6 Alberta Corporate Tax Return 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 alberta corporate tax return work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $53,000 Penalty Avoided — CCPC with Two Shareholders, Windsor
Client: A CCPC with two shareholders · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$53,000
Turnaround10 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A CCPC with two shareholders in Windsor, Ontario came to us 10 weeks before its filing deadline with passive investment income that had crossed the $50,000 grind threshold unnoticed. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $53,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We mapped the association rules across the group, allocated the business limit deliberately on Schedule 23, and corrected the prior year by adjustment request, 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 $53,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 2 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $131,000 Cut From A 5-Year Backlog — Franchise Operator with Three, Burnaby
Client: A franchise operator with three locations · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$131,000
Backlog cleared5 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a franchise operator with three locations in Burnaby, British Columbia called, 5 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a balance-due date the owner believed was the same as the filing date.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and moved passive holdings into a separate structure so the operating company’s small business limit stopped grinding down. 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 $131,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 3 · CRA review defended
$11,500 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Incorporated Trades Business, Winnipeg
Client: An incorporated trades business · Where: Winnipeg, Manitoba · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$11,500
File closed in5 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation
An incorporated trades business in Winnipeg, Manitoba received a proposal letter opening a review of alberta corporate tax return. The CRA had identified two corporations under common control filing as if each had its own $500,000 limit and proposed an adjustment of $11,500, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We rebuilt the instalment schedule off the current year rather than the prior year, ending the interest accrual, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $11,500 of it. The file closed in 5 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 4 · Cash and remittance control
$29,500 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Professional Corporation, Toronto
Client: A professional corporation · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$29,500
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
A professional corporation in Toronto, Ontario was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. Retained earnings building in the operating company with no plan for extracting them explained most of the gap.
What we did
We modelled salary against dividends across both the corporation and the shareholder’s personal return, then set the remuneration mix for the year and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$29,500 was released back into working capital. Remittances have been on time every period since, and the forecast shows the tax outflow before it lands.
Case Study 5 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $62,000 Reversed — Corporately-Owned Rental Portfolio, Moncton
Client: A corporately-owned rental portfolio · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$62,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A corporately-owned rental portfolio in Moncton, New Brunswick had been reassessed for $62,000 and had 11 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on a small business limit quietly shared across three associated corporations nobody had mapped.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and mapped the association rules across the group, allocated the business limit deliberately on Schedule 23, and corrected the prior year by adjustment request.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $62,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 6 · Sale and succession
$830,000 Sheltered By The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption — Holding Company and Its, Brampton
Client: A holding company and its operating subsidiary · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Gain sheltered$830,000
ClosingOn schedule
Share qualificationMet
The situation
A holding company and its operating subsidiary in Brampton, Ontario had an offer on the table and 15 months to close. The shares did not qualify for the capital gains exemption, and a single shareholder holding every share, with no room to multiply the exemption was part of the reason.
What we did
We purified the corporation so the shares met the qualifying tests, then moved passive holdings into a separate structure so the operating company’s small business limit stopped grinding down well ahead of the closing date.
The result
The sale closed on schedule with $830,000 sheltered by the lifetime capital gains exemption across the shareholders.
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.
