6 Estate Freeze Planning 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 estate freeze planning work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Missed incentive claimed
$103,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — Family Transferring a Farm, Toronto
Client: A family transferring a farm to the next generation · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Credits claimed$103,000
Years adjusted6
Review outcomeNo adjustment
The situation
A family transferring a farm to the next generation in Toronto, Ontario had been filing for 6 years without ever claiming the incentives its activity qualified for. Behind that sat a farm transfer completed without using the intergenerational rollover.
What we did
We tested each activity against the eligibility criteria rather than the description on the invoice, then made the graduated rate estate designation and re-filed, moving the estate off top-marginal-rate taxation for its first three years.
The result
$103,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
Case Study 2 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $325,000 Deferred — Estate Holding a Private, Red Deer
Client: An estate holding a private corporation · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$325,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at an estate holding a private corporation in Red Deer, Alberta had been discussed for years without a plan. No valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We implemented an estate freeze with a supported valuation, capping the current generation’s exposure and moving future growth to the successors, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$325,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 3 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $33,000 Cut From A 6-Year Backlog — Spousal Trust Following a, Surrey
Client: A spousal trust following a death · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$33,000
Backlog cleared6 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a spousal trust following a death in Surrey, British Columbia called, 6 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a final return filed without the rights-or-things election, leaving a second set of credits unused.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and filed the outstanding T3 returns with full beneficial-ownership schedules and secured relief on the late-filing penalty. Each filing replaced an arbitrary assessment with a real one.
The result
The account is current. Filing on real numbers rather than CRA estimates reduced the balance by $33,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 4 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $37,000 Saved Each Year — Family with a Cottage, Calgary
Client: A family with a cottage held in trust · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$37,000
Tax on reorganisationDeferred
Elections filedOn time
The situation
A family with a cottage held in trust in Calgary, Alberta had outgrown the structure it started with. A farm transfer completed without using the intergenerational rollover 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 filed the separate rights-or-things return alongside the final T1, claiming a second set of personal credits — 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 $37,000 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
Case Study 5 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $98,000 Vacated — Corporation Planning an Intergenerational, Victoria
Client: A corporation planning an intergenerational transfer · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$98,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A corporation planning an intergenerational transfer in Victoria, British Columbia was carrying $98,000 of penalties and interest arising from a graduated rate estate designation missed on the first return, defaulting the estate to top-rate taxation, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We made the graduated rate estate designation and re-filed, moving the estate off top-marginal-rate taxation for its first three years and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $98,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 6 · Deadline rescue
5-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $142,000 — Trustee Facing the Expanded, Halifax
Client: A trustee facing the expanded reporting rules · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$142,000
Filed with9 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for estate freeze planning weeks away, a trustee facing the expanded reporting rules in Halifax, Nova Scotia was carrying a trust that had never filed a T3 under the expanded reporting rules. The exposure if the date slipped was around $142,000.
What we did
We implemented an estate freeze with a supported valuation, capping the current generation’s exposure and moving future growth to the successors. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 9 days to spare. $142,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
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.
