6 Accounting Process Review 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 process review work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $54,000 Of Annual Savings — Regional Courier Operator, Red Deer
Client: A regional courier operator · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$54,000
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at a regional courier operator in Red Deer, Alberta had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and two sets of numbers — one in the accounting file, one the owner actually ran the business on had become expensive.
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. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$54,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
$68,000 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Family-Owned Wholesale Distributor, Toronto
A family-owned wholesale distributor in Toronto, Ontario received a proposal letter opening a review of accounting process review. The CRA had identified year-end statements that arrived four months late and never tied to the bank and proposed an adjustment of $68,000, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. 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, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $68,000 of it. The file closed in 7 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 3 · Records and systems rebuilt
10 Months Reconciled And $6,200 Of Input Tax Recovered — Boutique Fitness Studio Group, Surrey
Client: A boutique fitness studio group · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled10
Input tax recovered$6,200
Close time6 days
The situation
A boutique fitness studio group in Surrey, British Columbia was carrying a shareholder loan account that had drifted for three years with no supporting entries. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 10 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We reconciled the inter-company accounts, papered the arrangement with a written agreement, and aligned both corporations’ year-ends, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
10 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 6 days, and $6,200 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 4 · Backlog brought current
$57,000 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 6 Years — Two-Partner Engineering Firm, Victoria
Client: A two-partner engineering firm · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Arbitrary tax vacated$57,000
Years brought current6
Account statusCurrent
The situation
6 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at a two-partner engineering firm in Victoria, British Columbia, with a bank that refused to renew an operating line without compliant statements underneath. Collections had already started.
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, then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result
All 6 years were accepted as filed. $57,000 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 6 years.
Case Study 5 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $41,000 Of Cash Released — Commercial Cleaning Contractor, Calgary
Client: A commercial cleaning contractor · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Cash released$41,000
New registrationsComplete on day one
Compliance gapsNone
The situation
Revenue at a commercial cleaning contractor in Calgary, Alberta was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat inter-company balances between two related corporations that had never been reconciled.
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. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result
$41,000 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 6 · Deadline rescue
3-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $80,000 — Growing Landscaping Company, Halifax
Client: A growing landscaping company · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$80,000
Filed with13 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for accounting process review weeks away, a growing landscaping company in Halifax, Nova Scotia was carrying two sets of numbers — one in the accounting file, one the owner actually ran the business on. The exposure if the date slipped was around $80,000.
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 filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 13 days to spare. $80,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
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.
