6 Sarnia 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 Sarnia and its provincial tax regime, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $77,000 Freed — E-Learning Platform, Sarnia
An e-learning platform in Sarnia, Ontario was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and instalments still calculated on a year the business had long outgrown already in the file.
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 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. $77,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 2 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $69,000 Across 3 Open Years — Hardware Startup, Sarnia
An incentive review at a hardware startup in Sarnia, Ontario started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 3 years, driven by Ontario Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit eligibility that had never been assessed.
What we did
We recalculated the corporate tax at the 12.2% combined small business rate and rebased the instalments on the current year, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $69,000 across the open years, and the tracking now in place means the following year's claim is documented as the work happens rather than reconstructed afterwards.
Case Study 3 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $61,000 Cut From A 3-Year Backlog — Mobile App Studio, Sarnia
Client: A mobile app studio · Where: Sarnia, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$61,000
Backlog cleared3 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a mobile app studio in Sarnia, Ontario called, 3 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat out-of-province sales billed at the ON rate instead of the customer’s.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and registered the provincial payroll account, caught up the outstanding remittances, and applied for relief on the penalty. 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 $61,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 4 · Objection and relief
$29,500 Of Penalties And Interest Cancelled On Relief — Custom Software Development Shop, Sarnia
Client: A custom software development shop · Where: Sarnia, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Penalties and interest cancelled$29,500
Relief groundsAccepted
AssessmentAdjusted to filed position
The situation
An assessment of $29,500 landed at a custom software development shop in Sarnia, Ontario following a desk review. The auditor had not seen the records behind a provincial payroll levy that had never been registered for or remitted.
What we did
We assessed and claimed Ontario Innovation Tax Credit alongside the federal return, then set out the legislative basis for the position alongside the documents supporting it.
The result
$29,500 of penalties and interest was cancelled under the taxpayer relief provisions, and the underlying assessment was adjusted to match the filed position.
Case Study 5 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 7 Weeks To 10 Days — Textile Manufacturer, Sarnia
The accounting file at a textile manufacturer in Sarnia, Ontario was built on sector-specific exposure the previous accountant had not seen before. The year-end had taken 7 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We assessed and claimed Ontario Made Manufacturing 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 10 days instead of 7 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 6 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $23,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Millwork Shop, Sarnia
Nothing was wrong at a millwork shop in Sarnia, Ontario — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. Instalments still calculated on a year the business had long outgrown had never been reviewed.
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, 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
$23,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
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.
