Starting an event planning business in Ontario

Sole proprietorship vs corporation, business name registration, HST registration thresholds, insurance, bank account and the first contract.

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Starting an event planning business in Ontario.

Sole proprietorship versus corporation, business name registration, HST registration thresholds, insurance, bank account and the first contract.

Two structures, one real decision.

Most new planners in Ontario choose between two structures: a sole proprietorship or a corporation.

Partnerships exist, and they suit two planners going into business together, but the decision almost everyone faces first is whether to stay a sole proprietor or incorporate.

Registering the name.

If you trade under your own legal name ("Jane Smith"), a sole proprietor does not need to register a name.

The moment you use anything else ("Harbourfront Events" or even "Jane Smith Events"), you register the business name in Ontario through the Ontario Business Registry online.

HST: when you must register.

HST in Ontario is 13 percent.

You must register for HST once your taxable revenue exceeds 30,000 dollars in four consecutive calendar quarters.

Bank account and insurance.

Open a separate business bank account before the first deposit arrives.

Every client payment goes in, every vendor payment and business expense goes out, and nothing personal touches it.

The order of operations.

Talk to an accountant; choose sole proprietorship or corporation.

Search and register the business name (check the current fee).

That is the lesson. The worksheet and the quiz are just below this video.

What you will be able to do

• Choose a business structure
• Register and set up compliance
• Get the first contract signed

Two structures, one real decision

Most new planners in Ontario choose between two structures: a sole proprietorship or a corporation. Partnerships exist, and they suit two planners going into business together, but the decision almost everyone faces first is whether to stay a sole proprietor or incorporate. The difference is who the business is in law, and that drives liability, tax and paperwork.

The common path is to start as a sole proprietor and incorporate once revenue is steady and the risk is larger. Do not make this decision from a table. Spend an hour with an accountant who works with small service businesses before you choose, and again before you incorporate. Their fee is small next to the cost of the wrong structure.

Registering the name

If you trade under your own legal name (“Jane Smith”), a sole proprietor does not need to register a name. The moment you use anything else (“Harbourfront Events” or even “Jane Smith Events”), you register the business name in Ontario through the Ontario Business Registry online. Corporations register on incorporation, and register separately any other name they operate under. Check the current fee on the registry before you start; it changes, and this course will not quote a number that may be out of date.

Before registering, search the name. Check the registry, a web search, the domain you want, and the social handles. A name that is free on the registry but taken as a .ca domain by another planner will cause you trouble for years.

HST: when you must register

HST in Ontario is 13%. You must register for HST once your taxable revenue exceeds $30,000 in four consecutive calendar quarters. Below that, you are a small supplier and registration is optional. Many planners register voluntarily from the start for two reasons: they can claim back the HST they pay on business purchases, and corporate clients expect an HST number on an invoice. The trade-off is that you must charge HST to every client, which matters more to individuals planning weddings than to companies that recover it.

Track revenue by quarter from your first invoice. The threshold is easy to cross without noticing in a busy fall season, and the obligation starts when you cross it, not when you notice.

Bank account and insurance

Open a separate business bank account before the first deposit arrives. Every client payment goes in, every vendor payment and business expense goes out, and nothing personal touches it. It makes bookkeeping, HST returns and any later incorporation far simpler, and it is the first thing an accountant will ask for.

Then insurance. Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance covers claims that your business caused bodily injury or property damage, which is exactly the risk of a planner who places chairs, cables and performers in a room full of people. Many venues ask for a certificate naming them as additional insured before they will let you work there, often with a minimum limit of $2 million or more. Get quotes from a broker who places event businesses, and ask about professional liability (errors and omissions) at the same time, because a missed booking or a wrong date is a planner’s most likely claim. Do not confuse your annual policy with the one-day event liability a client may buy for a single event, which in a typical GTA range for 2026 costs $150 to $400.

The order of operations

1. Talk to an accountant; choose sole proprietorship or corporation.
2. Search and register the business name (check the current fee).
3. Decide on voluntary HST registration, or set a quarterly revenue check against the $30,000 threshold.
4. Open the business bank account.
5. Buy CGL insurance and ask about professional liability.
6. Prepare your client agreement (lesson 4) and get the first one signed.

Worked example: the Harbour Gala

The planner who ran the Harbour Gala started as a sole proprietor trading as a registered business name, after an hour with an accountant. She registered for HST voluntarily in her first month, because her target clients were foundations and companies that expected an HST number. Her flat fee of $4,500 therefore went on the invoice as $4,500 plus $585 HST, $5,085 in total, and she claimed back the HST she paid on radios, printing and her own software.

The downtown hotel asked for a certificate of insurance naming the hotel as additional insured, with a $5 million limit, three weeks before load-in. Because her CGL policy was already in place, her broker issued the certificate in a day. The gala’s contract was signed on her own agreement, with a 50% deposit that landed in the business account. In her second year, with revenue steady and two coordinators on contract, she went back to the accountant and incorporated.

Common mistakes

• Choosing a structure from a blog post instead of an hour with an accountant.
• Trading under a name you have not registered.
• Crossing $30,000 in four consecutive quarters and not noticing.
• Paying vendors from a personal account.
• Waiting until a venue asks for a certificate to buy insurance.

Worksheet

Download the worksheet, complete it for your own event (or the running gala example), and keep it in your course binder. It takes about 12 minutes.

Download the worksheet (PDF)