6 Exit 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 exit planning work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $130,000 Freed — Construction Company Bidding Larger, Barrie
Client: A construction company bidding larger contracts · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$130,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
A construction company bidding larger contracts in Barrie, Ontario was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling already in the file.
What we did
We modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it 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. $130,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
$77,000 Reassessment Reduced To Nil On Review — Professional Practice Adding Partners, Ottawa
Client: A professional practice adding partners · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Reassessment reduced toNil
Tax protected$77,000
Prior filingsUndisturbed
The situation
A review notice arrived at a professional practice adding partners in Ottawa, Ontario covering exit planning for two tax years. The auditor's working position was an adjustment of $77,000, driven by an owner making hiring decisions on last quarter’s bank balance.
What we did
Rather than negotiate, we rebuilt the record. We rebuilt the reporting around gross margin by service line, which showed two of five offerings were losing money at the current price and submitted a point-by-point response that answered each proposed adjustment with the document behind it.
The result
The auditor accepted the documented position and closed the review without adjustment, protecting $77,000 and leaving the prior filings undisturbed.
Case Study 3 · Missed incentive claimed
$140,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — Fast-Growing E-Commerce Brand, Regina
A fast-growing e-commerce brand in Regina, Saskatchewan had been filing for 5 years without ever claiming the incentives its activity qualified for. Behind that sat revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling.
What we did
We tested each activity against the eligibility criteria rather than the description on the invoice, then built a rolling thirteen-week cash-flow model, tightened collections, and renegotiated supplier terms so the growth stopped consuming the bank balance.
The result
$140,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
Case Study 4 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $435,000 Less Tax On Closing — Manufacturer Planning a Plant, Lethbridge
Client: A manufacturer planning a plant expansion · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$435,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A manufacturer planning a plant expansion in Lethbridge, Alberta was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced a minute book with no resolutions behind a decade of dividends, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, produced a board-ready monthly package — cash, margin, pipeline and covenant headroom — that replaced a spreadsheet nobody trusted, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $435,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 5 · Backlog brought current
5 Years Filed, $29,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Mid-Sized Professional Services Firm, Surrey
Client: A mid-sized professional services firm · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Years filed5
Assessed balance removed$29,000
CollectionsStopped
The situation
A mid-sized professional services firm in Surrey, British Columbia had not filed for 5 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying a covenant breach discovered only when the bank called on top of a growing interest balance.
What we did
We started with the oldest year and worked forward so each year's closing balances fed the next. We modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it, filing the years in sequence rather than all at once.
The result
Every year is now filed and assessed on actual figures. The notional assessments were vacated and $29,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 6 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $38,000 Saved Each Year — Family Business Planning Succession, Victoria
Client: A family business planning succession · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$38,000
Tax on reorganisationDeferred
Elections filedOn time
The situation
A family business planning succession in Victoria, British Columbia had outgrown the structure it started with. Revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling 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 rebuilt the reporting around gross margin by service line, which showed two of five offerings were losing money at the current price — 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 $38,000 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
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.
