6 Accounting Policy Development 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 accounting policy development work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $99,000 Vacated — 14-Person Design Agency, Guelph
A 14-person design agency in Guelph, Ontario was carrying $99,000 of penalties and interest arising from a bank that refused to renew an operating line without compliant statements, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We rebuilt the trial balance from source documents, reconciled every bank and credit-card account, and issued a CSRS 4200 compilation with a proper basis-of-accounting note and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $99,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 2 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $565,000 Deferred — Specialty Food Importer, Halifax
Client: A specialty food importer · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$565,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at a specialty food importer in Halifax, Nova Scotia 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 set a monthly close calendar with a fixed cut-off, so the year-end became a review of work already done rather than a twelve-month rebuild, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$565,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 3 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $17,000 Of Cash Released — Family-Owned Wholesale Distributor, Barrie
Revenue at a family-owned wholesale distributor in Barrie, Ontario was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat a shareholder loan account that had drifted for three years with no supporting entries.
What we did
We separated personal and corporate spending, cleared the shareholder loan through a documented salary and dividend mix, and restated the comparative year. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result
$17,000 of cash was released from the working capital cycle, and the expansion completed with every registration and filing obligation covered from day one.
Case Study 4 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 6 Weeks To 9 Days — Regional Courier Operator, Hamilton
The accounting file at a regional courier operator in Hamilton, Ontario was built on inter-company balances between two related corporations that had never been reconciled. The year-end had taken 6 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We reconciled the inter-company accounts, papered the arrangement with a written agreement, and aligned both corporations’ year-ends 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 6 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 5 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $35,500 Of Annual Savings — Two-Partner Engineering Firm, Windsor
The structure at a two-partner engineering firm in Windsor, Ontario had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and year-end statements that arrived four months late and never tied to the bank had become expensive.
What we did
We rebuilt the trial balance from source documents, reconciled every bank and credit-card account, and issued a CSRS 4200 compilation with a proper basis-of-accounting note. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$35,500 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 6 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $32,500 Across 4 Open Years — Boutique Fitness Studio Group, Ottawa
Client: A boutique fitness studio group · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$32,500
Open years claimed4
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at a boutique fitness studio group in Ottawa, Ontario started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 4 years, driven by year-end statements that arrived four months late and never tied to the bank.
What we did
We set a monthly close calendar with a fixed cut-off, so the year-end became a review of work already done rather than a twelve-month rebuild, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $32,500 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.
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.
