6 QuickBooks Setup and Support 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 quickbooks setup and support work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Records and systems rebuilt
33 Months Reconciled And $2,700 Of Input Tax Recovered — Owner-Operated Trades Business, Kitchener
Client: An owner-operated trades business · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled33
Input tax recovered$2,700
Close time4 days
The situation
An owner-operated trades business in Kitchener, Ontario was carrying a bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 33 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
33 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 4 days, and $2,700 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 2 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $44,000 Of Cash Released — Subscription Box Retailer, Guelph
Revenue at a subscription box retailer in Guelph, Ontario was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat a receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier.
What we did
We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result
$44,000 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 3 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $255,000 Less Tax On Closing — Mobile Pet-Grooming Company, Ottawa
Client: A mobile pet-grooming company · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$255,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A mobile pet-grooming company in Ottawa, Ontario was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced a single shareholder holding every share, with no room to multiply the exemption, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $255,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 4 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $32,500 Vacated — Small Law Practice, Burnaby
Client: A small law practice · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$32,500
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A small law practice in Burnaby, British Columbia was carrying $32,500 of penalties and interest arising from three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $32,500 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Client: A residential cleaning franchise · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$71,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a residential cleaning franchise in Moncton, New Brunswick were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat eighteen months of unreconciled transactions and a shoebox of receipts.
What we did
We set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $71,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 6 · CRA review defended
$70,000 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Equipment Rental Yard, Vancouver
Client: An equipment rental yard · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$70,000
File closed in10 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation
An equipment rental yard in Vancouver, British Columbia received a proposal letter opening a review of quickbooks setup and support. The CRA had identified a bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account and proposed an adjustment of $70,000, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $70,000 of it. The file closed in 10 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
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.
