When registering for an HST account in Ontario, am I able to use my own legal name as the business name?

[Aftermarket]

I will be required to register for an HST account this year, as my self employment income will exceed the small supplier threshold. I currently do not have a business number, as I have been doing business under my own name. I report my annual income on multiple T2125 forms as I conduct different types of business which correspond to different industry codes. Each T2125 uses my own name as the business name.

I understand that when you register for an HST account, a business number will also be created if you don't already have one. While doing some research, I came across an article that stated "...some provinces will not allow registration under your own name.", but did not indicate which provinces do and which do not allow a business to be registered under the legal name of the individual sole proprietor conducting the business.

I would appreciate it if anyone could clarify whether or not I can register a sole proprietorship in Ontario using my own name, or if I will need to come up with a different name for the purpose of obtaining an HST account.

Thank you.

[TurboTaxBrenda1 · Accepted solution]

As per CRA: When do you need to register a business name

If you are a sole proprietor operating a business under your legal name (for example, Jane Doe), you generally do not need to register your business name. In all other scenarios, you will need to register your name either as your legal corporate name or a trade name. You may also wish to register a trademark.

Thank you for choosing TurboTax.

[Aftermarket]

My question may have been unclear, perhaps this will help:

I already know that I will be required to register for an HST account. It appears that in order to register for an HST account, I will also need to register for a business number, and part of the required information in order to do so is providing the business name.

Is it possible (in Ontario) to use my own legal name as the business name when registering for a business number in order to be able to register for an HST account? Or, will I be required to use a name other than my legal name in order to get a business number?

[TurboTaxBrenda1]

I believe that you can although we recommend that you contact the CRA to verify- Business enquiries line at 1-800-959-5525.

Thank you for choosing TurboTax.