6 CRA Clearance Certificate Assistance 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 cra clearance certificate assistance work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Planning that cut the bill
$22,500 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Family Business Under a, Regina
Client: A family business under a related-party review · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$22,500
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A family business under a related-party review in Regina, Saskatchewan 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 assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn.
The result
The change saved $22,500 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 2 · CRA review defended
Audit Defence Closed In 7 Weeks, $15,000 Cleared — Contractor Facing a Proposed, Toronto
Client: A contractor facing a proposed reassessment · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$15,000
Review duration7 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A contractor facing a proposed reassessment in Toronto, Ontario was selected for review after a proposal letter with a 30-day response window and no supporting records assembled showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on cra clearance certificate assistance came to $15,000.
What we did
We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely. 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. $15,000 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 3 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $180,000 Deferred — Business Owner with a, Saskatoon
Client: A business owner with a director liability assessment · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$180,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at a business owner with a director liability assessment in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan had been discussed for years without a plan. Passive assets sitting inside the operating company, disqualifying the shares meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$180,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 4 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $43,000 Saved Each Year — Taxpayer with Frozen Bank, Barrie
Client: A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$43,000
Tax on reorganisationDeferred
Elections filedOn time
The situation
A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts in Barrie, Ontario had outgrown the structure it started with. A net-worth assessment built on unexplained deposits that were actually loan proceeds was the immediate problem; the longer-term one was that the structure blocked the next step.
What we did
We mapped the current structure, modelled the target, and brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action — with the tax-deferred elections filed on time and the supporting valuations documented.
The result
The reorganisation completed without triggering tax, and the new structure saves approximately $43,000 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
Case Study 5 · Deadline rescue
11-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $114,000 — Restaurant Under a Net-Worth, Winnipeg
Client: A restaurant under a net-worth audit · Where: Winnipeg, Manitoba · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$114,000
Filed with20 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for cra clearance certificate assistance weeks away, a restaurant under a net-worth audit in Winnipeg, Manitoba was carrying a director liability assessment for a corporation that had already stopped operating. The exposure if the date slipped was around $114,000.
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. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 20 days to spare. $114,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 6 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $19,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Corporation Under a GST/HST, Red Deer
Client: A corporation under a GST/HST review · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$19,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
A corporation under a GST/HST review in Red Deer, Alberta was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. An objection deadline that had passed with no extension applied for was tying up $19,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely.
The result
$19,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
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.
