6 NPO 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 npo payroll services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $144,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Registered Charity with Two, Edmonton
Client: A registered charity with two program streams · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$144,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
A registered charity with two program streams in Edmonton, Alberta was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. GST/HST paid on everything with no public service body rebate ever claimed was tying up $144,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and reissued compliant donation receipts and rebuilt the receipting template against the regulation requirements.
The result
$144,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 2 · Deadline rescue
$36,500 Late-Filing Penalty Cancelled On Relief Application — Professional Member Association, Halifax
Client: A professional member association · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty cancelled$36,500
Relief applicationGranted
ReturnAccepted as filed
The situation
A professional member association in Halifax, Nova Scotia had already missed one deadline and was about to miss a second. Behind it sat a disbursement quota shortfall discovered during a CRA charity audit, and a penalty of $36,500 was accruing.
What we did
We split the work into what had to happen before the deadline and what could follow it, then 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 result
The outstanding return was accepted as filed, and the taxpayer relief application cancelled $36,500 of the penalty already assessed on the earlier year.
Case Study 3 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $50,000 Saved Each Year — Community Sports Association, Regina
Client: A community sports association · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$50,000
Tax on reorganisationDeferred
Elections filedOn time
The situation
A community sports association in Regina, Saskatchewan had outgrown the structure it started with. Donation receipts issued without the required registration number was the immediate problem; the longer-term one was that the structure blocked the next step.
What we did
We mapped the current structure, modelled the target, and reclassified restricted contributions under the deferral method so revenue matched the year the funds were actually spent — with the tax-deferred elections filed on time and the supporting valuations documented.
The result
The reorganisation completed without triggering tax, and the new structure saves approximately $50,000 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
Case Study 4 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $115,000 Vacated — Food Bank with Donated, Moncton
Client: A food bank with donated inventory · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$115,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A food bank with donated inventory in Moncton, New Brunswick was carrying $115,000 of penalties and interest arising from a T3010 filed eleven months after year-end for the third year running, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We calculated and claimed the public service body rebate for every open period, recovering tax the organisation had been absorbing and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $115,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 5 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $50,000 Cut From A 6-Year Backlog — Housing Non-Profit, Toronto
By the time a housing non-profit in Toronto, Ontario called, 6 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat restricted grant funds recognised as revenue in the year received rather than as spent.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and reissued compliant donation receipts and rebuilt the receipting template against the regulation requirements. 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 $50,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 6 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $82,000 Across 7 Open Years — Foundation Making Grants, Ottawa
Client: A foundation making grants · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$82,000
Open years claimed7
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at a foundation making grants in Ottawa, Ontario started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 7 years, driven by a T3010 filed eleven months after year-end for the third year running.
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, 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.
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.
