6 Monthly Payroll Services 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 monthly payroll services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Deadline rescue
3-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $41,000 — Home-Care Agency, Barrie
With the deadline for monthly payroll services weeks away, a home-care agency in Barrie, Ontario was carrying T4s that did not agree to the payroll register or the general ledger. The exposure if the date slipped was around $41,000.
What we did
We reconstructed vehicle logbooks, calculated the standby charge and operating benefit properly, and amended the affected T4s. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 7 days to spare. $41,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 2 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $76,000 Across 6 Open Years — Restaurant with Heavy Seasonal, Lethbridge
Client: A restaurant with heavy seasonal turnover · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$76,000
Open years claimed6
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at a restaurant with heavy seasonal turnover in Lethbridge, Alberta started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 6 years, driven by remittances still going out monthly after the business had moved to the accelerated threshold.
What we did
We reviewed each contractor against the CRA’s control and integration tests, converted those who met the employment tests, and priced the transition before it was forced by a ruling, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $76,000 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 3 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 9 Weeks To 6 Days — 30-Employee Manufacturer, Vancouver
Client: A 30-employee manufacturer · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before9 weeks
Close time after6 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a 30-employee manufacturer in Vancouver, British Columbia was built on a director facing a personal assessment for unremitted source deductions. The year-end had taken 9 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We moved the account to the correct remitter frequency, caught up the arrears, and filed a taxpayer relief request that cancelled the bulk of the penalty 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 6 days instead of 9 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 4 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $705,000 Less Tax On Closing — Logistics Operator with Drivers, Ottawa
Client: A logistics operator with drivers in three provinces · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$705,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A logistics operator with drivers in three provinces in Ottawa, Ontario was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced a single shareholder holding every share, with no room to multiply the exemption, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, reconciled the payroll register, general ledger and T4 summary to the cent, then filed the amended slips, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $705,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Client: A dental practice · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$79,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a dental practice in Surrey, British Columbia were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat remittances still going out monthly after the business had moved to the accelerated threshold.
What we did
We reconstructed vehicle logbooks, calculated the standby charge and operating benefit properly, and amended the affected T4s, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $79,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 6 · Backlog brought current
$52,000 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 6 Years — Landscaping Company with Seasonal, London
Client: A landscaping company with seasonal staff · Where: London, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Arbitrary tax vacated$52,000
Years brought current6
Account statusCurrent
The situation
6 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at a landscaping company with seasonal staff in London, Ontario, with T4s that did not agree to the payroll register or the general ledger underneath. Collections had already started.
What we did
We reviewed each contractor against the CRA’s control and integration tests, converted those who met the employment tests, and priced the transition before it was forced by a ruling, then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result
All 6 years were accepted as filed. $52,000 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 6 years.
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.
