6 Deceased Person Final Tax Return 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 deceased person final tax return work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Cash and remittance control
Remittance Schedule Corrected, $42,000 Refunded — Self-Employed Consultant, Red Deer
Client: A self-employed consultant · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$42,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a self-employed consultant in Red Deer, Alberta were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more.
What we did
We carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $42,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 2 · Objection and relief
$92,000 Of Penalties And Interest Cancelled On Relief — Commissioned Salesperson, Winnipeg
An assessment of $92,000 landed at a commissioned salesperson in Winnipeg, Manitoba following a desk review. The auditor had not seen the records behind foreign accounts that had crossed the T1135 threshold two years earlier.
What we did
We pulled the full slip history from the CRA record, refiled the affected years by adjustment request, and recovered the credits that had been missed, then set out the legislative basis for the position alongside the documents supporting it.
The result
$92,000 of penalties and interest was cancelled under the taxpayer relief provisions, and the underlying assessment was adjusted to match the filed position.
Case Study 3 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 83 Staff With $22,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Retiree Drawing From Three, Barrie
Client: A retiree drawing from three sources · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached83
Working capital freed$22,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation
A retiree drawing from three sources in Barrie, Ontario was growing fast — headcount to 83 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. A rental property reported without any capital cost allowance analysis was the first thing to break.
What we did
We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 83 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $22,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
Case Study 4 · Records and systems rebuilt
31 Months Reconciled And $16,500 Of Input Tax Recovered — Employee with Foreign Investment, Saskatoon
Client: An employee with foreign investment accounts · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled31
Input tax recovered$16,500
Close time8 days
The situation
An employee with foreign investment accounts in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was carrying three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 31 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
31 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 8 days, and $16,500 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 5 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $45,000 Saved Each Year — Physician in Their First, Toronto
Client: A physician in their first year of practice · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$45,000
Tax on reorganisationDeferred
Elections filedOn time
The situation
A physician in their first year of practice in Toronto, Ontario had outgrown the structure it started with. RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year 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 carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance — 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 $45,000 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
Case Study 6 · Missed incentive claimed
$136,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — Two-Income Household with Rental, Regina
Client: A two-income household with rental property · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Credits claimed$136,000
Years adjusted4
Review outcomeNo adjustment
The situation
A two-income household with rental property in Regina, Saskatchewan had been filing for 4 years without ever claiming the incentives its activity qualified for. Behind that sat three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address.
What we did
We tested each activity against the eligibility criteria rather than the description on the invoice, then pulled the full slip history from the CRA record, refiled the affected years by adjustment request, and recovered the credits that had been missed.
The result
$136,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
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.
