6 worked Corporate Minute Book Maintenance 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 corporate minute book maintenance work, not a specific client's file.
Case Study 1 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $790,000 Less Tax On Closing — Newly Incorporating Consultant, Toronto
Client: A consultant incorporating after two years of self-employment · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$790,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation — A consultant incorporating after two years of self-employment, Toronto, Ontario
A consultant incorporating after two years of self-employment in Toronto, Ontario was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced a shareholder loan balance that would have been picked up as income on closing, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did for A consultant incorporating after two years of self-employment, Toronto, Ontario
We cleaned up the historical file, filed the change of registered office and the director changes, so registry correspondence reached someone who read it, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result — A consultant incorporating after two years of self-employment, Toronto, Ontario
The deal closed at the agreed price. $790,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 2 · Planning that cut the bill
$13,000 Saved By Correcting What Prior Filings Had Missed — Reviving Corporation, Halifax
Client: A corporation reviving after administrative dissolution · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Saving identified$13,000
RecurringYes
Positions documentedAll
The situation — A corporation reviving after administrative dissolution, Halifax, Nova Scotia
A corporation reviving after administrative dissolution in Halifax, Nova Scotia asked for a second opinion on corporate minute book maintenance after three years of rising tax. The review found GST/HST collected for eight months before the RT account was ever opened.
What we did for A corporation reviving after administrative dissolution, Halifax, Nova Scotia
We built the comparison first — current structure against two alternatives — and then separated the corporate registry deadlines from the CRA deadlines on one calendar, with a named person responsible for each.
The result — A corporation reviving after administrative dissolution, Halifax, Nova Scotia
First-year saving of $13,000, with the same benefit recurring. Every position taken is documented and supported in the file.
Case Study 3 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $76,000 Reversed — Federally Incorporating Seller, Windsor
The situation — An e-commerce seller incorporating federally, Windsor, Ontario
An e-commerce seller incorporating federally in Windsor, Ontario had been reassessed for $76,000 and had 13 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on dividends paid for three years with no directors’ resolutions behind them.
What we did for An e-commerce seller incorporating federally, Windsor, Ontario
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and revived the corporation, filed the outstanding annual returns, and set a compliance calendar covering both the corporate registry and the CRA.
The result — An e-commerce seller incorporating federally, Windsor, Ontario
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $76,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 4 · Missed incentive claimed
$14,000 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Extra-Provincial Registrant, Mississauga
Client: An owner registering extra-provincially in a second province · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$14,000
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation — An owner registering extra-provincially in a second province, Mississauga, Ontario
An owner registering extra-provincially in a second province in Mississauga, Ontario assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. A single class of common shares that made income splitting impossible meant they had applied all along.
What we did for An owner registering extra-provincially in a second province, Mississauga, Ontario
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and selected a year-end that put the balance-due date after the seasonal cash peak, then registered every program account the business actually needed.
The result — An owner registering extra-provincially in a second province, Mississauga, Ontario
$14,000 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Client: A contractor incorporating for liability reasons · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$62,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation — A contractor incorporating for liability reasons, Burnaby, British Columbia
Remittances at a contractor incorporating for liability reasons in Burnaby, British Columbia were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat a registered office address left unchanged through two moves, so registry notices went to an empty unit.
What we did for A contractor incorporating for liability reasons, Burnaby, British Columbia
We reconstructed the minute book with resolutions for each historical dividend and share transaction, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result — A contractor incorporating for liability reasons, Burnaby, British Columbia
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $62,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 6 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $67,000 Saved Each Year — Provincially Incorporating Trades Business, Kelowna
Client: A trades business incorporating provincially · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$67,000
Tax on reorganisationDeferred
Elections filedOn time
The situation — A trades business incorporating provincially, Kelowna, British Columbia
A trades business incorporating provincially in Kelowna, British Columbia had outgrown the structure it started with. A spouse added as a shareholder on the assumption dividends could simply be split between two returns was the immediate problem; the longer-term one was that the structure blocked the next step.
What we did for A trades business incorporating provincially, Kelowna, British Columbia
We mapped the current structure, modelled the target, and restructured the share capital so dividends could be directed deliberately, respecting the TOSI rules — with the tax-deferred elections filed on time and the supporting valuations documented.
The result — A trades business incorporating provincially, Kelowna, British Columbia
The reorganisation completed without triggering tax, and the new structure saves approximately $67,000 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Founder and Tax Accountant. 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.
