A surgeon was audited on $20,000 of malpractice premiums and travel. We compiled CMPA receipts and rotas, and the CRA accepted 90% of the deductions.
Outcome90%
SectorHealthcare
AreaCRA audit and review
EngagementFixed fee, pay after service
What happened
A surgeon faced a desk audit targeting CMPA malpractice premiums, inter-facility travel, and continuing medical education. We assembled official CMPA receipts, provincial billing summaries, and travel logs matched to surgical rotas, then submitted a detailed response. The auditor accepted 90% of the claims without adjustment.
Health services are largely GST/HST-exempt, which blocks input tax credits on overhead and makes professional corporation rules the main planning lever.
The rules this turned on
CRA audit and review
A review is won on documentation created at the time, not on explanations offered afterwards. The CRA asks for the source records behind a figure, and an unsupported claim is simply disallowed.
Why it bites: Most reassessments we reverse are not the result of a wrong position — they are the result of a correct position with no contemporaneous paper trail behind it.
Personal tax (T1)
T1 returns are due April 30, and June 15 for the self-employed — but any balance owing is due April 30 regardless, with interest compounding daily from that date.
Why it bites: The June deadline misleads a great many self-employed filers into paying two months late without realising it.
Expense claims
An expense is deductible where it was incurred to earn income and is reasonable in the circumstances. The business-use portion must be supported, which for vehicles means a logbook.
Why it bites: The CRA rarely argues that an expense category is wrong; it argues that the proportion claimed was never substantiated.
What this means for your business
Every engagement above was priced as a fixed fee agreed before the work started, and paid only once the client had reviewed the result. If any of this looks like your situation, the first step is a free 15-minute call — we will tell you plainly whether there is anything worth doing.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Certified Tax Accountant. Figures describe a real engagement; outcomes depend on your own facts. Client details are omitted for confidentiality.
Related case studies