6 Accounts Payable Services 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 accounts payable services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 9 Weeks To 7 Days — Regional Courier Operator, Guelph
The accounting file at a regional courier operator in Guelph, Ontario was built on two sets of numbers — one in the accounting file, one the owner actually ran the business on. The year-end had taken 9 weeks each of the last three years.
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 moved the reconciliations into the monthly cycle, so the year-end stopped being a rebuild.
The result
The file reconciles. Month-end closes in 7 days instead of 9 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 2 · Backlog brought current
6 Years Filed, $42,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Commercial Cleaning Contractor, Barrie
A commercial cleaning contractor in Barrie, Ontario had not filed for 6 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying a shareholder loan account that had drifted for three years with no supporting entries on top of a growing interest balance.
What we did
We started with the oldest year and worked forward so each year's closing balances fed the next. 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, filing the years in sequence rather than all at once.
The result
Every year is now filed and assessed on actual figures. The notional assessments were vacated and $42,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 3 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $137,000 Of Cash Released — 14-Person Design Agency, Windsor
Revenue at a 14-person design agency in Windsor, Ontario 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 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
$137,000 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 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $50,000 Penalty Avoided — Two-Partner Engineering Firm, Red Deer
Client: A two-partner engineering firm · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$50,000
Turnaround11 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A two-partner engineering firm in Red Deer, Alberta came to us 11 weeks before its filing deadline with year-end statements that arrived four months late and never tied to the bank. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $50,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We reconciled the inter-company accounts, papered the arrangement with a written agreement, and aligned both corporations’ year-ends, 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 $50,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 5 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $630,000 Less Tax On Closing — Independent Pharmacy, Regina
An independent pharmacy in Regina, Saskatchewan was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced a minute book with no resolutions behind a decade of dividends, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, 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 prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $630,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 6 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $50,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Boutique Fitness Studio Group, Burnaby
Client: A boutique fitness studio group · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$50,000
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a boutique fitness studio group in Burnaby, British Columbia — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. Two sets of numbers — one in the accounting file, one the owner actually ran the business on had never been reviewed.
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, 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
$50,000 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.
