Who Issues an Alberta Certificate of Status
An Alberta Certificate of Status is issued by the government on behalf of an Alberta company. These certificates are similar to a Certificate of Good Standing but the official name for them is Alberta Certificate of Status.
When is an Alberta Certificate of Status Required
Basically an Alberta Certificate of Status is required when you need to provide someone or some other company with the assurance that your Alberta company is in good standing.
What Does Being in Good Standing Mean
Being in good standing means that the Alberta company is still active and has not been dissolved for non-filing of federal and/or provincial tax returns OR non-filing of the Alberta annual returns. The Alberta Corporate Registry sends out the Alberta annual return to the registered office address for the company each year and if the address is not correct then it is possible that the Alberta company could be in default of filing if it does not receive and file the return.
What Does the Alberta Certificate of Status Confirm
The Certificate of Status for an Alberta company will provide the accurate current name of the Alberta company, the Alberta corporate number and its status.
Alberta companies must file federal tax returns each year and if those returns are not filed for a number of years the federal government will dissolve the company. If your address is current on file you will be provided with warning from the Revenue Canada Agency that tax returns are due. As well, Alberta companies must file Alberta annual returns each year and if those returns are not filed for a number of years the company will be dissolved. If you have not received your annual return filings you will need to obtain the assistance of a search house to obtain copies of these so they can be completed and filed. The Alberta government charges a fee for these annual returns.
The Alberta government might send you a reminder that your Alberta annual returns are not filed but this is not an absolute. Any reputable Canadian search house will be able to check for you to see that your annual returns have been filed but there may be a cost for this.