How to Start Things in Yukon

Filing a business-name declaration costs $25 and lasts three years

If you run a sole proprietorship or partnership under a name other than your own, Yukon's Partnership and Business Names Act requires you to file a declaration of business name with Corporate Affairs. The filing fee is $25 and the registration runs for three years, so renew before it expires if you want to keep carrying on business in the territory. Reserving a name first is optional but costs $40 online through the Yukon Corporate Online Registry (YCOR) versus $60 on paper.

Source: Government of Yukon: File a declaration of a business name

Minimum wage is $18.51 - the highest in the country

Yukon's minimum wage rose from $17.94 to $18.51 an hour on April 1, 2026, and it is adjusted every April 1 based on Whitehorse's Consumer Price Index. At $18.51 it sits above the federal rate of $18.15 and above every provincial rate, so anyone pricing labour across jurisdictions should treat Yukon as the ceiling. The annual increase is set out in the Employment Standards Act regulations, not by political decision.

Source: Government of Yukon: minimum wage set to increase

No territorial sales tax - 5% GST only

Yukon levies no territorial sales tax, so the only sales tax on taxable supplies is the 5% federal GST administered by the CRA. That puts the territory in the same GST-only group as Alberta and the other two territories, and makes invoicing simpler than in PST provinces: one rate, one agency, no separate territorial registration.

Source: Tax-Services.ca: GST/HST in Canada

Register with the YWCHSB within 10 days of your first hire

Any employer who starts employing workers in Yukon must register with the Yukon Workers' Compensation Health and Safety Board within 10 days of the date they commence employing workers. The registration application needs your business's legal name, trade names, and estimated annual payroll. There is a minimum assessment premium of $150, and registering late can trigger an administrative fee of 10% of the premiums that would have been due.

Source: YWCHSB Policy 5.1: Employer Registration (PDF)