6 SR&ED Financial Documentation 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 sr&ed financial documentation work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $34,500 Freed — Game Studio Claiming Digital, Saskatoon
Client: A game studio claiming digital media credits · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$34,500
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
A game studio claiming digital media credits in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and a claim filed at the 15% non-refundable rate when CCPC status supported 35% refundable already in the file.
What we did
We identified the eligible projects, documented the technological uncertainty and systematic investigation for each, and filed a claim that survived review without adjustment 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. $34,500 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
A clean-technology startup in Winnipeg, Manitoba had already missed one deadline and was about to miss a second. Behind it sat a provincial credit left unclaimed alongside a successful federal SR&ED claim, and a penalty of $59,000 was accruing.
What we did
We split the work into what had to happen before the deadline and what could follow it, then confirmed CCPC status and refiled at the enhanced 35% refundable rate.
The result
The outstanding return was accepted as filed, and the taxpayer relief application cancelled $59,000 of the penalty already assessed on the earlier year.
Case Study 3 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $400,000 Deferred — Food Producer Reformulating Its, Vancouver
Client: A food producer reformulating its product line · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$400,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at a food producer reformulating its product line in Vancouver, British Columbia had been discussed for years without a plan. A shareholder loan balance that would have been picked up as income on closing meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We put contemporaneous tracking in place — project logs tied to time records — so the following year’s claim was defensible by construction, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$400,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 4 · Planning that cut the bill
$66,000 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Software Company Building a, Guelph
Client: A software company building a new platform · Where: Guelph, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$66,000
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A software company building a new platform in Guelph, Ontario was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left eligible development work never claimed because nobody thought it counted as research on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then layered the applicable provincial credit onto the federal claim in the same filing.
The result
The change saved $66,000 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Case Study 5 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $75,000 Vacated — Materials Science Company, Windsor
Client: A materials science company · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Assessment vacated$75,000
Supporting recordsNow on file
AccountCleared
The situation
A materials science company in Windsor, Ontario was carrying $75,000 of penalties and interest arising from a SR&ED claim prepared eleven months after the fact with no contemporaneous records, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We identified the eligible projects, documented the technological uncertainty and systematic investigation for each, and filed a claim that survived review without adjustment and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $75,000 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 6 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $107,000 Across 3 Open Years — Agri-Tech Company, Regina
Client: An agri-tech company · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$107,000
Open years claimed3
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at an agri-tech company in Regina, Saskatchewan started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 3 years, driven by a SR&ED claim prepared eleven months after the fact with no contemporaneous records.
What we did
We confirmed CCPC status and refiled at the enhanced 35% refundable rate, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $107,000 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.
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.
