6 Business Expense Audit Support 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 business expense audit support work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $51,000 Of Annual Savings — Importer Under a Customs, Victoria
Client: An importer under a customs and GST audit · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$51,000
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at an importer under a customs and GST audit in Victoria, British Columbia had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and a proposal letter with a 30-day response window and no supporting records assembled had become expensive.
What we did
We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$51,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 2 · Planning that cut the bill
$38,500 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Family Business Under a, Brampton
Client: A family business under a related-party review · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$38,500
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A family business under a related-party review in Brampton, Ontario was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left an objection deadline that had passed with no extension applied for on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly.
The result
The change saved $38,500 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Case Study 3 · Backlog brought current
4 Years Filed, $117,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Taxpayer with Frozen Bank, Halifax
Client: A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Years filed4
Assessed balance removed$117,000
CollectionsStopped
The situation
A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts in Halifax, Nova Scotia had not filed for 4 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying a director liability assessment for a corporation that had already stopped operating 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 brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action, 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 $117,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 4 · Cash and remittance control
$46,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Company Facing a Payroll, Ottawa
Client: A company facing a payroll trust examination · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$46,000
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
A company facing a payroll trust examination in Ottawa, Ontario was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. A net-worth assessment built on unexplained deposits that were actually loan proceeds explained most of the gap.
What we did
We assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$46,000 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 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $390,000 Less Tax On Closing — Professional Under a Lifestyle, Calgary
Client: A professional under a lifestyle audit · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$390,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A professional under a lifestyle audit in Calgary, Alberta was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced no valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $390,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 6 · Records and systems rebuilt
28 Months Reconciled And $15,500 Of Input Tax Recovered — Business Owner with a, Kelowna
Client: A business owner with a director liability assessment · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled28
Input tax recovered$15,500
Close time7 days
The situation
A business owner with a director liability assessment in Kelowna, British Columbia was carrying a proposal letter with a 30-day response window and no supporting records assembled. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 28 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
28 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 7 days, and $15,500 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
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.
