6 Home & Business Support Services tax and accounting engagements in full — what the client came to us with, what we did, and what it was worth. Each one is specific to home & business support services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · CRA review defended
$17,000 Reassessment Reduced To Nil On Review — Residential Cleaning Company, Regina
Client: A residential cleaning company · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Reassessment reduced toNil
Tax protected$17,000
Prior filingsUndisturbed
The situation
A review notice arrived at a residential cleaning company in Regina, Saskatchewan covering home & business support services accounting and tax for two tax years. The auditor's working position was an adjustment of $17,000, driven by industry-specific reporting obligations nobody had flagged.
What we did
Rather than negotiate, we rebuilt the record. We documented the positions to the standard the CRA applies to this sector specifically and submitted a point-by-point response that answered each proposed adjustment with the document behind it.
The result
The auditor accepted the documented position and closed the review without adjustment, protecting $17,000 and leaving the prior filings undisturbed.
Case Study 2 · Cash and remittance control
$110,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Pest Control Company, Barrie
Client: A pest control company · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$110,000
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
A pest control company in Barrie, Ontario was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. A chart of accounts that told the owner nothing about home & business support services margin explained most of the gap.
What we did
We aligned the reporting calendar with the sector’s own seasonal cycle rather than a generic year-end and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$110,000 was released back into working capital. Remittances have been on time every period since, and the forecast shows the tax outflow before it lands.
Case Study 3 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $48,000 Vacated — Security Systems Installer, Vancouver
Client: A security systems installer · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$48,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A security systems installer in Vancouver, British Columbia was carrying $48,000 of penalties and interest arising from a previous accountant with no experience of this sector, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We reassigned the asset classes on the CCA schedule and corrected the opening balances and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $48,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 4 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $795,000 Deferred — Home Staging Company, Surrey
Client: A home staging company · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$795,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at a home staging company in Surrey, British Columbia had been discussed for years without a plan. A shareholder loan balance that would have been picked up as income on closing meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We rebuilt the chart of accounts around how a home & business support services business actually earns and spends, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$795,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 5 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 30 Staff With $57,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Home Inspection Practice, Kitchener
Client: A home inspection practice · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached30
Working capital freed$57,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation
A home inspection practice in Kitchener, Ontario was growing fast — headcount to 30 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. Sector deductions claimed on a general-business basis rather than the home & business support services rules was the first thing to break.
What we did
We reviewed every sector-specific deduction against the current rules and claimed the ones that had been missed, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 30 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $57,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
Case Study 6 · Records and systems rebuilt
20 Months Reconciled And $3,500 Of Input Tax Recovered — Handyman Services Franchise, Kelowna
Client: A handyman services franchise · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled20
Input tax recovered$3,500
Close time5 days
The situation
A handyman services franchise in Kelowna, British Columbia was carrying seasonal revenue reported without matching the costs that produced it. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 20 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We documented the positions to the standard the CRA applies to this sector specifically, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
20 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 5 days, and $3,500 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Certified Tax Accountant. Figures describe representative engagements of this type; outcomes depend on your own facts. Client names and identifying details are omitted for confidentiality.
