6 Pension Income Tax Return 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 pension income tax return work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Missed incentive claimed
$67,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — First-Time Home Buyer, Kitchener
Client: A first-time home buyer · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Credits claimed$67,000
Years adjusted6
Review outcomeNo adjustment
The situation
A first-time home buyer in Kitchener, Ontario had been filing for 6 years without ever claiming the incentives its activity qualified for. Behind that sat three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address.
What we did
We tested each activity against the eligibility criteria rather than the description on the invoice, then reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them.
The result
$67,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
Case Study 2 · Deadline rescue
$105,000 Late-Filing Penalty Cancelled On Relief Application — Employee with Foreign Investment, Vancouver
Client: An employee with foreign investment accounts · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty cancelled$105,000
Relief applicationGranted
ReturnAccepted as filed
The situation
An employee with foreign investment accounts in Vancouver, British Columbia had already missed one deadline and was about to miss a second. Behind it sat RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year, and a penalty of $105,000 was accruing.
What we did
We split the work into what had to happen before the deadline and what could follow it, then carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance.
The result
The outstanding return was accepted as filed, and the taxpayer relief application cancelled $105,000 of the penalty already assessed on the earlier year.
A gig-economy driver in Brampton, Ontario was selected for review after three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on pension income tax return came to $122,000.
What we did
We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them. Every figure in the response traced to a source record the auditor could verify without asking a second question.
The result
The review closed with no change. $122,000 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 4 · Objection and relief
$119,000 Of Penalties And Interest Cancelled On Relief — Physician in Their First, Toronto
Client: A physician in their first year of practice · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Penalties and interest cancelled$119,000
Relief groundsAccepted
AssessmentAdjusted to filed position
The situation
An assessment of $119,000 landed at a physician in their first year of practice in Toronto, Ontario following a desk review. The auditor had not seen the records behind a rental property reported without any capital cost allowance analysis.
What we did
We pulled the full slip history from the CRA record, refiled the affected years by adjustment request, and recovered the credits that had been missed, then set out the legislative basis for the position alongside the documents supporting it.
The result
$119,000 of penalties and interest was cancelled under the taxpayer relief provisions, and the underlying assessment was adjusted to match the filed position.
Case Study 5 · Records and systems rebuilt
15 Months Reconciled And $3,900 Of Input Tax Recovered — Taxpayer with US-Source Dividends, London
Client: A taxpayer with US-source dividends · Where: London, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled15
Input tax recovered$3,900
Close time8 days
The situation
A taxpayer with US-source dividends in London, Ontario was carrying foreign accounts that had crossed the T1135 threshold two years earlier. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 15 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
15 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 8 days, and $3,900 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 6 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $26,500 Saved Each Year — Self-Employed Consultant, Guelph
A self-employed consultant in Guelph, Ontario had outgrown the structure it started with. Medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more 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 carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance — 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 $26,500 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
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.
