6 Financial Accounting 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 financial accounting work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Planning that cut the bill
$27,000 Saved By Correcting What Prior Filings Had Missed — Growing Landscaping Company, Hamilton
Client: A growing landscaping company · Where: Hamilton, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Saving identified$27,000
RecurringYes
Positions documentedAll
The situation
A growing landscaping company in Hamilton, Ontario asked for a second opinion on financial accounting after three years of rising tax. The review found inter-company balances between two related corporations that had never been reconciled.
What we did
We built the comparison first — current structure against two alternatives — and then separated personal and corporate spending, cleared the shareholder loan through a documented salary and dividend mix, and restated the comparative year.
The result
First-year saving of $27,000, with the same benefit recurring. Every position taken is documented and supported in the file.
Case Study 2 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $7,400 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Specialty Food Importer, Red Deer
Client: A specialty food importer · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$7,400
Records rebuilt32 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation
A specialty food importer in Red Deer, Alberta could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because a bank that refused to renew an operating line without compliant statements sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We reconciled the inter-company accounts, papered the arrangement with a written agreement, and aligned both corporations’ year-ends, 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, $7,400 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 3 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $71,000 Vacated — Boutique Fitness Studio Group, Calgary
Client: A boutique fitness studio group · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$71,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A boutique fitness studio group in Calgary, Alberta was carrying $71,000 of penalties and interest arising from a shareholder loan account that had drifted for three years with no supporting entries, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We set a monthly close calendar with a fixed cut-off, so the year-end became a review of work already done rather than a twelve-month rebuild and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $71,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 4 · Backlog brought current
$141,000 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 5 Years — Machine-Shop Owner-Operator, Saskatoon
5 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at a machine-shop owner-operator in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with year-end statements that arrived four months late and never tied to the bank underneath. Collections had already started.
What we did
We rebuilt the trial balance from source documents, reconciled every bank and credit-card account, and issued a CSRS 4200 compilation with a proper basis-of-accounting note, then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result
All 5 years were accepted as filed. $141,000 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 5 years.
Case Study 5 · Missed incentive claimed
$27,500 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Family-Owned Wholesale Distributor, Moncton
Client: A family-owned wholesale distributor · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$27,500
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation
A family-owned wholesale distributor in Moncton, New Brunswick assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. A bank that refused to renew an operating line without compliant statements meant they had applied all along.
What we did
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and separated personal and corporate spending, cleared the shareholder loan through a documented salary and dividend mix, and restated the comparative year.
The result
$27,500 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Case Study 6 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 43 Staff With $134,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Independent Pharmacy, Edmonton
Client: An independent pharmacy · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached43
Working capital freed$134,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation
An independent pharmacy in Edmonton, Alberta was growing fast — headcount to 43 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. Inter-company balances between two related corporations that had never been reconciled was the first thing to break.
What we did
We reconciled the inter-company accounts, papered the arrangement with a written agreement, and aligned both corporations’ year-ends, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 43 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $134,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
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.
