6 Corporate Tax Cleanup 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 corporate tax cleanup work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
$17,500 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 7 Years — Corporately-Owned Rental Portfolio, Burnaby
Client: A corporately-owned rental portfolio · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Arbitrary tax vacated$17,500
Years brought current7
Account statusCurrent
The situation
7 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at a corporately-owned rental portfolio in Burnaby, British Columbia, with a balance-due date the owner believed was the same as the filing date underneath. Collections had already started.
What we did
We rebuilt the instalment schedule off the current year rather than the prior year, ending the interest accrual, then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result
All 7 years were accepted as filed. $17,500 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 7 years.
Case Study 2 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 55 Staff With $106,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Second-Generation Family Manufacturer, Guelph
Client: A second-generation family manufacturer · Where: Guelph, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached55
Working capital freed$106,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation
A second-generation family manufacturer in Guelph, Ontario was growing fast — headcount to 55 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. A small business limit quietly shared across three associated corporations nobody had mapped was the first thing to break.
What we did
We modelled salary against dividends across both the corporation and the shareholder’s personal return, then set the remuneration mix for the year, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 55 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $106,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
Case Study 3 · Deadline rescue
3-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $75,000 — CCPC with Two Shareholders, Surrey
Client: A CCPC with two shareholders · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$75,000
Filed with10 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for corporate tax cleanup weeks away, a CCPC with two shareholders in Surrey, British Columbia was carrying two corporations under common control filing as if each had its own $500,000 limit. The exposure if the date slipped was around $75,000.
What we did
We mapped the association rules across the group, allocated the business limit deliberately on Schedule 23, and corrected the prior year by adjustment request. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 10 days to spare. $75,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 4 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $285,000 Deferred — Technology CCPC Approaching Its, Windsor
Client: A technology CCPC approaching its first profitable year · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$285,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at a technology CCPC approaching its first profitable year in Windsor, Ontario had been discussed for years without a plan. Retained cash well above what the business needed to operate meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We moved passive holdings into a separate structure so the operating company’s small business limit stopped grinding down, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$285,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 5 · Planning that cut the bill
$69,000 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Franchise Operator with Three, Edmonton
Client: A franchise operator with three locations · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$69,000
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A franchise operator with three locations in Edmonton, Alberta was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left retained earnings building in the operating company with no plan for extracting them on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then rebuilt the instalment schedule off the current year rather than the prior year, ending the interest accrual.
The result
The change saved $69,000 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 6 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $73,000 Vacated — Holding Company and Its, Regina
Client: A holding company and its operating subsidiary · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$73,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A holding company and its operating subsidiary in Regina, Saskatchewan was carrying $73,000 of penalties and interest arising from a balance-due date the owner believed was the same as the filing date, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We modelled salary against dividends across both the corporation and the shareholder’s personal return, then set the remuneration mix for the year and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $73,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
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.
