6 Rights or Things 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 rights or things return work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $73,000 Reversed — Business Owner Planning an, Vancouver
Client: A business owner planning an estate freeze · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$73,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A business owner planning an estate freeze in Vancouver, British Columbia had been reassessed for $73,000 and had 12 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on a family trust approaching its 21-year deemed disposition with no plan.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and filed the outstanding T3 returns with full beneficial-ownership schedules and secured relief on the late-filing penalty.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $73,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
Audit Defence Closed In 7 Weeks, $16,500 Cleared — Family Trust with Three, Toronto
Client: A family trust with three beneficiaries · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$16,500
Review duration7 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A family trust with three beneficiaries in Toronto, Ontario was selected for review after a farm transfer completed without using the intergenerational rollover showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on rights or things return came to $16,500.
What we did
We implemented an estate freeze with a supported valuation, capping the current generation’s exposure and moving future growth to the successors. Every figure in the response traced to a source record the auditor could verify without asking a second question.
The result
The review closed with no change. $16,500 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 3 · Deadline rescue
11-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $110,000 — Executor Administering an Estate, Guelph
Client: An executor administering an estate · Where: Guelph, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$110,000
Filed with15 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for rights or things return weeks away, an executor administering an estate in Guelph, Ontario was carrying a trust that had never filed a T3 under the expanded reporting rules. The exposure if the date slipped was around $110,000.
What we did
We made the graduated rate estate designation and re-filed, moving the estate off top-marginal-rate taxation for its first three years. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 15 days to spare. $110,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 4 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $59,000 Across 4 Open Years — Trustee Facing the Expanded, Barrie
Client: A trustee facing the expanded reporting rules · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$59,000
Open years claimed4
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at a trustee facing the expanded reporting rules in Barrie, Ontario started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 4 years, driven by a trust that had never filed a T3 under the expanded reporting rules.
What we did
We filed the separate rights-or-things return alongside the final T1, claiming a second set of personal credits, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $59,000 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.
Case Study 5 · Records and systems rebuilt
16 Months Reconciled And $13,000 Of Input Tax Recovered — Corporation Planning an Intergenerational, Windsor
Client: A corporation planning an intergenerational transfer · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled16
Input tax recovered$13,000
Close time5 days
The situation
A corporation planning an intergenerational transfer in Windsor, Ontario was carrying a graduated rate estate designation missed on the first return, defaulting the estate to top-rate taxation. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 16 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We filed the outstanding T3 returns with full beneficial-ownership schedules and secured relief on the late-filing penalty, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
16 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 5 days, and $13,000 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 6 · Sale and succession
$200,000 Sheltered By The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption — Family with a Cottage, Red Deer
Client: A family with a cottage held in trust · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Gain sheltered$200,000
ClosingOn schedule
Share qualificationMet
The situation
A family with a cottage held in trust in Red Deer, Alberta had an offer on the table and 21 months to close. The shares did not qualify for the capital gains exemption, and a minute book with no resolutions behind a decade of dividends was part of the reason.
What we did
We purified the corporation so the shares met the qualifying tests, then implemented an estate freeze with a supported valuation, capping the current generation’s exposure and moving future growth to the successors well ahead of the closing date.
The result
The sale closed on schedule with $200,000 sheltered by the lifetime capital gains exemption across the shareholders.
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.
