6 Sage Accounting 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 sage accounting support work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
5 Years Filed, $139,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Two-Location Cafe, Surrey
Client: A two-location cafe · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Years filed5
Assessed balance removed$139,000
CollectionsStopped
The situation
A two-location cafe in Surrey, British Columbia had not filed for 5 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once on top of a growing interest balance.
What we did
We started with the oldest year and worked forward so each year's closing balances fed the next. We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly, filing the years in sequence rather than all at once.
The result
Every year is now filed and assessed on actual figures. The notional assessments were vacated and $139,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
Audit Defence Closed In 10 Weeks, $22,500 Cleared — Mobile Pet-Grooming Company, Burnaby
Client: A mobile pet-grooming company · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$22,500
Review duration10 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A mobile pet-grooming company in Burnaby, British Columbia was selected for review after a receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on sage accounting support came to $22,500.
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. 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. $22,500 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 3 · Cash and remittance control
$38,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Equipment Rental Yard, Red Deer
Client: An equipment rental yard · Where: Red Deer, Alberta · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$38,000
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
An equipment rental yard in Red Deer, Alberta was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. A bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account explained most of the gap.
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 built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$38,000 was released back into working capital. Remittances have been on time every period since, and the forecast shows the tax outflow before it lands.
Case Study 4 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $70,000 Vacated — Home-Renovation Contractor, Barrie
A home-renovation contractor in Barrie, Ontario was carrying $70,000 of penalties and interest arising from eighteen months of unreconciled transactions and a shoebox of receipts, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $70,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 5 · Sale and succession
$230,000 Sheltered By The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption — Subscription Box Retailer, Toronto
A subscription box retailer in Toronto, Ontario had an offer on the table and 24 months to close. The shares did not qualify for the capital gains exemption, and passive assets sitting inside the operating company, disqualifying the shares was part of the reason.
What we did
We purified the corporation so the shares met the qualifying tests, then separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly well ahead of the closing date.
The result
The sale closed on schedule with $230,000 sheltered by the lifetime capital gains exemption across the shareholders.
Case Study 6 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $29,000 Freed — Residential Cleaning Franchise, Edmonton
Client: A residential cleaning franchise · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$29,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
A residential cleaning franchise in Edmonton, Alberta was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once already in the file.
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 and put monthly reporting in place so the owner could see the cash effect of growth while there was still time to act on it.
The result
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $29,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
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.
