6 Capital Gains 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 capital gains tax return work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $130,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Self-Employed Consultant, Red Deer
Client: A self-employed consultant · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$130,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
A self-employed consultant in Red Deer, Alberta was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. Medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more was tying up $130,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance.
The result
$130,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 2 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $66,000 Of Annual Savings — Physician in Their First, Winnipeg
Client: A physician in their first year of practice · Where: Winnipeg, Manitoba · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$66,000
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at a physician in their first year of practice in Winnipeg, Manitoba had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and foreign accounts that had crossed the T1135 threshold two years earlier had become expensive.
What we did
We pulled the full slip history from the CRA record, refiled the affected years by adjustment request, and recovered the credits that had been missed. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$66,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 3 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $28,000 Cut From A 7-Year Backlog — Employee with Foreign Investment, Barrie
Client: An employee with foreign investment accounts · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$28,000
Backlog cleared7 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time an employee with foreign investment accounts in Barrie, Ontario called, 7 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a rental property reported without any capital cost allowance analysis.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them. 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 $28,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 4 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $131,000 Of Cash Released — Retiree Drawing From Three, Saskatoon
Client: A retiree drawing from three sources · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Cash released$131,000
New registrationsComplete on day one
Compliance gapsNone
The situation
Revenue at a retiree drawing from three sources in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address.
What we did
We reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result
$131,000 of cash was released from the working capital cycle, and the expansion completed with every registration and filing obligation covered from day one.
Case Study 5 · Planning that cut the bill
$71,000 Saved By Correcting What Prior Filings Had Missed — Commissioned Salesperson, Toronto
A commissioned salesperson in Toronto, Ontario asked for a second opinion on capital gains tax return after three years of rising tax. The review found RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year.
What we did
We built the comparison first — current structure against two alternatives — and then carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance.
The result
First-year saving of $71,000, with the same benefit recurring. Every position taken is documented and supported in the file.
Case Study 6 · CRA review defended
$112,000 Reassessment Reduced To Nil On Review — Two-Income Household with Rental, Regina
Client: A two-income household with rental property · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Reassessment reduced toNil
Tax protected$112,000
Prior filingsUndisturbed
The situation
A review notice arrived at a two-income household with rental property in Regina, Saskatchewan covering capital gains tax return for two tax years. The auditor's working position was an adjustment of $112,000, driven by medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more.
What we did
Rather than negotiate, we rebuilt the record. We pulled the full slip history from the CRA record, refiled the affected years by adjustment request, and recovered the credits that had been missed and submitted a point-by-point response that answered each proposed adjustment with the document behind it.
The result
The auditor accepted the documented position and closed the review without adjustment, protecting $112,000 and leaving the prior filings undisturbed.
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.
