6 Personal Tax Filing 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 personal tax filing services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Planning that cut the bill
$21,000 Saved By Correcting What Prior Filings Had Missed — Retiree Drawing From Three, Winnipeg
Client: A retiree drawing from three sources · Where: Winnipeg, Manitoba · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Saving identified$21,000
RecurringYes
Positions documentedAll
The situation
A retiree drawing from three sources in Winnipeg, Manitoba asked for a second opinion on personal tax filing services after three years of rising tax. The review found three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address.
What we did
We built the comparison first — current structure against two alternatives — and then pulled the full slip history from the CRA record, refiled the affected years by adjustment request, and recovered the credits that had been missed.
The result
First-year saving of $21,000, with the same benefit recurring. Every position taken is documented and supported in the file.
Case Study 2 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $139,000 Cut From A 4-Year Backlog — First-Time Home Buyer, London
Client: A first-time home buyer · Where: London, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$139,000
Backlog cleared4 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a first-time home buyer in London, Ontario called, 4 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them. 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 $139,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 3 · Cash and remittance control
Remittance Schedule Corrected, $68,000 Refunded — Employee with Foreign Investment, Red Deer
Client: An employee with foreign investment accounts · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$68,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at an employee with foreign investment accounts in Red Deer, Alberta were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat a rental property reported without any capital cost allowance analysis.
What we did
We carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $68,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 4 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 61 Staff With $160,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Gig-Economy Driver, Kelowna
Client: A gig-economy driver · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached61
Working capital freed$160,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation
A gig-economy driver in Kelowna, British Columbia was growing fast — headcount to 61 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year was the first thing to break.
What we did
We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 61 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $160,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
Case Study 5 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $15,500 Of Annual Savings — Physician in Their First, Vancouver
Client: A physician in their first year of practice · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$15,500
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at a physician in their first year of practice in Vancouver, British Columbia had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and foreign accounts that had crossed the T1135 threshold two years earlier had become expensive.
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. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$15,500 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 6 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $51,000 Across 4 Open Years — Taxpayer with US-Source Dividends, Hamilton
Client: A taxpayer with US-source dividends · Where: Hamilton, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$51,000
Open years claimed4
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at a taxpayer with US-source dividends in Hamilton, Ontario started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 4 years, driven by foreign accounts that had crossed the T1135 threshold two years earlier.
What we did
We reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $51,000 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.
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.
