A business development toolkit designed for Quebec’s video game studios. It brings together practical insights and reliable resources to help studios understand the key challenges of building and growing a business, and know where to find additional guidance.
The Game Studio Toolkit
1.11 Keeping Your Business in Good Standing
Keeping Your Business in Good Standing
Incorporating a studio is not a one-time task that can simply be checked off and forgotten.
As long as the business exists, certain obligations must be fulfilled regularly. Others arise when something changes, such as a new business address, the appointment or departure of a director, changes in share ownership, the first hire, or the closure of the business.
The goal is not to memorize every deadline. It is to establish a simple system for tracking what needs to be done, when, and by whom.
Key Takeaways
- A business continues to have legal and administrative obligations even during years with little revenue or activity.
- Some requirements are annual, while others are triggered by changes within the business.
- Corporate, tax, and payroll obligations do not necessarily follow the same schedule.
- The most reliable approach is not to rely on memory, but to document deadlines, assign responsibilities, and set reminders.
Why It Matters
Once a studio is incorporated, it is easy to consider the administrative side of the business taken care of.
Then an annual filing deadline approaches. The business address changes. A director leaves the board. A tax return needs to be filed. The first payroll payments introduce additional deadlines.
None of these tasks is particularly complicated on its own.
The risk arises when responsibilities are shared among several people without clearly identifying who is responsible for following up.
Keeping a business in good standing is therefore less about adding administrative work and more about establishing a simple routine: identifying recurring obligations, documenting important changes, and knowing which team members or external partners need to be involved as the studio evolves.
Ressources
La Guilde Service Partners Who Can Help
SIXØCINQ can help studios manage their ongoing corporate obligations, update their corporate structure, and prepare documentation related to changes within the business, including changes involving directors, shareholders, and corporate information.
OnCompte can support studios in managing their recurring accounting and tax obligations, including bookkeeping, sales taxes, payroll, tax filings, and organizing the company’s financial calendar.
Additional Resources
Government of Quebec | Filing an Annual Updating Declaration with the Enterprise Register
Updated in September 2025, this official resource explains the requirement for every business registered in Quebec to file an annual updating declaration, even if no information has changed. It also outlines filing periods and the rules that apply when the declaration is submitted with an income tax return.
Revenu Québec | Guide to the Corporation Income Tax Return
The December 2025 edition of the official guide accompanying the CO-17 corporate income tax return. A useful reference for corporations with an establishment in Quebec seeking to understand their main income tax filing obligations.
Canada Revenue Agency | 2026 Tax Filing Deadlines for Canadian Businesses
Published in 2026, this resource brings together important tax deadlines for businesses, including corporate income tax returns, payroll remittances, and certain obligations for self-employed individuals. A useful reference for building or reviewing a studio’s annual compliance calendar.
Corporations Canada | Annual Returns
Updated in April 2026, this resource explains the annual return filing requirements for federally incorporated companies. It also clarifies that the annual return filed with Corporations Canada is separate from the corporate income tax return.