6 Peterborough 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 Peterborough and its provincial tax regime, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · CRA review defended
$54,000 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Translation Services Company, Peterborough
Client: A translation services company · Where: Peterborough, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$54,000
File closed in7 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation
A translation services company in Peterborough, Ontario received a proposal letter opening a review of its on tax and accounting file. The CRA had identified a provincial payroll levy that had never been registered for or remitted and proposed an adjustment of $54,000, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We assessed and claimed Ontario Innovation Tax Credit alongside the federal return, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $54,000 of it. The file closed in 7 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 2 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 10 Weeks To 10 Days — Data Analytics Consultancy, Peterborough
Client: A data analytics consultancy · Where: Peterborough, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before10 weeks
Close time after10 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a data analytics consultancy in Peterborough, Ontario was built on 13% HST charged on every sale regardless of where the customer was located. The year-end had taken 10 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We recalculated the corporate tax at the 12.2% combined small business rate and rebased the instalments on the current year 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 10 days instead of 10 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 3 · Backlog brought current
3 Years Filed, $91,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Mortgage Brokerage, Peterborough
A mortgage brokerage in Peterborough, Ontario had not filed for 3 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying sector-specific exposure the previous accountant had not seen before on top of a growing interest balance.
What we did
We started with the oldest year and worked forward so each year's closing balances fed the next. We assessed and claimed Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit alongside the federal return, filing the years in sequence rather than all at once.
The result
Every year is now filed and assessed on actual figures. The notional assessments were vacated and $91,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 4 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $160,000 Freed — Executive Coaching Practice, Peterborough
Client: An executive coaching practice · Where: Peterborough, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$160,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
An executive coaching practice in Peterborough, Ontario was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and out-of-province sales billed at the ON rate instead of the customer’s already in the file.
What we did
We registered the provincial payroll account, caught up the outstanding remittances, and applied for relief on the penalty 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
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $160,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 5 · Deadline rescue
9-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $60,000 — Cybersecurity Firm, Peterborough
With the deadline for its on tax and accounting file weeks away, a cybersecurity firm in Peterborough, Ontario was carrying instalments still calculated on a year the business had long outgrown. The exposure if the date slipped was around $60,000.
What we did
We rebuilt the sales ledger by customer location, applied the correct place-of-supply rate to each stream, and filed the adjusted HST returns. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 12 days to spare. $60,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 6 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $890,000 Deferred — Investment Advisory Firm, Peterborough
A generational transfer at an investment advisory firm in Peterborough, Ontario had been discussed for years without a plan. Retained cash well above what the business needed to operate meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We assessed and claimed Ontario Innovation Tax Credit alongside the federal return, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$890,000 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.
