How do you incorporate an education or training business in Quebec?
To incorporate an education or training business in Quebec, you form a business corporation, then declare the CAE code of your main activity, chosen among the 7 codes of the sector.
School, training centre, adult classes, museum or library: incorporation follows the same steps as for any other business. What is specific to your sector is the economic activity code (CAE) you enter in the corporation’s initial declaration.
For the rest of the process:
- the incorporation steps;
- the cost of incorporating;
- the right time to incorporate;
- choosing a legal structure;
- after incorporation, your GST and QST numbers.
Which CAE code fits an education or training business?
The “Education and training” sector has 7 CAE codes, from 8511 to 8591: education by level, personal and popular education, museums, archives, libraries and other educational services.
The codes fall into these groups:
- 8511 to 8531: education by level (pre-school, elementary and secondary, non-university post-secondary, university);
- 8541: personal and popular education;
- 8551 and 8561: museums, archives and libraries;
- 8591: other educational services.
Here are the 7 codes, with the exact labels of the Registraire des entreprises:
| Code | Official label (French, as filed with the Registrar) | In English |
|---|---|---|
| 8511 | Enseignement maternel, primaire et secondaire | Pre-school, elementary and secondary education |
| 8521 | Enseignement postsecondaire non universitaire | Non-university post-secondary education |
| 8531 | Enseignement universitaire | University education |
| 8541 | Enseignement de formation personnelle et populaire | Personal and popular education |
| 8551 | Musées et archives | Museums and archives |
| 8561 | Bibliothèques | Libraries |
| 8591 | Autres services d'enseignement | Other educational services |
These codes are also in our CAE search tool, filtered on education and training.
Which CAE code should you choose if your training fits no label?
Declare the code of the activity that brings in most of your revenue; if no label describes it exactly, 8591 Autres services d’enseignement (other educational services) is the right choice.
The sector has few codes, and many training activities have no label of their own. To decide:
- Start from your actual activity, not the one you might add someday.
- Look for the closest label: an education level (8511 to 8531) or personal and popular education (8541).
- Nothing fits? Use 8591 Autres services d’enseignement. An “Other…” code in the right sector is not a failure.
For example, no label in the sector names music, language or driving schools, or tutoring: apply these three steps to what you teach and to whom.
The law requires you to declare the business’s two main activities, in order of importance, with the code for each. Example: a centre that gives classes and runs a library declares first the code of the activity that brings in more revenue, then the other.
Has your offering changed? The code is corrected with an updating declaration.
Which CAE code applies if you train businesses, teach dance or look after children?
Training sold to businesses, dance schools and daycares may belong to other sectors of the CAE tool: business services, culture and leisure, health and social services.
If one of these activities brings in most of your revenue, your first code is in its sector:
- Corporate training and consulting: if you mainly sell consulting to businesses and training is only part of it, see our guide to business services;
- Dance: 9693 Salles, studios et écoles de danse (dance halls, studios and schools) is classified in the Culture, entertainment and leisure sector; see our guide to culture and leisure businesses;
- Childcare: 8641 Garderies pour enfants (child daycares) is classified in the Health and social services sector; see also our guide to opening a private daycare.
For public funding, see our directory of business grants.
Ready to start your business?
Complete online incorporation: articles of incorporation, initial declaration with the REQ and your NEQ — $497 all-in, government fees included.
Frequently asked questions about education and training businesses
Are museums, archives and libraries part of the education sector?
In our CAE tool, yes: 8551 Musées et archives (museums and archives) and 8561 Bibliothèques (libraries) are classified in the “Education and training” sector, alongside the 85xx education codes.
Is any education sector code restricted to a professional order?
No: none of the 7 codes from 8511 to 8591 carries an asterisk in our tool. None is therefore restricted to members of a professional order or tied to a brokerage licence.
Is declaring code 8511 enough to open a school?
No: the CAE code describes what your business does; it is neither a permit nor an authorization. Permits and authorizations specific to an educational institution are checked with the relevant body.
Does online training have its own CAE code?
No: no label in the sector refers to online training. The code describes what you teach and to whom, not the delivery method; training given remotely is classified like the same training given in a classroom.