6 Expense Tracking 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 expense tracking work, not a general example.
A subscription box retailer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was selected for review after three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on expense tracking came to $115,000.
What we did
We rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review. 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. $115,000 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 2 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $57,000 Penalty Avoided — Two-Location Cafe, Vancouver
Client: A two-location cafe · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$57,000
Turnaround4 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A two-location cafe in Vancouver, British Columbia came to us 4 weeks before its filing deadline with a receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $57,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly, 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 $57,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 3 · Missed incentive claimed
$106,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — Specialty Coffee Roaster, Windsor
A specialty coffee roaster in Windsor, Ontario had been filing for 5 years without ever claiming the incentives its activity qualified for. Behind that sat a receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier.
What we did
We tested each activity against the eligibility criteria rather than the description on the invoice, then set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end.
The result
$106,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
Case Study 4 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $19,000 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Equipment Rental Yard, London
An equipment rental yard in London, Ontario could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support, then documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $19,000 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 5 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $425,000 Less Tax On Closing — Small Law Practice, Mississauga
Client: A small law practice · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$425,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A small law practice in Mississauga, Ontario was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced a shareholder loan balance that would have been picked up as income on closing, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $425,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 6 · Cash and remittance control
Remittance Schedule Corrected, $18,000 Refunded — Mobile Pet-Grooming Company, Moncton
Client: A mobile pet-grooming company · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$18,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a mobile pet-grooming company in Moncton, New Brunswick were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement.
What we did
We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $18,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
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.
