6 worked GRIP and Eligible Dividend Planning case studies — the position a client typically comes to us with, what we do, and what it is worth. Each is an illustrative example built on the rules that apply to grip and eligible dividend planning work, not a specific client's file.
Case Study 1 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 33 Staff With $55,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Incorporated Trades Business, Guelph
Client: An incorporated trades business · Where: Guelph, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached33
Working capital freed$55,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation — An incorporated trades business, Guelph, Ontario
An incorporated trades business in Guelph, Ontario was growing fast, with headcount reaching 33 in eighteen months. The back office had not kept up. Retained earnings building in the operating company with no plan for extracting them was the first thing to break.
What we did for An incorporated trades business, Guelph, Ontario
We carried the non-capital loss back against the two profitable years and recovered tax already paid instead of holding a carry-forward balance. We built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result — An incorporated trades business, Guelph, Ontario
The business reached 33 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $55,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
Case Study 2 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 10 Weeks To 9 Days — Three-Location Franchisee, Windsor
Client: A franchise operator with three locations · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before10 weeks
Close time after9 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation — A franchise operator with three locations, Windsor, Ontario
The accounting file at a franchise operator with three locations in Windsor, Ontario had a weak foundation. It was built on two corporations under common control filing as if each had its own $500,000 limit. The year-end had taken 10 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did for A franchise operator with three locations, Windsor, Ontario
We documented safe income before the inter-corporate dividend was paid, so subsection 55(2) had no room to recharacterise it as a gain. We also moved the reconciliations into the monthly cycle, so the year-end stopped being a rebuild.
The result — A franchise operator with three locations, Windsor, Ontario
The file reconciles. Month-end closes in 9 days instead of 10 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 3 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $59,000 Of Annual Savings — Two-Shareholder CCPC, Regina
Client: A CCPC with two shareholders · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$59,000
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation — A CCPC with two shareholders, Regina, Saskatchewan
The structure at a CCPC with two shareholders in Regina, Saskatchewan dated from years earlier. It had been set up for a business that no longer existed. A balance-due date the owner believed was the same as the filing date had become expensive.
What we did for A CCPC with two shareholders, Regina, Saskatchewan
We mapped the association rules across the group, allocated the business limit deliberately on Schedule 23, and corrected the prior year by adjustment request. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result — A CCPC with two shareholders, Regina, Saskatchewan
$59,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 4 · Missed incentive claimed
$115,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — Associated Corporation Pair, Saskatoon
Client: A corporation associated with a spouse-owned company · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Credits claimed$115,000
Years adjusted7
Review outcomeNo adjustment
The situation — A corporation associated with a spouse-owned company, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
A corporation associated with a spouse-owned company in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan had been filing for 7 years. In that time, the incentives its activity qualified for were never claimed. Behind that sat a loss year carried forward by default when carrying it back would have produced a refund cheque.
What we did for A corporation associated with a spouse-owned company, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
We tested each activity against the eligibility criteria rather than the description on the invoice. Then we rebuilt the instalment schedule off the current year rather than the prior year, ending the interest accrual.
The result — A corporation associated with a spouse-owned company, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
$115,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
Case Study 5 · Planning that cut the bill
$28,500 Saved By Correcting What Prior Filings Had Missed — Corporate Rental Portfolio, Winnipeg
The situation — A corporately-owned rental portfolio, Winnipeg, Manitoba
A corporately-owned rental portfolio in Winnipeg, Manitoba asked for a second opinion on GRIP and eligible dividend planning. That followed three years of rising tax. The review found a small business limit quietly shared across three associated corporations nobody had mapped.
What we did for A corporately-owned rental portfolio, Winnipeg, Manitoba
We built the comparison first: current structure against two alternatives. Then we reconstructed the capital dividend account from the underlying transactions and filed the subsection 83(2) election before the next distribution left the company.
The result — A corporately-owned rental portfolio, Winnipeg, Manitoba
First-year saving of $28,500, with the same benefit recurring. Every position taken is documented and supported in the file.
Case Study 6 · Deadline rescue
6-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $17,000 — Professional Corporation, Vancouver
Client: A professional corporation · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$17,000
Filed with18 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation — A professional corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia
A professional corporation in Vancouver, British Columbia was weeks away from the deadline for GRIP and eligible dividend planning. Behind that sat dividends moved up to a holding company year after year with no safe-income support on file. The exposure if the date slipped was around $17,000.
What we did for A professional corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia
We reviewed each capital cost allowance pool and set the claim at the level that kept the small business deduction fully used rather than wasted. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result — A professional corporation, Vancouver, British Columbia
Filed with 18 days to spare. $17,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Reviewed by Udit Gupta, Founder and Tax Accountant for the 2025 tax year. These case studies are illustrative worked examples composed from the CRA rules that apply to this type of work, not specific client files; figures are representative and outcomes depend on your own facts.
