How do you incorporate a consulting or business services company in Quebec?
A business or professional services company incorporates as a corporation like any other, with a CAE code from 7711 to 7799, fifteen of which are reserved for members of a professional order.
IT consultant, management or human resources consultant, advertising agency, designer, translator, placement office, security or collection agency: incorporation follows the same steps as for any other business. What changes from one profession to another is the CAE code and, for some, the professional order. Incorp-Québec prepares your corporation for $497 all-in, including the $397 government fee, in about 20 minutes.
IT consultant or computer consultant: go straight to our IT consultant guide. Management or HR consultant: Incorporating as a consultant in Quebec. Creative freelancer (graphic designer, writer, photographer): our freelancer guide. Other professions are in the section IT consultant, computer consultant or management consultant: which guide should you read?; this page covers what applies to the whole sector.
Why is incorporation the norm in consulting services?
Because agencies and corporate or public clients contract with corporations, not individuals: no law requires it, the market does.
In IT, the industry association (AQIII) estimates that about 90% of independent consultants operate as corporations, and agency onboarding guides present incorporation as the first step, even before prospecting.
The reasons are concrete: limited liability against contractual claims, the professional image expected by buyers of services, access to agency mandates and public contracts, and the ability to leave surpluses in the corporation when revenue justifies it. For the structure itself, see our comparison of legal structures in Quebec; for the right timing for your situation, our guide When should you incorporate in Quebec?.
What issues affect every consulting firm?
Four issues apply to every specialty: no permit for most professions, GST/QST registration from $30,000, public contract thresholds and errors and omissions insurance.
Whatever your specialty — strategy, IT, HR, marketing, finance — a Quebec consulting firm faces the same major questions. Each profession guide applies them to its own reality; here is the overview.
Do you need a permit to be an IT consultant or management consultant in Quebec?
Quebec's professional system distinguishes two regimes. Professions with exclusive practice (lawyers, notaries, engineers, architects…) reserve certain acts: you must be a member of the order to perform them. Professions with reserved title (Adm.A., CRHA/CRIA…) reserve only the title: anyone can offer management or human resources consulting without being a member — only using the title, or letting people believe you hold it, is an offence. For the vast majority of consultants, there is therefore no licence to obtain before invoicing. The CAE codes marked with an asterisk are reserved for members of the relevant order, whether it reserves acts or only the title, such as Adm.A. or CRHA (see below); code 7721 — Services d'informatique (IT services), the IT consultant's code, has none.
When do you need to register for GST/QST?
Registering for GST and QST becomes mandatory as soon as your taxable supplies exceed $30,000 in a calendar quarter or over the four preceding calendar quarters — in consulting services, a few weeks of invoicing is often enough. Below that, voluntary registration gives you the right to input tax credits and rebates. The process is detailed in our guide to GST/QST tax numbers; for your invoices, our GST/QST calculator gives the exact amounts.
How do you invoice the Quebec government?
Three thresholds mark access to public organizations: from $25,000, the Revenu Québec compliance certificate is mandatory — an outstanding account blocks it, and therefore the contract too; from $139,000 (2026-2027 threshold), the services contract goes through a public call for tenders on SEAO, where registration is free; from $1M (services), you need authorization from the Autorité des marchés publics (AMP). The full process is detailed in the management consultant guide.
Is errors and omissions insurance mandatory?
No law requires a consultant outside a professional order to carry professional liability (E&O) insurance, but most large clients require it by contract: no policy, no mandate. Usual limits of $1M to $5M, premiums for a solo consultant starting around $800 per year. Members of a professional order have mandatory insurance through their order.
The prerequisite for everything else: your corporation, $497 all-in
Articles of incorporation, initial declaration with the REQ and $397 government fees included. A form of about 20 minutes, filed directly with the Registraire des entreprises — your NEQ ready for agencies and clients.
IT consultant, computer consultant or management consultant: which guide should you read?
IT or computer consultant, management consultant, freelancer or placement agency: each sub-sector has its own guide, which walks through the full process for that profession.
The common core above applies to everyone; the finer rules vary by practice.
| Profession | The essentials | Dedicated guide |
|---|---|---|
| IT consultant / developer | Code 7721 — Services d'informatique (IT services); about 90% of independent IT consultants operate as corporations according to AQIII | Incorporating as an IT consultant |
| Management / HR consultant | Code 7771 — Bureaux de conseillers en gestion (management consulting offices); the employee-to-consultant transition: non-competition, public markets (SEAO, compliance certificate, AMP) | Incorporating as a consultant in Quebec |
| Creative freelancer | Graphic designer, writer, photographer: self-employed or corporation | Freelancer guide |
| Personnel placement agency | Recruiting and leasing personnel to others (CAE codes 7711-7712): the obligations specific to placement | Starting a placement agency |
More profession guides will be added (lawyer, engineer, architect…). In the meantime, the common core above covers the essentials, and the steps to set up a corporation detail the incorporation process itself. Leaving a salaried job? Compare your current net salary with our employee tax calculator before setting your rate.
Which CAE code should a consulting or services company choose?
Choose, from 7711 to 7799, the code for your actual main activity, the one that generates most of your revenue; if nothing fits, take 7799 — Autres services aux entreprises.
The “Business and professional services” sector has 37 codes, from 7711 to 7799. You declare the code when you incorporate (initial declaration); if it no longer matches your activity, an updating declaration corrects it. Our search tool filtered on this sector covers the same codes, with keyword search.
Quick pointers: 7721 for an IT or computer consultant, 7771 for management consulting, 7741 for an advertising agency, 7797 for design, 7711 or 7712 for personnel placement.
Fifteen codes are followed by an asterisk (*): the tool flags them as “Restricted to members of the relevant professional order”.
Management, human resources and appraisal consulting
| Code | Official label (French, as filed with the Registrar) | In English |
|---|---|---|
| 7771 | Bureaux de conseillers en gestion | Management consulting offices |
| 7772* | Bureaux d'administrateurs agréés, conseillers en management certifiés | Offices of chartered administrators, certified management consultants |
| 7773* | Bureaux de conseillers en ressources humaines agréés ou de conseillers en relations industrielles agréés | Offices of chartered human resources consultants or chartered industrial relations consultants |
| 7774* | Bureaux d'évaluateurs agréés ou d'estimateurs agréés | Offices of chartered appraisers or certified estimators |
IT and accounting
| Code | Official label (French, as filed with the Registrar) | In English |
|---|---|---|
| 7721 | Services d'informatique | IT services |
| 7722 | Réparation et entretien de matériel informatique | Computer equipment repair and maintenance |
| 7731 | Bureaux de comptables | Accounting offices |
| 7732* | Bureaux de comptables professionnels agréés | Offices of chartered professional accountants |
| 7739 | Autres services de comptabilité et de tenue de livres | Other accounting and bookkeeping services |
Advertising, design, translation and reproduction
| Code | Official label (French, as filed with the Registrar) | In English |
|---|---|---|
| 7741 | Agences de publicité | Advertising agencies |
| 7742 | Représentants de médias | Media representatives |
| 7743 | Étalages et panneaux d'affichage publicitaire en extérieur | Outdoor advertising displays and billboards |
| 7749 | Autres services de publicité | Other advertising services |
| 7796 | Services de reproduction | Reproduction services |
| 7797 | Autres services spécialisés de design | Other specialized design services |
| 7798* | Traducteurs agréés, interprètes agréés ou terminologues agréés | Certified translators, certified interpreters or certified terminologists |
Technical and scientific services
| Code | Official label (French, as filed with the Registrar) | In English |
|---|---|---|
| 7748* | Bureaux d'urbanistes | Urban planning offices |
| 7751* | Bureaux d'architectes | Architecture offices |
| 7752* | Bureaux d'ingénieurs | Engineering offices |
| 7753 | Services de laboratoires de recherches | Research laboratory services |
| 7754 | Services de prospection et de relevés géophysiques et géodésiques | Prospecting and geophysical and geodetic survey services |
| 7755* | Bureaux d'arpenteurs-géomètres | Land surveying offices |
| 7756* | Bureaux de chimistes ou de chimistes professionnels | Offices of chemists or professional chemists |
| 7757* | Services de géologues, de géophysiciens ou d'hydrogéologues | Geologist, geophysicist or hydrogeologist services |
| 7758* | Bureaux d'ingénieurs forestiers | Forestry engineering offices |
| 7759 | Autres services techniques | Other technical services |
| 7762* | Bureaux de technologues professionnels, de technologues des sciences appliquées ou de techniciens professionnels | Offices of professional technologists, applied science technologists or professional technicians |
Legal services
| Code | Official label (French, as filed with the Registrar) | In English |
|---|---|---|
| 7761* | Études d'avocats ou de notaires, conseillers en loi, conseillers juridiques, membres du Barreau du Québec, procureurs, membres de la Chambre des notaires du Québec, notaires publics | Law or notary offices, legal counsel, legal advisors, members of the Barreau du Québec, prosecutors, members of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, public notaries |
| 7763* | Huissiers de justice | Bailiffs |
Personnel placement and other business services
| Code | Official label (French, as filed with the Registrar) | In English |
|---|---|---|
| 7711 | Bureaux de placement | Placement offices |
| 7712 | Services de location de personnel | Personnel leasing services |
| 7791 | Services de sécurité et d'enquêtes | Security and investigation services |
| 7792 | Bureaux de crédit | Credit bureaus |
| 7793 | Agences de recouvrement | Collection agencies |
| 7794 | Courtiers en douane | Customs brokers |
| 7795 | Services de secrétariat téléphonique | Telephone answering services |
| 7799 | Autres services aux entreprises | Other business services |
Fifteen codes in this section target regulated professionals: 7732 (CPAs), 7748 (urban planners), 7751 (architects), 7752 (engineers), 7755 to 7758 (land surveyors, chemists, geologists, forestry engineers), 7761 and 7763 (lawyers, notaries, bailiffs), 7762 (professional technologists), 7772 to 7774 (Adm.A., CRHA/CRIA, chartered appraisers) and 7798 (certified translators). Only declare one of these codes if you are a member of the order in question. The declared code then appears in the public register — see our guide to the Quebec Enterprise Register.
What if your activity belongs to another sector?
Several professions close to consulting have their code elsewhere:
- dentists, pharmacists, psychologists, optometrists and other health professionals: Health and social services sector, see our guide Incorporating as a health professional;
- photographers: 9931 — Photographes (photographers), in the Other services sector, see our guide to personal and other services;
- you mainly provide training: see the Education and training sector;
- you carry out work rather than design it like an architecture or engineering office: see our construction incorporation guide;
- securities or mortgage brokerage, financial investments or financing: see the Finance and insurance sector;
- a company that holds the shares of your services company: 7215 — Sociétés de portefeuille (holdings), see our holding company guide.
What grants and funding are there for consulting firms?
The funding programs relevant to consulting firms are listed below, drawn from our grants directory filtered on this sector.
3 funding programs specifically target your sector — on top of 22 programs open to all incorporated businesses (start-up financing, wage subsidies, tax credits, regional loans).
- Programme RS&DEcrédit d'impôt Crédit d'impôt à l'investissement RS&DE : taux de base de 15 %, bonifié à 35 % pour les SPCC (et SPCA depuis 2025) jusqu'à 6 M$…
- Mitacs Accélérationsubvention Subvention de recherche de 15 000 $ CA par unité de stage (4 à 6 mois), financée à parts égales par le partenaire et Mitacs (7…
- Crédit d'impôt pour la recherche, l'innovation et la commercialisation (CRIC — remplace le crédit R-D salaires)crédit d'impôt Crédit d'impôt remboursable de 30 % sur la première tranche de 1 000 000 $ de dépenses de R-D admissibles excédant un seuil…
Explore all 47 programs and their conditions →
Amounts are indicative — check each program’s official page (links in the guide; program details in French).
For every program across all sectors, see our directory of business grants in Quebec.
Ready to launch your business services company?
The first step, the corporation, is handled with a form of about 20 minutes, for $497 all-in with the Essential package.
The Essential package at $497 all-in includes the $397 government fees, the articles, the initial declaration and the numbered company; the Complete package at $697 adds the official name, GST/QST and source deductions registrations, and express service. After that, $106 in annual rights to the Registrar, payable from the second year following registration. The full cost breakdown is in our incorporation costs guide, and an overview of the service is on our page incorporating in Quebec online.
Your consulting firm — $497 all-in
Articles of incorporation, initial declaration with the REQ and government fees included. Your NEQ ready for agencies, clients and public contracts — the industry standard, handled in 20 minutes.
Incorp-Québec is an incorporation document preparation service: our role is to prepare and file your incorporation documents. Analyzing your situation (contracts, insurance) is the job of your own advisors — this page and our profession guides give you the landmarks to start off on the right foot.
Frequently asked questions about business and professional services
Which CAE code do I declare if I offer the service without being a member of the order?
The corresponding generic code, for example 7771 (management consulting offices), 7731 (accounting offices) or 7797 (other specialized design services). Only declare a code marked with an asterisk if you are a member of the relevant professional order.
Can a member of a professional order practise through a corporation?
As a general rule, yes: Bill 67 (November 2024) reversed the logic of the Professional Code, and practising through a corporation is now permitted unless expressly prohibited. For most professions, a regulation of the order governs this practice (shareholding, declaration, insurance).