6 Board and Treasurer Reporting 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 board and treasurer reporting work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Deadline rescue
11-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $38,000 — Arts Organisation with Grant, Hamilton
Client: An arts organisation with grant funding · Where: Hamilton, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$38,000
Filed with21 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for board and treasurer reporting weeks away, an arts organisation with grant funding in Hamilton, Ontario was carrying a disbursement quota shortfall discovered during a CRA charity audit. The exposure if the date slipped was around $38,000.
What we did
We calculated and claimed the public service body rebate for every open period, recovering tax the organisation had been absorbing. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 21 days to spare. $38,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Client: A social services agency · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$40,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
A social services agency in Calgary, Alberta was carrying GST/HST paid on everything with no public service body rebate ever claimed, and every option for fixing it ran through a reorganisation that had to be done without triggering tax.
What we did
Working with the client's lawyer, we reclassified restricted contributions under the deferral method so revenue matched the year the funds were actually spent and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $40,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 3 · Objection and relief
$123,000 Of Penalties And Interest Cancelled On Relief — Religious Congregation, Moncton
Client: A religious congregation · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Penalties and interest cancelled$123,000
Relief groundsAccepted
AssessmentAdjusted to filed position
The situation
An assessment of $123,000 landed at a religious congregation in Moncton, New Brunswick following a desk review. The auditor had not seen the records behind restricted grant funds recognised as revenue in the year received rather than as spent.
What we did
We reissued compliant donation receipts and rebuilt the receipting template against the regulation requirements, then set out the legislative basis for the position alongside the documents supporting it.
The result
$123,000 of penalties and interest was cancelled under the taxpayer relief provisions, and the underlying assessment was adjusted to match the filed position.
Case Study 4 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $54,000 Cut From A 4-Year Backlog — Environmental Charity with Restricted, Brampton
Client: An environmental charity with restricted funds · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$54,000
Backlog cleared4 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time an environmental charity with restricted funds in Brampton, Ontario called, 4 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a T3010 filed eleven months after year-end for the third year running.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and brought the T3010 filings current, corrected the prior-year schedules, and set an internal deadline 90 days after year-end so the filing stopped being late. 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 $54,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 5 · Missed incentive claimed
$58,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — Professional Member Association, Surrey
Client: A professional member association · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Credits claimed$58,000
Years adjusted5
Review outcomeNo adjustment
The situation
A professional member association in Surrey, British Columbia had been filing for 5 years without ever claiming the incentives its activity qualified for. Behind that sat GST/HST paid on everything with no public service body rebate ever claimed.
What we did
We tested each activity against the eligibility criteria rather than the description on the invoice, then calculated and claimed the public service body rebate for every open period, recovering tax the organisation had been absorbing.
The result
$58,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
Case Study 6 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $148,000 Freed — Registered Charity with Two, Vancouver
Client: A registered charity with two program streams · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$148,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
A registered charity with two program streams in Vancouver, British Columbia was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and a disbursement quota shortfall discovered during a CRA charity audit already in the file.
What we did
We reclassified restricted contributions under the deferral method so revenue matched the year the funds were actually spent and put monthly reporting in place so the owner could see the cash effect of growth while there was still time to act on it.
The result
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $148,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
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.
