6 CRA Tax Problem Resolution 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 problem resolution work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $137,000 Freed — Corporation Under a GST/HST, Calgary
Client: A corporation under a GST/HST review · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$137,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
A corporation under a GST/HST review in Calgary, Alberta was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and an objection deadline that had passed with no extension applied for already in the file.
What we did
We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely and put monthly reporting in place so the owner could see the cash effect of growth while there was still time to act on it.
The result
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $137,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 2 · Cash and remittance control
$62,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Professional Under a Lifestyle, Hamilton
Client: A professional under a lifestyle audit · Where: Hamilton, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$62,000
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
A professional under a lifestyle audit in Hamilton, Ontario was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. A director liability assessment for a corporation that had already stopped operating explained most of the gap.
What we did
We brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$62,000 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 3 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $12,000 Penalty Avoided — Taxpayer with Frozen Bank, Brampton
Client: A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$12,000
Turnaround8 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A taxpayer with frozen bank accounts in Brampton, Ontario came to us 8 weeks before its filing deadline with a net-worth assessment built on unexplained deposits that were actually loan proceeds. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $12,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn, 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 $12,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 4 · Structure rebuilt
Holding Structure Added, $10,000 Saved Annually — Importer Under a Customs, Moncton
Client: An importer under a customs and GST audit · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$10,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
An importer under a customs and GST audit in Moncton, New Brunswick was carrying six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file, 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 traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $10,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 5 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $770,000 Less Tax On Closing — Contractor Facing a Proposed, Vancouver
Client: A contractor facing a proposed reassessment · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$770,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A contractor facing a proposed reassessment in Vancouver, British Columbia was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced a single shareholder holding every share, with no room to multiply the exemption, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $770,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 6 · CRA review defended
Audit Defence Closed In 9 Weeks, $20,000 Cleared — Business Owner with a, Surrey
Client: A business owner with a director liability assessment · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$20,000
Review duration9 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A business owner with a director liability assessment in Surrey, British Columbia was selected for review after an objection deadline that had passed with no extension applied for showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on cra tax problem resolution came to $20,000.
What we did
We brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action. 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. $20,000 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
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.
