LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP (LLP) REGISTRATION
Register a Limited Liability Partnership in Canada
A limited liability partnership lets licensed professionals practise together without carrying personal liability for another partner’s negligence. We prepare and file your LLP registration with the correct provincial registry, so your firm name, partner roles, and liability protection are documented properly from day one.
standard registration turnaround
Why Register With Us
- Partner details and firm name filed correctly the first time
- Registration prepared, reviewed, and filed by a registered paralegal firm
- Name search and eligibility check included with every registration
What a limited liability partnership is.
A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a partnership registered under provincial legislation in which every partner takes part in running the firm, but no partner is personally on the hook for another partner’s negligence. You stay fully accountable for your own professional work and for the people you supervise. What you’re shielded from is a claim caused by a partner down the hall.
That protection is the entire point of the structure. It is why LLPs are the standard shape for law firms, accounting practices, and other regulated professions across Canada — partners can build one firm together without each person carrying the risk of everybody else’s files.
WHEN AN LLP IS THE RIGHT CALL
- You’re two or more licensed professionals practising together
- Your governing body permits members to practise through an LLP
- You want protection from a partner’s negligence, not from your own
- You want flow-through tax treatment rather than a second layer of corporate tax
- Every partner is active in the firm and expects a say in how it runs
WHEN IT ISN'T
If you’re practising on your own, an LLP isn’t available — it takes at least two partners. If your profession isn’t one your province permits to register an LLP, a general partnership or a professional corporation is the realistic route. And if you want investors who put in money but stay out of management, a limited partnership is the shape you’re describing, not an LLP. We’ll say so on the call if that’s what we see.
LLP partner vs. general partnership partner.
LLP Partner
General Partnership Partner
Manages the firm
Yes
Yes
Liable for another partner’s negligence
No
Yes
Liable for their own professional work
Yes
Yes
Named in the registration filing
Yes
Yes
Who can hold the role
Licensed professionals in eligible fields
Almost anyone in business
Share of profits
Per the partnership agreement
Per the partnership agreement
What LLP protection does not cover
LLP status does not make you untouchable. You are still fully responsible for your own advice, your own files, and the work of anyone you supervise. It also does not shield the firm’s ordinary business debts — the rent, the lease, the loan. What it removes is personal liability for a claim caused by another partner’s negligence.
Why insurance still matters in an LLP
Because you remain answerable for your own work, professional liability coverage is not optional. Most provinces and professional bodies set minimum insurance conditions before a firm can practise as an LLP, and keeping that coverage current is usually tied to staying registered. Confirm what your regulator requires before you file.
Everything needed to register your firm as an LLP.
One filing establishes the partnership and clarifies who manages it and who’s simply invested.
Business name search
We check your proposed firm name against the provincial registry and confirm it meets the naming rules that apply to limited liability partnerships — including the legal element your province requires at the end of the name. Name problems are a leading cause of rejected filings.
LLP registration filing
We prepare and file the registration that legally forms your LLP, listing every partner and identifying the firm’s registered office and business activity. In Ontario this is filed electronically through the Ontario Business Registry.
Partnership agreement guidance
We walk you through what your partnership agreement should cover: profit sharing, capital contributions, decision-making and voting, admitting a new partner, and what happens when a partner retires, leaves, or passes away.
NAICS classification
CRA business number setup
We register the business number your firm needs to open a bank account, bill clients, and handle GST/HST and payroll accounts.
Records package guidance
Your filed registration and partner records need to be kept at the registered office and updated when partners join or leave. We tell you exactly what to retain and why it matters if the firm is ever challenged.
From first conversation to registered LLP in 2–3 business days
Confirm You Qualify
We check that your profession is permitted to register an LLP in your province and flag any approval your governing body expects.
Choose a Name
We run a search to confirm your firm name is available and meets the naming rules that apply to LLPs in your province.
We File the Registration
You review the documents, then we submit your LLP registration to the correct provincial registry and track it through to confirmation.
Start Practising
You receive your registration confirmation and filed documents — ready for your regulator, your bank, and your insurer.
What you need to register.
Proposed firm name
Registered business address
Names and addresses of all partners
Nature of business / NAICS code
Proof each partner is licensed to practise
Signed partnership agreement
Professional liability insurance details
LP vs. general partnership vs. LLP vs. corporation.
Limited Partner
LLP
Corporation
All partners equally
General partner only
Directors / officers
Capped at shares held
Licensed professional firms
Scaling, outside financing
If your LLP takes on work, opens an office, or holds itself out in more than one province, you’ll likely need an extra-provincial registration in each additional jurisdiction — and every partner practising there must be licensed by that province’s regulator. We handle those filings without requiring you to be physically present. See Notice of Change filings or extra-provincial registration.
Limited Liability Partnership, explained.
What is a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) in Canada?
An LLP is a partnership registered under a province’s partnership legislation in which partners are generally not personally liable for the negligent or wrongful acts of the other partners. It’s used mainly by licensed professionals, such as lawyers and accountants, who practise together.
Who can register an LLP in Canada?
In most provinces, LLPs are limited to members of professions whose governing statute or regulator permits the structure — commonly law and accounting, and in some provinces additional regulated professions. Eligibility is set province by province, so check with your regulator before filing.
How many partners do you need to form an LLP?
At least two. A single professional cannot register an LLP; a sole practitioner would typically use a sole proprietorship or, where permitted, a professional corporation.
What's the difference between an LLP and an LP?
An LLP is for professionals who all take part in the business and are shielded from each other’s negligence. A Limited Partnership (LP) has at least one general partner with unlimited liability who manages the business, plus limited partners who invest but stay out of management and risk only their contribution. LPs are common in real estate and investment ventures.
What's the difference between an LLP and a corporation?
A corporation is a separate legal entity that files and pays its own tax, with directors and shareholders. An LLP is a partnership: income flows through to the partners and is reported on their personal returns. A corporation generally separates owners from business debts and contracts, while an LLP focuses on protecting partners from each other’s professional negligence.
Does an LLP protect me from my own mistakes?
No. You remain responsible for your own professional acts and typically for those of people you supervise. The protection applies to liability arising from other partners’ negligence. Professional liability insurance is still essential.
Is an LLP registered federally or provincially?
Provincially. Unlike a corporation, which can be incorporated federally or provincially, an LLP is registered with the provincial registry under that province’s partnership legislation.
Do I need a partnership agreement for an LLP?
It isn’t always required to register, but it’s strongly recommended. A partnership agreement sets out profit sharing, decision-making, capital contributions, admitting new partners, and what happens when a partner leaves — all of which are difficult to sort out after a disagreement.
How is an LLP taxed in Canada?
An LLP generally doesn’t pay income tax itself. Income and losses flow through to the partners, who report their share on their own tax returns. Depending on your activity, the partnership may still need CRA registrations such as a business number and a GST/HST account.
Do I need to register my LLP in every province I work in?
If you’re practising, maintaining an office, or holding your firm out in another province, you’ll generally need extra-provincial registration there, and partners must be licensed by that province’s regulator.
Can I convert an existing partnership into an LLP?
In many provinces, an existing eligible partnership can register as an LLP rather than starting over. The exact process and any regulator approvals depend on the province.
How long does LLP registration take?
Processing times are set by each provincial registry and vary by province and volume. We’ll tell you the current expected timeline for your province when you start, and we file as soon as you approve your documents.