifier for your business, and it’s what other federal, provincial and municipal programs use too. On its own it doesn’t do much. You add program accounts to it, and each account gets a two-letter code and a 4-digit reference number.
A GST/HST account, for instance, looks like 123456789RT0001. The CRA lists the codes below.
| Code | Program account |
|---|---|
| RC | Corporation income tax |
| RT | GST/HST |
| RP | Payroll deductions |
| RM | Import-export |
You register through the CRA’s Business Registration Online service if you’re a resident with a valid SIN (including a temporary one starting with 9). Non-residents doing business in Canada use a separate route. A federally incorporated company gets its BN and its corporation income tax account when the incorporation is approved.
When does a Canadian business need a US EIN?
Only when the IRS asks for it. The IRS lists the triggers: you need an EIN to hire employees, operate a partnership or corporation, pay sales and excise taxes, change your business structure or ownership, or administer certain trusts, retirement plans and estates. Having a US client isn’t on that list. We couldn’t confirm which forms a client may ask you for, so if a US company requests a tax number from you, ask exactly which form it is for.
If your principal place of business is outside the US, the IRS says you can’t use its online tool. You apply by phone, fax or mail, using Form SS-4. A foreign responsible party with no SSN or ITIN isn’t required to have one to get an EIN, and the SS-4 instructions say to write “foreign” or “N/A” in that spot.
It costs nothing.
The IRS warns that you never have to pay a fee for an EIN, and it tells people to beware of websites that charge for one. It also allows one EIN per responsible party per day.
What if you also need to charge GST/HST?
That’s a CRA matter, not an IRS one. Once your revenue passes the small supplier threshold, generally $30,000, you must register and charge tax. Then the RT account comes into play.
Take an Ontario consultant who invoices $10,000 before tax. HST at 13% is $1,300, so the client pays $11,300. Our GST/HST calculator gives that figure, and the HST reverse calculator works backward when you only know the total. In another province the rate differs. In Alberta the same invoice carries 5% GST, which is $500.
If you hire staff, the RP payroll account is separate, and the payroll remittance calculator shows what you’d send in. For the profit side of an incorporated business, try the corporate tax calculator.
Mistakes people make with these numbers
The common one is paying a website to “get” an EIN. Don’t. The application is free, and a paid service adds nothing you can’t do yourself.
Another is mixing up the numbers. Your BN is 9 digits. Your GST/HST number is the BN plus RT and four more digits. When you check whether a supplier is registered, the CRA’s GST/HST registry wants only the first nine digits, without letters.
And a US EIN registers you for nothing in Canada.
Where the numbers come from
The business number, program codes and GST/HST threshold come from Canada Revenue Agency pages. The EIN points come from the Internal Revenue Service’s pages on getting an employer identification number and the SS-4 instructions. All were read in September 2026, and the rates come from our calculators. We don’t act for either agency.
Frequently asked questions
Does Canada have an EIN?
No. The EIN is issued by the IRS in the United States. The Canadian equivalent is the 9-digit business number issued by the CRA.
What does a Canadian GST/HST number look like?
It is your 9-digit business number, the letters RT and a 4-digit reference number, such as 123456789RT0001.
Can a Canadian business get a US EIN?
Yes, if it has a reason to deal with the IRS. With a principal place of business outside the US, you apply by phone, fax or mail on Form SS-4.
Does an EIN cost anything?
No. The IRS says you never have to pay a fee for an EIN and warns about websites that charge for one.
When must I register for GST/HST?
Generally once revenue passes the $30,000 small supplier threshold.
- How Canadian income tax works: brackets and credits
How federal and provincial Canadian income tax stack up, what marginal and average rates mean, and how credits and deductions change your bill
Information only. This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Tax-Services.ca is an independent publisher: we don't prepare or file tax returns or offer tax services, and we have no connection with the CRA, Revenu Québec, any government or any company named on this page. Check the figures that matter with an official source or a qualified professional.