Help for BN or BIN ?

[sophgag604]

I was wondering where do you gget information for the BIN number? I called revenue canada for BN and told me I dont need that They didn't want to listen to what I had to say then gave me a phone number and it was finance ministry but it's not the good one because I sent a message and reply to call another number

[Inspired by Reggio]

Which province are you in?

For Ontario you do it here http://www.ontario.ca/en/services_fo...02_039990.html

[Momof4]

I made the phone calls a year or two ago because I was getting conflicting information. Friends in our business insisted we need a BIN and my daycare Mom who works at Canada Revenue told me I don't need it.

Here is what I found out:

A small business that earns over $30,000. and has an employee are the only ones who need a Business Number. (1-800-959-5525) This is Federal and with Revenue Canada. Our businesses are HST & GST free so again we don't have to worry about this.

Buiness Identification Number (BIN) is provincial and is only $60 for 5 years and is helpful so that you don't have to give out your SIN on your receipts, etc. Services Ontario 1-888-745-8888

So Reggio is right that you may have to contact your own provincial govmt.

[Inspired by Reggio]

I made the phone calls a year or two ago because I was getting conflicting information. Friends in our business insisted we need a BIN and my daycare Mom who works at Canada Revenue told me I don't need it..

Yes it is frustrating to say the least specially because the rules vary between Federal and Provincial governments ... Canada Revenue Agency is a FEDERAL agency and your client is correct as far as they are concerned we do not NEED a BIN as far as they are concerned because regardless of how much we make we are exempt from collecting GST and unless we have employees do not need to worry about WSIB and Employer Health Care taxes or anything...and according to them we are LEGALLY REQUIRED to provide our SIN something that every other avenue of the government vehemently tells us to PROTECT which is a contradiction - however they will tell you that if your Province does not 'require' you to have one for any other business purposes that you can 'volunteer' to have a BN or BIN to avoid having to provide it.

Than we have Provincial business rules ... if you live in Ontario for example you ARE required buy the Business Names Act to have a BIN if you advertize your business by anything other than your full legal name - which almost every childcare program I know DOES since we add things to our websites and ads like "Susie's Sensational Home Learning' or something verses our full legal name 'Susan Diane Doe - owner operator of a home childcare program' as our 'advertizing tag line'.

From the Business Names Act - the part that would apply to us small self employed business owners who are 'individuals' verses corporations.

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/sta...es_90b17_e.htm

Idem

(2) No individual shall carry on business or identify his or her business to the public under a name other than his or her own name unless the name is registered by that individual. R.S.O. 1990, c. B.17, s. 2 (2).

So if you talk to someone who works at a FEDERAL level only and whose expertise is TAXES you could get inaccurate information because they are telling you that FEDERALLY and in regards to TAXES you do not need a BIN which is correct.

However it is INCORRECT for PROVINCIAL laws at least in Ontario ... the trouble is that they may not have bothered to learn the PROVINCIAL business laws because their expertise is just TAX LAW as an employee of the CRA not a business expert ... and there are so many more things that govern us aside from 'taxes' .... the Provincial Day Nursery Acts which is different in every province, provincial business laws and acts which are also different as well as REGION bi-laws and zoning laws.

Bi-laws for example that might allow one of us to work in a 'condo' and another to NOT because the Condo Act in their region might prevent 'business' to be operated from them - so if you asked someone who lives in Ontario 'can you operate a business in a condo' they might tell you YES and be correct for their Region but be INCORRECT if they live in a different 'region' of Ontario ... I had a peer who had to MOVE because her condo bi-laws did not allow home based business to be run out of them and someone 'complained' and she got told to close up or move - and well she needed the income where as many people on THIS board talk about being able to operate out of apartments or condos cause theirs are 'zoned' differently ... my point being we need to be CAREFUL when we give advice cause while it might be good for our area where we do business not so much in other areas.

There are SO MANY NUANCES to owning and operating a childcare business that most people do not even THINK about and sadly as business owners it is our job to make sure we RESEARCH accurately cause if the shit hits the fans and you are not following the rules 'ignorance' of them is not got to be an defense

[sophgag604]

thank you it was helpful i'm in ontario.

[Inspired by Reggio]

thank you it was helpful i'm in ontario.

Please note that Service Ontario website is a once stop shop for ALL business registration - so when registering you are just registering your NAME so when the other options pop up make sure to click NO on the GST/HST, WISB, Employer Health Tax and other remittance registrations as we are EXEMPT from all those in our industry - it is just the NAME you are registering and this will give you a Business Identification Number to put on receipts in loo of a SIN