6 Outsourced Controller 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 outsourced controller services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Sale and succession
$820,000 Sheltered By The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption — Professional Practice Adding Partners, Mississauga
Client: A professional practice adding partners · Where: Mississauga, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Gain sheltered$820,000
ClosingOn schedule
Share qualificationMet
The situation
A professional practice adding partners in Mississauga, Ontario had an offer on the table and 27 months to close. The shares did not qualify for the capital gains exemption, and a minute book with no resolutions behind a decade of dividends was part of the reason.
What we did
We purified the corporation so the shares met the qualifying tests, then rebuilt the reporting around gross margin by service line, which showed two of five offerings were losing money at the current price well ahead of the closing date.
The result
The sale closed on schedule with $820,000 sheltered by the lifetime capital gains exemption across the shareholders.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
$129,000 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Construction Company Bidding Larger, Windsor
Client: A construction company bidding larger contracts · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$129,000
File closed in10 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation
A construction company bidding larger contracts in Windsor, Ontario received a proposal letter opening a review of outsourced controller services. The CRA had identified pricing set by feel, with no visibility into margin by service line and proposed an adjustment of $129,000, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $129,000 of it. The file closed in 10 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 3 · Planning that cut the bill
$13,500 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Subscription Business Tracking Churn, Halifax
Client: A subscription business tracking churn · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$13,500
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A subscription business tracking churn in Halifax, Nova Scotia was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left an owner making hiring decisions on last quarter’s bank balance on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then produced a board-ready monthly package — cash, margin, pipeline and covenant headroom — that replaced a spreadsheet nobody trusted.
The result
The change saved $13,500 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 4 · Records and systems rebuilt
18 Months Reconciled And $20,000 Of Input Tax Recovered — Distributor Entering a Second, Toronto
Client: A distributor entering a second province · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled18
Input tax recovered$20,000
Close time5 days
The situation
A distributor entering a second province in Toronto, Ontario was carrying revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 18 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We built a rolling thirteen-week cash-flow model, tightened collections, and renegotiated supplier terms so the growth stopped consuming the bank balance, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
18 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 5 days, and $20,000 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 5 · Objection and relief
$93,000 Of Penalties And Interest Cancelled On Relief — Clinic Group Acquiring a, Kitchener
Client: A clinic group acquiring a competitor · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Penalties and interest cancelled$93,000
Relief groundsAccepted
AssessmentAdjusted to filed position
The situation
An assessment of $93,000 landed at a clinic group acquiring a competitor in Kitchener, Ontario following a desk review. The auditor had not seen the records behind a covenant breach discovered only when the bank called.
What we did
We rebuilt the reporting around gross margin by service line, which showed two of five offerings were losing money at the current price, then set out the legislative basis for the position alongside the documents supporting it.
The result
$93,000 of penalties and interest was cancelled under the taxpayer relief provisions, and the underlying assessment was adjusted to match the filed position.
Case Study 6 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $131,000 Cut From A 3-Year Backlog — Technology Company Preparing to, Winnipeg
Client: A technology company preparing to raise · Where: Winnipeg, Manitoba · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$131,000
Backlog cleared3 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a technology company preparing to raise in Winnipeg, Manitoba called, 3 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a growth plan with no forecast behind it and no financing lined up.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it. 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 $131,000, 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.
