6 CRA Collections 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 collections assistance work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Cash and remittance control
$83,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Contractor Facing a Proposed, Halifax
Client: A contractor facing a proposed reassessment · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$83,000
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
A contractor facing a proposed reassessment in Halifax, Nova Scotia was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. A net-worth assessment built on unexplained deposits that were actually loan proceeds explained most of the gap.
What we did
We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$83,000 was released back into working capital. Remittances have been on time every period since, and the forecast shows the tax outflow before it lands.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
$93,000 Reassessment Reduced To Nil On Review — Professional Under a Lifestyle, Vancouver
Client: A professional under a lifestyle audit · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Reassessment reduced toNil
Tax protected$93,000
Prior filingsUndisturbed
The situation
A review notice arrived at a professional under a lifestyle audit in Vancouver, British Columbia covering cra collections assistance for two tax years. The auditor's working position was an adjustment of $93,000, driven by six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file.
What we did
Rather than negotiate, we rebuilt the record. We assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn and submitted a point-by-point response that answered each proposed adjustment with the document behind it.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 $93,000 and leaving the prior filings undisturbed.
Case Study 3 · Backlog brought current
$33,000 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 6 Years — Importer Under a Customs, Moncton
Client: An importer under a customs and GST audit · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Arbitrary tax vacated$33,000
Years brought current6
Account statusCurrent
The situation
6 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at an importer under a customs and GST audit in Moncton, New Brunswick, with a proposal letter with a 30-day response window and no supporting records assembled underneath. Collections had already started.
What we did
We brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action, then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result
All 6 years were accepted as filed. $33,000 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 6 years.
Case Study 4 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $136,000 Penalty Avoided — Corporation Under a GST/HST, Burnaby
Client: A corporation under a GST/HST review · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$136,000
Turnaround4 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A corporation under a GST/HST review in Burnaby, British Columbia came to us 4 weeks before its filing deadline with an objection deadline that had passed with no extension applied for. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $136,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly, prioritising the items that actually gated the filing and deferring everything that did not.
The result
The return was filed on time and complete. The $136,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 5 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $18,500 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Taxpayer with Frozen Bank, Ottawa
Client: A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$18,500
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a taxpayer with frozen bank accounts in Ottawa, Ontario — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. A director liability assessment for a corporation that had already stopped operating had never been reviewed.
What we did
We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely, 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
$18,500 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Case Study 6 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $103,000 Across 4 Open Years — Taxpayer with Eight Years, Guelph
Client: A taxpayer with eight years of unfiled returns · Where: Guelph, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$103,000
Open years claimed4
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at a taxpayer with eight years of unfiled returns in Guelph, Ontario started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 4 years, driven by six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file.
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, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $103,000 across the open years, and the tracking now in place means the following year's claim is documented as the work happens rather than reconstructed afterwards.
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.
