6 Client Accounting Services 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 client accounting services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $136,000 Cut From A 6-Year Backlog — Two-Partner Engineering Firm, Windsor
By the time a two-partner engineering firm in Windsor, Ontario called, 6 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a shareholder loan account that had drifted for three years with no supporting entries.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and rebuilt the trial balance from source documents, reconciled every bank and credit-card account, and issued a CSRS 4200 compilation with a proper basis-of-accounting note. 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 $136,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 2 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $49,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Machine-Shop Owner-Operator, Brampton
Nothing was wrong at a machine-shop owner-operator in Brampton, Ontario — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. Inter-company balances between two related corporations that had never been reconciled had never been reviewed.
What we did
We separated personal and corporate spending, cleared the shareholder loan through a documented salary and dividend mix, and restated the comparative year, and 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
$49,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Client: A regional courier operator · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$63,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
A regional courier operator in Surrey, British Columbia was carrying year-end statements that arrived four months late and never tied to the bank, 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 set a monthly close calendar with a fixed cut-off, so the year-end became a review of work already done rather than a twelve-month rebuild and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $63,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 4 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $59,000 Of Cash Released — Growing Landscaping Company, Mississauga
Client: A growing landscaping company · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Cash released$59,000
New registrationsComplete on day one
Compliance gapsNone
The situation
Revenue at a growing landscaping company in Mississauga, Ontario was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat a bank that refused to renew an operating line without compliant statements.
What we did
We reconciled the inter-company accounts, papered the arrangement with a written agreement, and aligned both corporations’ year-ends. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result
$59,000 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 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $88,000 Vacated — 14-Person Design Agency, Guelph
A 14-person design agency in Guelph, Ontario was carrying $88,000 of penalties and interest arising from two sets of numbers — one in the accounting file, one the owner actually ran the business on, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We rebuilt the trial balance from source documents, reconciled every bank and credit-card account, and issued a CSRS 4200 compilation with a proper basis-of-accounting note and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $88,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 6 · CRA review defended
Audit Defence Closed In 6 Weeks, $49,000 Cleared — Boutique Fitness Studio Group, Victoria
Client: A boutique fitness studio group · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$49,000
Review duration6 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A boutique fitness studio group in Victoria, British Columbia was selected for review after a shareholder loan account that had drifted for three years with no supporting entries showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on client accounting services came to $49,000.
What we did
We separated personal and corporate spending, cleared the shareholder loan through a documented salary and dividend mix, and restated the comparative year. Every figure in the response traced to a source record the auditor could verify without asking a second question.
The result
The review closed with no change. $49,000 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
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.
