6 Finance Process Improvement 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 finance process improvement work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Structure rebuilt
Holding Structure Added, $10,000 Saved Annually — Family Business Planning Succession, Ottawa
Client: A family business planning succession · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$10,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
A family business planning succession in Ottawa, Ontario was carrying revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling, and every option for fixing it ran through a reorganisation that had to be done without triggering tax.
What we did
Working with the client's lawyer, we produced a board-ready monthly package — cash, margin, pipeline and covenant headroom — that replaced a spreadsheet nobody trusted and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $10,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 2 · Planning that cut the bill
$24,500 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Technology Company Preparing to, Moncton
Client: A technology company preparing to raise · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$24,500
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A technology company preparing to raise in Moncton, New Brunswick was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left a growth plan with no forecast behind it and no financing lined up on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it.
The result
The change saved $24,500 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Case Study 3 · Backlog brought current
3 Years Filed, $71,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Clinic Group Acquiring a, Halifax
Client: A clinic group acquiring a competitor · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Years filed3
Assessed balance removed$71,000
CollectionsStopped
The situation
A clinic group acquiring a competitor in Halifax, Nova Scotia had not filed for 3 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying an owner making hiring decisions on last quarter’s bank balance 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 rebuilt the reporting around gross margin by service line, which showed two of five offerings were losing money at the current price, 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 $71,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 4 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $126,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Distributor Entering a Second, Lethbridge
Client: A distributor entering a second province · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$126,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
A distributor entering a second province in Lethbridge, Alberta was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. A covenant breach discovered only when the bank called was tying up $126,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and built a rolling thirteen-week cash-flow model, tightened collections, and renegotiated supplier terms so the growth stopped consuming the bank balance.
The result
$126,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 5 · Sale and succession
$675,000 Sheltered By The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption — Subscription Business Tracking Churn, Brampton
Client: A subscription business tracking churn · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Gain sheltered$675,000
ClosingOn schedule
Share qualificationMet
The situation
A subscription business tracking churn in Brampton, Ontario had an offer on the table and 9 months to close. The shares did not qualify for the capital gains exemption, and no valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed was part of the reason.
What we did
We purified the corporation so the shares met the qualifying tests, then produced a board-ready monthly package — cash, margin, pipeline and covenant headroom — that replaced a spreadsheet nobody trusted well ahead of the closing date.
The result
The sale closed on schedule with $675,000 sheltered by the lifetime capital gains exemption across the shareholders.
Case Study 6 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 7 Weeks To 10 Days — Construction Company Bidding Larger, Mississauga
Client: A construction company bidding larger contracts · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before7 weeks
Close time after10 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a construction company bidding larger contracts in Mississauga, Ontario was built on revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling. The year-end had taken 7 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it 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 10 days instead of 7 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
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.
