6 worked IT Consultants case studies — the position a client typically comes to us with, what we do, and what it is worth. Each is an illustrative example built on the rules that apply to it consultants work, not a specific client's file.
Case Study 1 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $80,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Management Consultancy, Surrey
Client: A management consultancy · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$80,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation — A management consultancy, Surrey, British Columbia
A management consultancy in Surrey, British Columbia was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. Industry-specific reporting obligations nobody had flagged was tying up $80,000 of cash.
What we did for A management consultancy, Surrey, British Columbia
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and reassigned the asset classes on the CCA schedule and corrected the opening balances.
The result — A management consultancy, Surrey, British Columbia
$80,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 2 · Backlog brought current
$91,000 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 5 Years — Surveying Practice, Mississauga
Client: A surveying practice · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Arbitrary tax vacated$91,000
Years brought current5
Account statusCurrent
The situation — A surveying practice, Mississauga, Ontario
5 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at a surveying practice in Mississauga, Ontario, with a previous accountant with no experience of this sector underneath. Collections had already started.
What we did for A surveying practice, Mississauga, Ontario
We documented the positions to the standard the CRA applies to this sector specifically, then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result — A surveying practice, Mississauga, Ontario
All 5 years were accepted as filed. $91,000 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 5 years.
Case Study 3 · Planning that cut the bill
$70,000 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Marketing Agency, Guelph
The situation — A marketing agency, Guelph, Ontario
A marketing agency in Guelph, Ontario was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left a chart of accounts that told the owner nothing about it consultants margin on the table.
What we did for A marketing agency, Guelph, Ontario
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then rebuilt the chart of accounts around how a it consultants business actually earns and spends.
The result — A marketing agency, Guelph, Ontario
The change saved $70,000 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Case Study 4 · Structure rebuilt
Holding Structure Added, $53,000 Saved Annually — Boutique Law Firm, Victoria
Client: A boutique law firm · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$53,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation — A boutique law firm, Victoria, British Columbia
A boutique law firm in Victoria, British Columbia was carrying equipment and asset classes assigned by guesswork rather than the CCA schedule, and every option for fixing it ran through a reorganisation that had to be done without triggering tax.
What we did for A boutique law firm, Victoria, British Columbia
Working with the client's lawyer, we aligned the reporting calendar with the sector’s own seasonal cycle rather than a generic year-end and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result — A boutique law firm, Victoria, British Columbia
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $53,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 5 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $73,000 Freed — Translation Services Company, Burnaby
Client: A translation services company · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$73,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation — A translation services company, Burnaby, British Columbia
A translation services company in Burnaby, British Columbia was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and seasonal revenue reported without matching the costs that produced it already in the file.
What we did for A translation services company, Burnaby, British Columbia
We reviewed every sector-specific deduction against the current rules and claimed the ones that had been missed and put monthly reporting in place so the owner could see the cash effect of growth while there was still time to act on it.
The result — A translation services company, Burnaby, British Columbia
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $73,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 6 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $25,500 Reversed — Architecture Studio, Hamilton
Client: An architecture studio · Where: Hamilton, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$25,500
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation — An architecture studio, Hamilton, Ontario
An architecture studio in Hamilton, Ontario had been reassessed for $25,500 and had 12 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on sector deductions claimed on a general-business basis rather than the it consultants rules.
What we did for An architecture studio, Hamilton, Ontario
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and reassigned the asset classes on the CCA schedule and corrected the opening balances.
The result — An architecture studio, Hamilton, Ontario
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $25,500 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Founder and Tax Accountant. These case studies are illustrative worked examples composed from the CRA rules that apply to this type of work, not specific client files; figures are representative and outcomes depend on your own facts.
