6 Quebec QST Registration 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 quebec qst registration work, not a general example.
Client: A marketing agency billing outside its home province · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$66,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
A marketing agency billing outside its home province in Edmonton, Alberta was carrying HST charged at the home-province rate on sales into four different provinces, 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 set a defensible input tax credit allocation between taxable and exempt supplies and documented the method for future filings and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $66,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
Case Study 2 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $39,500 Reversed — Restaurant Group, Toronto
Client: A restaurant group · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$39,500
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A restaurant group in Toronto, Ontario had been reassessed for $39,500 and had 10 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on export sales zero-rated with no shipping documentation behind them.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and rebuilt the sales ledger by customer province, applied the correct place-of-supply rate to each stream, and filed corrected returns before the CRA opened a review.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $39,500 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 3 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $99,000 Penalty Avoided — Manufacturer Exporting to the, Barrie
Client: A manufacturer exporting to the US · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$99,000
Turnaround10 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A manufacturer exporting to the US in Barrie, Ontario came to us 10 weeks before its filing deadline with a registration threshold crossed nine months before anyone registered. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $99,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We assembled the export documentation, restored zero-rating on the qualifying sales, and reduced the proposed assessment, prioritising the items that actually gated the filing and deferring everything that did not.
The result
The return was filed on time and complete. The $99,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 4 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $17,000 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Multi-Province Online Retailer, Red Deer
Client: A multi-province online retailer · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$17,000
Records rebuilt29 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation
A multi-province online retailer in Red Deer, Alberta could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because a sales tax account filed annually while the CRA had moved the business to quarterly sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We backdated the registration to the day the threshold was crossed, remitted the tax owing, and applied for relief on the penalty portion, 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, $17,000 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 5 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $88,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — SaaS Company with Canadian, Burnaby
Client: A SaaS company with Canadian and US customers · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$88,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
A SaaS company with Canadian and US customers in Burnaby, British Columbia was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. Input tax credits claimed on the exempt side of a mixed-supply business was tying up $88,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and set a defensible input tax credit allocation between taxable and exempt supplies and documented the method for future filings.
The result
$88,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
Case Study 6 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $47,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — Used-Equipment Dealer, Surrey
Client: A used-equipment dealer · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$47,000
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a used-equipment dealer in Surrey, British Columbia — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. HST charged at the home-province rate on sales into four different provinces had never been reviewed.
What we did
We rebuilt the sales ledger by customer province, applied the correct place-of-supply rate to each stream, and filed corrected returns before the CRA opened a review, and ran the numbers across both the corporate and personal returns so the saving was real rather than deferred into someone else's hands.
The result
$47,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
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.
