6 Outsourced 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 outsourced bookkeeping work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 11 Weeks To 9 Days — Two-Location Cafe, Winnipeg
The accounting file at a two-location cafe in Winnipeg, Manitoba was built on input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once. The year-end had taken 11 weeks each of the last three years.
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 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 9 days instead of 11 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Client: An owner-operated trades business · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$61,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
An owner-operated trades business in Halifax, Nova Scotia was carrying a bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account, and every option for fixing it ran through a reorganisation that had to be done without triggering tax.
What we did
Working with the client's lawyer, 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 prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $61,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 3 · Missed incentive claimed
$87,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — Subscription Box Retailer, Burnaby
Client: A subscription box retailer · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Credits claimed$87,000
Years adjusted5
Review outcomeNo adjustment
The situation
A subscription box retailer in Burnaby, British Columbia had been filing for 5 years without ever claiming the incentives its activity qualified for. Behind that sat a bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account.
What we did
We tested each activity against the eligibility criteria rather than the description on the invoice, then separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly.
The result
$87,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
Case Study 4 · Planning that cut the bill
$29,500 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Mobile Pet-Grooming Company, Kitchener
Client: A mobile pet-grooming company · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$29,500
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A mobile pet-grooming company in Kitchener, Ontario was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left a receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support.
The result
The change saved $29,500 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Case Study 5 · Deadline rescue
$76,000 Late-Filing Penalty Cancelled On Relief Application — Small Law Practice, Windsor
Client: A small law practice · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty cancelled$76,000
Relief applicationGranted
ReturnAccepted as filed
The situation
A small law practice in Windsor, Ontario had already missed one deadline and was about to miss a second. Behind it sat eighteen months of unreconciled transactions and a shoebox of receipts, and a penalty of $76,000 was accruing.
What we did
We split the work into what had to happen before the deadline and what could follow it, then 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 result
The outstanding return was accepted as filed, and the taxpayer relief application cancelled $76,000 of the penalty already assessed on the earlier year.
Case Study 6 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $99,000 Cut From A 4-Year Backlog — Residential Cleaning Franchise, Kelowna
Client: A residential cleaning franchise · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$99,000
Backlog cleared4 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a residential cleaning franchise in Kelowna, British Columbia called, 4 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 set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end. 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 $99,000, 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.
