6 Pre-Assessment Review Assistance 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 pre-assessment review assistance work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $119,000 Reversed — Business Owner with a, Saskatoon
Client: A business owner with a director liability assessment · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$119,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A business owner with a director liability assessment in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan had been reassessed for $119,000 and had 16 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on a proposal letter with a 30-day response window and no supporting records assembled.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $119,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 2 · Deadline rescue
$53,000 Late-Filing Penalty Cancelled On Relief Application — Company Facing a Payroll, Victoria
Client: A company facing a payroll trust examination · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty cancelled$53,000
Relief applicationGranted
ReturnAccepted as filed
The situation
A company facing a payroll trust examination in Victoria, British Columbia had already missed one deadline and was about to miss a second. Behind it sat six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file, and a penalty of $53,000 was accruing.
What we did
We split the work into what had to happen before the deadline and what could follow it, then traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly.
The result
The outstanding return was accepted as filed, and the taxpayer relief application cancelled $53,000 of the penalty already assessed on the earlier year.
Case Study 3 · Records and systems rebuilt
28 Months Reconciled And $14,000 Of Input Tax Recovered — Family Business Under a, Toronto
Client: A family business under a related-party review · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled28
Input tax recovered$14,000
Close time9 days
The situation
A family business under a related-party review in Toronto, Ontario was carrying a net-worth assessment built on unexplained deposits that were actually loan proceeds. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 28 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
28 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 9 days, and $14,000 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 4 · Cash and remittance control
Remittance Schedule Corrected, $26,000 Refunded — Restaurant Under a Net-Worth, Hamilton
Client: A restaurant under a net-worth audit · Where: Hamilton, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$26,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a restaurant under a net-worth audit in Hamilton, Ontario were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat a director liability assessment for a corporation that had already stopped operating.
What we did
We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $26,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 5 · Planning that cut the bill
$40,000 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Taxpayer with Eight Years, Regina
Client: A taxpayer with eight years of unfiled returns · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$40,000
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A taxpayer with eight years of unfiled returns in Regina, Saskatchewan was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left an objection deadline that had passed with no extension applied for on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn.
The result
The change saved $40,000 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 6 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 75 Staff With $46,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Professional Under a Lifestyle, Kelowna
Client: A professional under a lifestyle audit · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached75
Working capital freed$46,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation
A professional under a lifestyle audit in Kelowna, British Columbia was growing fast — headcount to 75 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. A proposal letter with a 30-day response window and no supporting records assembled was the first thing to break.
What we did
We traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 75 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $46,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
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.
