What is a charity registration number (BN) in Canada?
A charity's registration number is its 15-character CRA business number: nine digits, the letters RR, and a four-digit account suffix, for example 119219814RR0001. It appears on official receipts and on the CRA List of Charities, and you can open any charity on Charity Compass by typing the full number into the search box.
Reading the number
The nine digits identify the organization. RR marks a registered-charity account. The last four digits distinguish accounts; almost all charities are RR0001. Two organizations never share the nine digits, which is why the number is the reliable way to tell apart charities with similar names.
Where to find it
Official donation receipts must show it. Most charities print it in their website footer or on their donate page. The CRA List of Charities shows it on the charity's page, and Charity Compass displays it under every charity's name and in the page address.
Common questions
- Is the BN the same as a charitable registration number?
- Yes. The CRA issues a business number to the organization; the RR account under it is the charitable registration. People use the two terms for the same 15 characters.
Open a charity by its registration number
Figures: CRA List of Charities open data, F2024 release, computed across 72,356 operating charities where the lines exist · self-reported by each charity · last reviewed 2026-09-15. Charity Compass is not affiliated with the CRA or Charity Intelligence.