6 Grant 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 grant accounting work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $14,500 Of Annual Savings — Food Bank with Donated, Windsor
Client: A food bank with donated inventory · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$14,500
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at a food bank with donated inventory in Windsor, Ontario had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and donation receipts issued without the required registration number had become expensive.
What we did
We brought the T3010 filings current, corrected the prior-year schedules, and set an internal deadline 90 days after year-end so the filing stopped being late. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$14,500 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 2 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $70,000 Freed — Registered Charity with Two, Saskatoon
Client: A registered charity with two program streams · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$70,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
A registered charity with two program streams in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and restricted grant funds recognised as revenue in the year received rather than as spent already in the file.
What we did
We calculated and claimed the public service body rebate for every open period, recovering tax the organisation had been absorbing 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. $70,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 3 · Cash and remittance control
Remittance Schedule Corrected, $121,000 Refunded — Religious Congregation, Vancouver
Client: A religious congregation · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$121,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a religious congregation in Vancouver, British Columbia were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat a disbursement quota shortfall discovered during a CRA charity audit.
What we did
We reissued compliant donation receipts and rebuilt the receipting template against the regulation requirements, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $121,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 4 · Backlog brought current
3 Years Filed, $92,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Social Services Agency, Moncton
Client: A social services agency · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Years filed3
Assessed balance removed$92,000
CollectionsStopped
The situation
A social services agency in Moncton, New Brunswick had not filed for 3 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying a T3010 filed eleven months after year-end for the third year running 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 reclassified restricted contributions under the deferral method so revenue matched the year the funds were actually spent, 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 $92,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 5 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $55,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Housing Non-Profit, London
Nothing was wrong at a housing non-profit in London, Ontario — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. GST/HST paid on everything with no public service body rebate ever claimed had never been reviewed.
What we did
We brought the T3010 filings current, corrected the prior-year schedules, and set an internal deadline 90 days after year-end so the filing stopped being late, and ran the numbers across both the corporate and personal returns so the saving was real rather than deferred into someone else's hands.
The result
$55,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Case Study 6 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 12 Weeks To 5 Days — Foundation Making Grants, Mississauga
Client: A foundation making grants · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before12 weeks
Close time after5 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a foundation making grants in Mississauga, Ontario was built on donation receipts issued without the required registration number. The year-end had taken 12 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We calculated and claimed the public service body rebate for every open period, recovering tax the organisation had been absorbing 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 5 days instead of 12 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.
