6 FBAR Filing Assistance 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 fbar filing assistance work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $122,000 Cut From A 4-Year Backlog — Canadian Corporation with US, Burnaby
Client: A Canadian corporation with US customers · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$122,000
Backlog cleared4 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a Canadian corporation with US customers in Burnaby, British Columbia called, 4 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a departure year filed as a normal resident return with no deemed disposition reported.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and filed the section 216 election with the supporting rental statements and recovered the excess withholding as a refund. 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 $122,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 2 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 6 Weeks To 4 Days — Emigrant Who Left Canada, Edmonton
Client: An emigrant who left Canada mid-year · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before6 weeks
Close time after4 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at an emigrant who left Canada mid-year in Edmonton, Alberta was built on a US LLC taxed as a corporation in Canada, producing double tax on the same income. The year-end had taken 6 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We reported the deemed disposition properly on the departure return and claimed the foreign tax credits that had been left unused and moved the reconciliations into the monthly cycle, so the year-end stopped being a rebuild.
The result
The file reconciles. Month-end closes in 4 days instead of 6 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 3 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $24,500 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Canadian Resident with a, Barrie
Client: A Canadian resident with a US rental property · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$24,500
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
A Canadian resident with a US rental property in Barrie, Ontario was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. US tax paid but no foreign tax credit claimed on the Canadian return was tying up $24,500 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures through the Voluntary Disclosures Program, which eliminated the penalty exposure entirely.
The result
$24,500 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 4 · Missed incentive claimed
$22,000 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Non-Resident Owning Canadian Rental, Brampton
Client: A non-resident owning Canadian rental property · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$22,000
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation
A non-resident owning Canadian rental property in Brampton, Ontario assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. A US LLC taxed as a corporation in Canada, producing double tax on the same income meant they had applied all along.
What we did
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and restructured the US holding so the Canadian and US characterisations aligned, ending the double taxation going forward.
The result
$22,000 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Case Study 5 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $245,000 Less Tax On Closing — Inbound Transferee on Assignment, Ottawa
Client: An inbound transferee on assignment · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$245,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
An inbound transferee on assignment in Ottawa, Ontario was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced no valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, filed the section 216 election with the supporting rental statements and recovered the excess withholding as a refund, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $245,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 6 · Deadline rescue
5-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $126,000 — Snowbird Spending Winters in, Kelowna
Client: A snowbird spending winters in Arizona · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$126,000
Filed with17 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for fbar filing assistance weeks away, a snowbird spending winters in Arizona in Kelowna, British Columbia was carrying a departure year filed as a normal resident return with no deemed disposition reported. The exposure if the date slipped was around $126,000.
What we did
We reported the deemed disposition properly on the departure return and claimed the foreign tax credits that had been left unused. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 17 days to spare. $126,000 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.
