The Form 5271E filing is required to change your nonprofit or charitable corporation's name, purposes, or director limits under the Ontario Not-For-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA).
Select corporation name, statement of purposes, director limits, or charitable status.
You can update any combination in a single filing.
Provide your corporation name, 9 digit Company Key, and the specifics of your change.
About 2 to 5 minutes total.
We file electronically with the Ministry the same business day.
Your Certificate of Amendment is emailed once approved.
We send you a draft for your approval, then file with the Ministry once you confirm.
Most ONCA amendments are approved within 5 to 15 business days.
Three Permitted Changes In One Filing
An Ontario Nonprofit Articles of Amendment is the Form 5271E filing made under the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) to change a nonprofit or charitable corporation's foundational information. Filed with the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, it is the legal mechanism for updating your corporation's name, statement of purposes, or other provisions in your articles such as director limits and member classes. It is not used for changes to directors, officers, or your registered office address: those require a separate Notice of Change filing.
Change to a new name. Numbered names are not available for nonprofits.
Update mission, objects or activities. PGT consent may apply for charities.
Adjust min and max directors (3 minimum under ONCA) or other provisions.
Ontario Business Central files your Articles of Amendment with the Ministry electronically the same business day.
Your Certificate of Amendment is emailed once approved.
Three Things Happen Automatically
Order Confirmation
Within MinutesYou receive an email confirming your submission with every detail of your filing.
Drafted, Approved, Filed
Same Business DayAn OBC agent drafts your Articles and sends them for your review. Once you approve, we file electronically with the Ministry. NUANS is included for name changes.
Certificate of Amendment
5-15 Business DaysOnce the Ministry approves, you receive your Certificate by email. Your changes are legally in effect.
All handled without managing the Ministry portal, the NUANS search or the paperwork yourself.
Form 5271E lets your nonprofit or charitable corporation update foundational information in your articles. Some changes require additional steps such as PGT consent or filings with the Canada Revenue Agency.
Update your nonprofit's legal name to a new corporate name. NUANS name search is included in the service fee.
Linear Hockey Club becomes Linear Athletic Club of Ontario
Update the formal description of your mission and activities. Under ONCA this is called your "statement of purposes."
"Establishment of a hockey league" becomes "Establishment of an athletic club"
Adjust the minimum and maximum number of directors, or amend other articles provisions like member classes.
Minimum 3, Maximum 10 directors becomes Minimum 5, Maximum 15
Amend your purposes to be exclusively charitable (to apply for charity status) or broader (to give up charity status).
The Articles of Amendment that updates your corporation's purposes
Registered charities filing Articles of Amendment have additional compliance steps beyond the corporate filing. Here is what to handle before and after.
Charity Purpose Changes: PGT Consent or After-Acquired Clause
When a registered charity changes its statement of purposes, the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act regulations require written consent from the Public Guardian and Trustee (PGT). The PGT reviews the proposed purposes to confirm they remain charitable. You have two paths:
PATH A · RECOMMENDED
Apply to the PGT directly before placing your order. Review takes several weeks. All charitable assets remain available for your new purposes.
PATH B · FASTER
File without PGT consent. Assets acquired before the effective date can only be used for the original purposes. Only assets acquired after can fund the new purposes.
File the Amendment With the CRA Charities Directorate
Once the Ministry approves your Articles of Amendment, registered charities must file the approved documents with the Canada Revenue Agency Charities Directorate to keep their charitable status registered. You will need to provide:
Note: The CRA filing is your responsibility. Ontario Business Central files the Corporate Amendment with the Ministry. The CRA Charities Directorate is a separate authority and you handle that filing directly.
Quick answers to the most common questions about changing your nonprofit or charity
The Ontario government filing fee for ONCA Articles of Amendment is $130. When filing through Ontario Business Central,
the total cost is our $109.99 service fee plus a $43.99 filing fee plus the $130 government fee, plus HST on the service portion.
Optional add-ons such as corporate supplies or Company Key retrieval are extra. For name changes there is a NUANS fee of $55.00.
Ontario Business Central files your Articles of Amendment with the Ministry electronically the same business day after you approve the draft.
The Ministry typically approves ONCA filings within 5 to 15 business days, after which your Certificate of Amendment is emailed to you.
Charity purpose changes may take longer if you are obtaining Public Guardian and Trustee consent before filing.
Yes, an Ontario-biased NUANS name search report is required when changing your nonprofit's name to a new corporate name.
The report cannot be more than 90 days old at the time of filing. Numbered names are not available for nonprofit or charitable corporations under ONCA, so a NUANS report is always required for name changes. For name changes there is a NUANS fee of $55.00.
Most registered charities making changes to their statement of purposes need written consent from the Public Guardian and Trustee
under the Names and Filings Regulation.
You apply to the PGT directly before filing your Articles of Amendment. Reviews typically
take several weeks. If you file without PGT consent, ONCA requires an after-acquired clause to be included in your amendment.
The after-acquired clause is required in Articles of Amendment when a registered charity changes its statement of purposes without
obtaining Public Guardian and Trustee consent first.
The clause restricts how charitable assets can be used: assets acquired before
the effective date of the amendment must be used only for the original purposes, while assets acquired after can be used for the new purposes.
Yes, most ONCA Articles of Amendment require approval from the corporation's members through a special resolution,
requiring at least two-thirds of votes cast at a members' meeting.
The resolution should be documented in your corporate
records before filing. Some changes such as creating new classes of members may require additional class-specific votes.
Corporations with a single member can sign a written resolution.
Yes, registered charities must file the approved Articles of Amendment with the Canada Revenue Agency Charities Directorate to maintain their charitable status.
You will need to provide a scanned copy of your Certificate of Amendment, your Articles of Amendment under ONCA, and if applicable your new certified
bylaws signed by two directors.
This filing is your responsibility and is separate from the corporate filing made by Ontario Business Central.
Yes, but the process involves two separate steps.
The first step is filing Articles of Amendment to update your corporation's purposes to
be exclusively charitable, which Ontario Business Central can file for you.
The second step is applying directly to the Canada Revenue
Agency Charities Directorate for registered charity status.
The CRA application is separate from the corporate amendment and is your responsibility.
All Ontario charities are nonprofits, but not all nonprofits are charities.
A nonprofit corporation is incorporated under the
Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) and operates without distributing profits to members.
A registered charity is additionally
registered with the Canada Revenue Agency Charities Directorate, which allows it to issue tax receipts and receive certain tax benefits.
Charity status is granted by the CRA, not by the Ministry.
Under the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA), a nonprofit corporation must have at least three directors at all times.
Your articles can specify either a fixed number of directors or a minimum and maximum range.
If you set a range, the actual number
within that range can be fixed by a special resolution of members or by the board if your articles permit.
Have a different question? Speak with an agent or call 1-800-280-1913
Start your amendment in 2 to 5 minutes
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