6 GST/HST Bookkeeping 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 gst/hst bookkeeping work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Objection and relief
$141,000 Of Penalties And Interest Cancelled On Relief — Residential Cleaning Franchise, Mississauga
An assessment of $141,000 landed at a residential cleaning franchise in Mississauga, Ontario following a desk review. The auditor had not seen the records behind input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once.
What we did
We set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end, then set out the legislative basis for the position alongside the documents supporting it.
The result
$141,000 of penalties and interest was cancelled under the taxpayer relief provisions, and the underlying assessment was adjusted to match the filed position.
Case Study 2 · Planning that cut the bill
$11,500 Saved By Correcting What Prior Filings Had Missed — Subscription Box Retailer, Burnaby
Client: A subscription box retailer · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Saving identified$11,500
RecurringYes
Positions documentedAll
The situation
A subscription box retailer in Burnaby, British Columbia asked for a second opinion on gst/hst bookkeeping after three years of rising tax. The review found three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement.
What we did
We built the comparison first — current structure against two alternatives — and then separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly.
The result
First-year saving of $11,500, with the same benefit recurring. Every position taken is documented and supported in the file.
Case Study 3 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $660,000 Less Tax On Closing — Home-Renovation Contractor, Kelowna
Client: A home-renovation contractor · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$660,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A home-renovation contractor in Kelowna, British Columbia was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced passive assets sitting inside the operating company, disqualifying the shares, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $660,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 4 · Deadline rescue
11-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $48,000 — Equipment Rental Yard, Winnipeg
With the deadline for gst/hst bookkeeping weeks away, an equipment rental yard in Winnipeg, Manitoba was carrying a bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account. The exposure if the date slipped was around $48,000.
What we did
We rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 9 days to spare. $48,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 5 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $121,000 Of Cash Released — Mobile Pet-Grooming Company, Kitchener
Client: A mobile pet-grooming company · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Cash released$121,000
New registrationsComplete on day one
Compliance gapsNone
The situation
Revenue at a mobile pet-grooming company in Kitchener, Ontario was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat a receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier.
What we did
We set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result
$121,000 of cash was released from the working capital cycle, and the expansion completed with every registration and filing obligation covered from day one.
Case Study 6 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $84,000 Cut From A 5-Year Backlog — Two-Location Cafe, Toronto
By the time a two-location cafe in Toronto, Ontario called, 5 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly. 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 $84,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
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.
