6 Lethbridge 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 Lethbridge and its provincial tax regime, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $40,000 Cut From A 3-Year Backlog — Drywall Subcontractor, Lethbridge
Client: A drywall subcontractor · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$40,000
Backlog cleared3 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a drywall subcontractor in Lethbridge, Alberta called, 3 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat instalments still calculated on a year the business had long outgrown.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and assessed and claimed Alberta Innovation Employment Grant alongside the federal return. Each filing replaced an arbitrary assessment with a real one.
The result
The account is current. Filing on real numbers rather than CRA estimates reduced the balance by $40,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 2 · Objection and relief
$109,000 Of Penalties And Interest Cancelled On Relief — Greenhouse Grower, Lethbridge
Client: A greenhouse grower · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Penalties and interest cancelled$109,000
Relief groundsAccepted
AssessmentAdjusted to filed position
The situation
An assessment of $109,000 landed at a greenhouse grower in Lethbridge, Alberta following a desk review. The auditor had not seen the records behind payroll obligations from another province applied to local staff by an out-of-province provider.
What we did
We registered for the out-of-province obligations that had been triggered, then reconciled the GST filings to the sales ledger province by province, then set out the legislative basis for the position alongside the documents supporting it.
The result
$109,000 of penalties and interest was cancelled under the taxpayer relief provisions, and the underlying assessment was adjusted to match the filed position.
Case Study 3 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 9 Weeks To 9 Days — Logistics Brokerage, Lethbridge
Client: A logistics brokerage · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before9 weeks
Close time after9 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a logistics brokerage in Lethbridge, Alberta was built on sales into HST provinces billed at AB’s 5% GST rate. The year-end had taken 9 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We assessed and claimed Alberta Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit alongside the federal return and moved the reconciliations into the monthly cycle, so the year-end stopped being a rebuild.
The result
The file reconciles. Month-end closes in 9 days instead of 9 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 4 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $28,500 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — B2B SaaS Company, Lethbridge
Client: A B2B SaaS company · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$28,500
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a B2B SaaS company in Lethbridge, Alberta — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. Sector-specific exposure the previous accountant had not seen before had never been reviewed.
What we did
We recalculated the corporate tax at the 11% combined small business rate and rebased the instalments on the current year, and ran the numbers across both the corporate and personal returns so the saving was real rather than deferred into someone else's hands.
The result
$28,500 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Client: A logging contractor · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$33,000
Review duration9 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A logging contractor in Lethbridge, Alberta was selected for review after a registration threshold crossed on out-of-province sales that nobody was tracking showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on its ab tax and accounting file came to $33,000.
What we did
We assessed and claimed Alberta Innovation Employment Grant alongside the federal return. Every figure in the response traced to a source record the auditor could verify without asking a second question.
The result
The review closed with no change. $33,000 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 6 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $225,000 Deferred — Heavy-Haul Specialist, Lethbridge
Client: A heavy-haul specialist · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$225,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at a heavy-haul specialist in Lethbridge, Alberta had been discussed for years without a plan. A minute book with no resolutions behind a decade of dividends meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We registered for the out-of-province obligations that had been triggered, then reconciled the GST filings to the sales ledger province by province, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$225,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
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.
