6 Trust & Estate Tax Filing 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 trust & estate tax filing work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $670,000 Deferred — First-Year Startup, Barrie
A generational transfer at a first-year startup in Barrie, Ontario had been discussed for years without a plan. No valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We documented the positions taken, retained the supporting analysis, and prepared the file so a review could be answered in days rather than weeks, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$670,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 2 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $47,000 Cut From A 4-Year Backlog — Owner-Managed Corporation, Calgary
Client: An owner-managed corporation · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$47,000
Backlog cleared4 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time an owner-managed corporation in Calgary, Alberta called, 4 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat positions taken on prior returns that nobody could explain or support.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and brought the outstanding filings current and negotiated an arrangement that stopped the interest from compounding further. 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 $47,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 3 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $58,000 Of Annual Savings — Incorporated Contractor, Winnipeg
The structure at an incorporated contractor in Winnipeg, Manitoba had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and deadlines tracked in the owner’s head rather than on a compliance calendar had become expensive.
What we did
We rebuilt the supporting records, corrected the affected filings, and set a compliance calendar covering every deadline the business actually carries. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$58,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 4 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $44,000 Vacated — Professional Practice, London
Client: A professional practice · Where: London, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$44,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A professional practice in London, Ontario was carrying $44,000 of penalties and interest arising from filings handled by three different providers with no continuity between them, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We consolidated the work into a single engagement so the corporate, sales tax and payroll filings finally reconciled to each other and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $44,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 5 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $29,500 Penalty Avoided — Second-Generation Family Company, Red Deer
Client: A second-generation family company · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$29,500
Turnaround4 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A second-generation family company in Red Deer, Alberta came to us 4 weeks before its filing deadline with a balance that had been accruing daily compound interest for two years. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $29,500 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We documented the positions taken, retained the supporting analysis, and prepared the file so a review could be answered in days rather than weeks, prioritising the items that actually gated the filing and deferring everything that did not.
The result
The return was filed on time and complete. The $29,500 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 6 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 5 Weeks To 9 Days — Multi-Location Operator, Kelowna
Client: A multi-location operator · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before5 weeks
Close time after9 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a multi-location operator in Kelowna, British Columbia was built on records that could not support the positions already taken on filed returns. The year-end had taken 5 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We brought the outstanding filings current and negotiated an arrangement that stopped the interest from compounding further 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 5 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
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.
