6 worked Annual Budget Preparation case studies — the position a client typically comes to us with, what we do, and what it is worth. Each is an illustrative example built on the rules that apply to annual budget preparation work, not a specific client's file.
Case Study 1 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $19,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — First Finance Hire, Victoria
Client: A company hiring its first finance staff · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$19,000
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation — A company hiring its first finance staff, Victoria, British Columbia
Nothing was wrong at a company hiring its first finance staff in Victoria, British Columbia. The filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. A monthly report that stopped at the income statement, with no balance sheet and no cash view had never been reviewed.
What we did for A company hiring its first finance staff, Victoria, British Columbia
We set a quarterly tax provision, so the instalments and the year-end balance were funded before they came due. We 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 — A company hiring its first finance staff, Victoria, British Columbia
$19,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Case Study 2 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $850,000 Less Tax On Closing — Contractor Scaling Bids, Vancouver
Client: A construction company bidding larger contracts · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$850,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation — A construction company bidding larger contracts, Vancouver, British Columbia
A construction company bidding larger contracts in Vancouver, British Columbia was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced no valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed. That would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did for A construction company bidding larger contracts, Vancouver, British Columbia
We cleaned up the historical file. We added the balance sheet and a cash view to the monthly package, so the owner saw working capital move rather than only profit. Then we prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result — A construction company bidding larger contracts, Vancouver, British Columbia
The deal closed at the agreed price. $850,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 3 · Deadline rescue
$126,000 Late-Filing Penalty Cancelled On Relief Application — Succession-Planning Family Business, London
Client: A family business planning succession · Where: London, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty cancelled$126,000
Relief applicationGranted
ReturnAccepted as filed
The situation — A family business planning succession, London, Ontario
A family business planning succession in London, Ontario had already missed one deadline and was about to miss a second. Behind it sat pricing set by feel, with no visibility into margin by service line. A penalty of $126,000 was accruing.
What we did for A family business planning succession, London, Ontario
We split the work into what had to happen before the deadline and what could follow it. Then we traced each borrowing to what it actually funded and kept the interest deduction on the portion used to earn business income.
The result — A family business planning succession, London, Ontario
The outstanding return was accepted as filed, and the taxpayer relief application cancelled $126,000 of the penalty already assessed on the earlier year.
Case Study 4 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $35,500 Of Cash Released — Mid-Sized Services Firm, Barrie
Client: A mid-sized professional services firm · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Cash released$35,500
New registrationsComplete on day one
Compliance gapsNone
The situation — A mid-sized professional services firm, Barrie, Ontario
Revenue at a mid-sized professional services firm in Barrie, Ontario was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat a borrowing drawn for an unrelated personal purchase with the interest claimed against the business.
What we did for A mid-sized professional services firm, Barrie, Ontario
We separated customer prepayments from earned revenue in the reporting, so the cash position and the tax position were visible at the same time. Every new obligation was set up before it was triggered, not after. That covered registration, remittance frequency and provincial filing.
The result — A mid-sized professional services firm, Barrie, Ontario
$35,500 of cash was released from the working capital cycle. The expansion completed with every registration and filing obligation covered from day one.
Case Study 5 · Backlog brought current
$19,500 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 4 Years — Subscription Business, Ottawa
Client: A subscription business tracking churn · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Arbitrary tax vacated$19,500
Years brought current4
Account statusCurrent
The situation — A subscription business tracking churn, Ottawa, Ontario
4 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at a subscription business tracking churn in Ottawa, Ontario. Underneath lay an owner making hiring decisions on last quarter’s bank balance. Collections had already started.
What we did for A subscription business tracking churn, Ottawa, Ontario
We produced a board-ready monthly package — cash, margin, pipeline and covenant headroom — that replaced a spreadsheet nobody trusted. We then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result — A subscription business tracking churn, Ottawa, Ontario
All 4 years were accepted as filed. $19,500 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 4 years.
Case Study 6 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $15,500 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Owner Without a Forecast, Regina
Client: An owner running the business without a cash-flow forecast · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$15,500
Records rebuilt18 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation — An owner running the business without a cash-flow forecast, Regina, Saskatchewan
An owner running the business without a cash-flow forecast in Regina, Saskatchewan could not answer basic questions about its own numbers. Revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did for An owner running the business without a cash-flow forecast, Regina, Saskatchewan
We modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it. We then documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result — An owner running the business without a cash-flow forecast, Regina, Saskatchewan
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $15,500 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Reviewed by Udit Gupta, Founder and Tax Accountant for the 2025 tax year. These case studies are illustrative worked examples composed from the CRA rules that apply to this type of work, not specific client files; figures are representative and outcomes depend on your own facts.
