Desktop-to-Cloud Accounting Migration Case Studies
6 worked Desktop-to-Cloud Accounting Migration case studies — the position a client typically comes to us with, what we do, and what it is worth. Each is an illustrative example built on the rules that apply to desktop-to-cloud accounting migration work, not a specific client's file.
Case Study 1 · Missed incentive claimed
$26,500 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Multi-Processor Online Seller, Kitchener
Client: An online seller reconciling three payment processors · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$26,500
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation — An online seller reconciling three payment processors, Kitchener, Ontario
An online seller reconciling three payment processors in Kitchener, Ontario assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. Input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once meant they had applied all along.
What we did for An online seller reconciling three payment processors, Kitchener, Ontario
We identified the qualifying activity and built the documentation to support it. Then we recoded the meals and entertainment accounts to the statutory limit and reversed the over-claimed input tax credits before the next return went in.
The result — An online seller reconciling three payment processors, Kitchener, Ontario
$26,500 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Case Study 2 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $54,000 Saved Each Year — Residential Cleaning Franchise, Moncton
Client: A residential cleaning franchise · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$54,000
Tax on reorganisationDeferred
Elections filedOn time
The situation — A residential cleaning franchise, Moncton, New Brunswick
A residential cleaning franchise in Moncton, New Brunswick had outgrown the structure it started with. A bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account was the immediate problem. The longer-term one was that the structure blocked the next step.
What we did for A residential cleaning franchise, Moncton, New Brunswick
We mapped the current structure and modelled the target. Then we rebuilt sales from the processor settlement reports so gross sales, fees and refunds each landed in an account of their own. The tax-deferred elections were filed on time and the supporting valuations documented.
The result — A residential cleaning franchise, Moncton, New Brunswick
The reorganisation completed without triggering tax, and the new structure saves approximately $54,000 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
Case Study 3 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $11,500 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Dental Hygiene Clinic, Lethbridge
Client: A dental hygiene clinic · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$11,500
Records rebuilt17 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation — A dental hygiene clinic, Lethbridge, Alberta
A dental hygiene clinic in Lethbridge, Alberta could not answer basic questions about its own numbers. A payroll clearing account that had never been brought to zero, carrying a balance nobody could explain sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did for A dental hygiene clinic, Lethbridge, Alberta
We reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support. We then documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result — A dental hygiene clinic, Lethbridge, Alberta
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $11,500 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 4 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $139,000 Freed — Mobile Pet-Grooming Company, Mississauga
Client: A mobile pet-grooming company · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$139,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation — A mobile pet-grooming company, Mississauga, Ontario
A mobile pet-grooming company in Mississauga, Ontario was opening in a second province. That meant different filing obligations and a different payroll regime. A receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier already sat in the file.
What we did for A mobile pet-grooming company, Mississauga, Ontario
We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly. We then put monthly reporting in place. That let the owner see the cash effect of growth while there was still time to act on it.
The result — A mobile pet-grooming company, Mississauga, Ontario
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $139,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 5 · Sale and succession
$395,000 Sheltered By The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption — Home-Renovation Contractor, Hamilton
The situation — A home-renovation contractor, Hamilton, Ontario
A home-renovation contractor in Hamilton, Ontario had an offer on the table and 29 months to close. The shares did not qualify for the capital gains exemption. No valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed was part of the reason.
What we did for A home-renovation contractor, Hamilton, Ontario
We purified the corporation so the shares met the qualifying tests. We set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end. All of it was done well ahead of the closing date.
The result — A home-renovation contractor, Hamilton, Ontario
The sale closed on schedule with $395,000 sheltered by the lifetime capital gains exemption across the shareholders.
Case Study 6 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $100,000 Reversed — Owner-Operated Trades Business, London
Client: An owner-operated trades business · Where: London, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$100,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation — An owner-operated trades business, London, Ontario
An owner-operated trades business in London, Ontario had been reassessed for $100,000. 24 days were left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on meals and entertainment coded at full cost with the input tax credit claimed on the whole amount.
What we did for An owner-operated trades business, London, Ontario
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder. Alongside it, we rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements and matched every receipt to a transaction. We removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review.
The result — An owner-operated trades business, London, Ontario
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $100,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Reviewed by Udit Gupta, Founder and Tax Accountant for the 2025 tax year. These case studies are illustrative worked examples composed from the CRA rules that apply to this type of work, not specific client files; figures are representative and outcomes depend on your own facts.
