6 Professional 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 professional tax return work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $135,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Self-Employed Consultant, Toronto
A self-employed consultant in Toronto, Ontario was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. Medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more was tying up $135,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and 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
$135,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 2 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $75,000 Cut From A 4-Year Backlog — Retiree Drawing From Three, Edmonton
Client: A retiree drawing from three sources · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$75,000
Backlog cleared4 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a retiree drawing from three sources in Edmonton, Alberta called, 4 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat foreign accounts that had crossed the T1135 threshold two years earlier.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised 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 $75,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 3 · Planning that cut the bill
$32,500 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Physician in Their First, Surrey
Client: A physician in their first year of practice · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$32,500
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A physician in their first year of practice in Surrey, British Columbia was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left a rental property reported without any capital cost allowance analysis on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, 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
The change saved $32,500 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Client: A commissioned salesperson · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$49,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
A commissioned salesperson in Burnaby, British Columbia was carrying three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address, 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 reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $49,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 5 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $71,000 Of Cash Released — Employee with Foreign Investment, Red Deer
Client: An employee with foreign investment accounts · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Cash released$71,000
New registrationsComplete on day one
Compliance gapsNone
The situation
Revenue at an employee with foreign investment accounts in Red Deer, Alberta was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year.
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. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result
$71,000 of cash was released from the working capital cycle, and the expansion completed with every registration and filing obligation covered from day one.
Case Study 6 · CRA review defended
$24,500 Reassessment Reduced To Nil On Review — Two-Income Household with Rental, Barrie
Client: A two-income household with rental property · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Reassessment reduced toNil
Tax protected$24,500
Prior filingsUndisturbed
The situation
A review notice arrived at a two-income household with rental property in Barrie, Ontario covering professional tax return for two tax years. The auditor's working position was an adjustment of $24,500, driven by medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more.
What we did
Rather than negotiate, we rebuilt the record. We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them 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 $24,500 and leaving the prior filings undisturbed.
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.
