6 Online 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 online payroll services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $16,000 Of Annual Savings — Retail Chain Across Two, Toronto
Client: A retail chain across two provinces · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$16,000
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at a retail chain across two provinces in Toronto, Ontario had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and remittances still going out monthly after the business had moved to the accelerated threshold had become expensive.
What we did
We reconstructed vehicle logbooks, calculated the standby charge and operating benefit properly, and amended the affected T4s. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$16,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 2 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $121,000 Reversed — Restaurant with Heavy Seasonal, Mississauga
Client: A restaurant with heavy seasonal turnover · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$121,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A restaurant with heavy seasonal turnover in Mississauga, Ontario had been reassessed for $121,000 and had 24 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on T4s that did not agree to the payroll register or the general ledger.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and reconciled the payroll register, general ledger and T4 summary to the cent, then filed the amended slips.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $121,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 3 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $107,000 Penalty Avoided — Dental Practice, Winnipeg
Client: A dental practice · Where: Winnipeg, Manitoba · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$107,000
Turnaround7 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A dental practice in Winnipeg, Manitoba came to us 7 weeks before its filing deadline with long-term contractors who met every test for employment. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $107,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. 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, prioritising the items that actually gated the filing and deferring everything that did not.
The result
The return was filed on time and complete. The $107,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 4 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 12 Weeks To 6 Days — Growing Tech Team, Halifax
Client: A growing tech team with stock options · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before12 weeks
Close time after6 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a growing tech team with stock options in Halifax, Nova Scotia was built on a director facing a personal assessment for unremitted source deductions. The year-end had taken 12 weeks each of the last three years.
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 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 12 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 5 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $24,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Home-Care Agency, Burnaby
Client: A home-care agency · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$24,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
A home-care agency in Burnaby, British Columbia was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. Company vehicles used personally with no logbook and no taxable benefit reported was tying up $24,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and reconstructed vehicle logbooks, calculated the standby charge and operating benefit properly, and amended the affected T4s.
The result
$24,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 6 · Planning that cut the bill
$64,000 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Logistics Operator with Drivers, Kitchener
Client: A logistics operator with drivers in three provinces · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$64,000
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A logistics operator with drivers in three provinces in Kitchener, Ontario was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left remittances still going out monthly after the business had moved to the accelerated threshold on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then reconciled the payroll register, general ledger and T4 summary to the cent, then filed the amended slips.
The result
The change saved $64,000 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
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.
