6 Missing Transaction Reconstruction 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 missing transaction reconstruction work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $11,500 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Two-Location Cafe, Red Deer
Client: A two-location cafe · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$11,500
Records rebuilt34 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation
A two-location cafe in Red Deer, Alberta could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly, 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, $11,500 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 2 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $35,000 Of Annual Savings — Specialty Coffee Roaster, Regina
The structure at a specialty coffee roaster in Regina, Saskatchewan had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and a receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier had become expensive.
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 reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$35,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 3 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $82,000 Across 4 Open Years — Equipment Rental Yard, Burnaby
Client: An equipment rental yard · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$82,000
Open years claimed4
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at an equipment rental yard in Burnaby, British Columbia started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 4 years, driven by input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once.
What we did
We reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $82,000 across the open years, and the tracking now in place means the following year's claim is documented as the work happens rather than reconstructed afterwards.
Case Study 4 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $73,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Small Law Practice, Saskatoon
Client: A small law practice · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$73,000
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a small law practice in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. Eighteen months of unreconciled transactions and a shoebox of receipts had never been reviewed.
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, 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
$73,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Case Study 5 · Deadline rescue
6-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $123,000 — Subscription Box Retailer, Surrey
Client: A subscription box retailer · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$123,000
Filed with17 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for missing transaction reconstruction weeks away, a subscription box retailer in Surrey, British Columbia was carrying three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement. The exposure if the date slipped was around $123,000.
What we did
We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 17 days to spare. $123,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 6 · Backlog brought current
6 Years Filed, $64,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Owner-Operated Trades Business, Winnipeg
Client: An owner-operated trades business · Where: Winnipeg, Manitoba · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Years filed6
Assessed balance removed$64,000
CollectionsStopped
The situation
An owner-operated trades business in Winnipeg, Manitoba had not filed for 6 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once 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 ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review, 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 $64,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
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.
