6 Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagement 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 agreed-upon procedures engagement work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
3 Years Filed, $107,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Co-Operative Reporting to Members, Guelph
Client: A co-operative reporting to members · Where: Guelph, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Years filed3
Assessed balance removed$107,000
CollectionsStopped
The situation
A co-operative reporting to members in Guelph, Ontario had not filed for 3 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying a buyer’s due-diligence list that the existing statement package could not answer 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 upgraded the engagement to a CSRE 2400 review, completed the additional procedures, and delivered a package the lender accepted without conditions, 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 $107,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 2 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $38,000 Reversed — Business Applying for Government, Red Deer
Client: A business applying for government funding · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$38,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A business applying for government funding in Red Deer, Alberta had been reassessed for $38,000 and had 22 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on a bank asking for a review engagement while the file only supported a compilation.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and compressed the close to 45 days by moving reconciliations into the monthly cycle, so the covenant deadline stopped being a scramble.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $38,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 3 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 9 Weeks To 5 Days — Corporation with an Outside, Saskatoon
Client: A corporation with an outside minority shareholder · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before9 weeks
Close time after5 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a corporation with an outside minority shareholder in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was built on statements delivered five months after year-end, past the covenant deadline. The year-end had taken 9 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We converted the records to the accrual basis, restated the comparative year with proper disclosure, and rebuilt the statement package around the bonding company’s requirements 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 5 days instead of 9 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 4 · Planning that cut the bill
$53,000 Saved By Correcting What Prior Filings Had Missed — Not-For-Profit with a Bylaw, Edmonton
Client: A not-for-profit with a bylaw audit requirement · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Saving identified$53,000
RecurringYes
Positions documentedAll
The situation
A not-for-profit with a bylaw audit requirement in Edmonton, Alberta asked for a second opinion on agreed-upon procedures engagement after three years of rising tax. The review found a bonding limit capped because the last statements were prepared on a cash basis.
What we did
We built the comparison first — current structure against two alternatives — and then prepared a due-diligence-ready statement set with supporting schedules for each material balance.
The result
First-year saving of $53,000, with the same benefit recurring. Every position taken is documented and supported in the file.
Case Study 5 · CRA review defended
$104,000 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Company Refinancing Its Operating, Lethbridge
Client: A company refinancing its operating line · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$104,000
File closed in8 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation
A company refinancing its operating line in Lethbridge, Alberta received a proposal letter opening a review of agreed-upon procedures engagement. The CRA had identified a prior-year restatement with no note explaining what changed and proposed an adjustment of $104,000, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We upgraded the engagement to a CSRE 2400 review, completed the additional procedures, and delivered a package the lender accepted without conditions, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $104,000 of it. The file closed in 8 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 6 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $680,000 Less Tax On Closing — Corporation Entering a Shareholder, Victoria
Client: A corporation entering a shareholder buyout · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$680,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A corporation entering a shareholder buyout in Victoria, British Columbia 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, compressed the close to 45 days by moving reconciliations into the monthly cycle, so the covenant deadline stopped being a scramble, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $680,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
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.
