6 Owner-Manager Tax Planning 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 owner-manager tax planning work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $14,500 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Incorporated Consultancy, Kitchener
An incorporated consultancy in Kitchener, Ontario could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because passive investment income that had crossed the $50,000 grind threshold unnoticed sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We moved passive holdings into a separate structure so the operating company’s small business limit stopped grinding down, then documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $14,500 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
$134,000 Reassessment Reduced To Nil On Review — Import and Distribution Corporation, Brampton
Client: An import and distribution corporation · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Reassessment reduced toNil
Tax protected$134,000
Prior filingsUndisturbed
The situation
A review notice arrived at an import and distribution corporation in Brampton, Ontario covering owner-manager tax planning for two tax years. The auditor's working position was an adjustment of $134,000, driven by two corporations under common control filing as if each had its own $500,000 limit.
What we did
Rather than negotiate, we rebuilt the record. We rebuilt the instalment schedule off the current year rather than the prior year, ending the interest accrual and submitted a point-by-point response that answered each proposed adjustment with the document behind it.
The result
The auditor accepted the documented position and closed the review without adjustment, protecting $134,000 and leaving the prior filings undisturbed.
Case Study 3 · Structure rebuilt
Holding Structure Added, $73,000 Saved Annually — Second-Generation Family Manufacturer, London
Client: A second-generation family manufacturer · Where: London, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$73,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
A second-generation family manufacturer in London, Ontario was carrying a small business limit quietly shared across three associated corporations nobody had mapped, 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 modelled salary against dividends across both the corporation and the shareholder’s personal return, then set the remuneration mix for the year and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $73,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Client: A technology CCPC approaching its first profitable year · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$49,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a technology CCPC approaching its first profitable year in Halifax, Nova Scotia were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat a balance-due date the owner believed was the same as the filing date.
What we did
We mapped the association rules across the group, allocated the business limit deliberately on Schedule 23, and corrected the prior year by adjustment request, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $49,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 5 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $50,000 Across 5 Open Years — Holding Company and Its, Hamilton
Client: A holding company and its operating subsidiary · Where: Hamilton, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$50,000
Open years claimed5
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at a holding company and its operating subsidiary in Hamilton, Ontario started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 5 years, driven by two corporations under common control filing as if each had its own $500,000 limit.
What we did
We moved passive holdings into a separate structure so the operating company’s small business limit stopped grinding down, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $50,000 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 6 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $46,000 Vacated — Corporately-Owned Rental Portfolio, Ottawa
A corporately-owned rental portfolio in Ottawa, Ontario was carrying $46,000 of penalties and interest arising from passive investment income that had crossed the $50,000 grind threshold unnoticed, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We rebuilt the instalment schedule off the current year rather than the prior year, ending the interest accrual and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $46,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
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.
