6 CRA Tax-Debt 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 tax-debt assistance work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · CRA review defended
Audit Defence Closed In 10 Weeks, $29,000 Cleared — Professional Under a Lifestyle, Brampton
Client: A professional under a lifestyle audit · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$29,000
Review duration10 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A professional under a lifestyle audit in Brampton, Ontario was selected for review after six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on cra tax-debt assistance came to $29,000.
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. $29,000 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 2 · Structure rebuilt
Holding Structure Added, $31,000 Saved Annually — Taxpayer with Frozen Bank, Hamilton
Client: A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts · Where: Hamilton, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$31,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts in Hamilton, Ontario was carrying a proposal letter with a 30-day response window and no supporting records assembled, 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 brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $31,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 3 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $160,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Importer Under a Customs, Calgary
Client: An importer under a customs and GST audit · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$160,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
An importer under a customs and GST audit in Calgary, 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 $160,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn.
The result
$160,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 4 · Missed incentive claimed
$132,000 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Contractor Facing a Proposed, Moncton
Client: A contractor facing a proposed reassessment · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$132,000
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation
A contractor facing a proposed reassessment in Moncton, New Brunswick assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. A net-worth assessment built on unexplained deposits that were actually loan proceeds meant they had applied all along.
What we did
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly.
The result
$132,000 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Case Study 5 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $53,000 Vacated — Corporation Under a GST/HST, Regina
Client: A corporation under a GST/HST review · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$53,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A corporation under a GST/HST review in Regina, Saskatchewan was carrying $53,000 of penalties and interest arising from a net-worth assessment built on unexplained deposits that were actually loan proceeds, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $53,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 6 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $58,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Company Facing a Payroll, Surrey
Client: A company facing a payroll trust examination · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$58,000
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a company facing a payroll trust examination in Surrey, British Columbia — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. Six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file had never been reviewed.
What we did
We brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action, 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
$58,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
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.
