6 T4 Tax Return Filing 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 t4 tax return filing work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $10,000 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Gig-Economy Driver, Ottawa
A gig-economy driver in Ottawa, Ontario could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them, 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, $10,000 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 2 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 66 Staff With $150,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Self-Employed Consultant, Guelph
A self-employed consultant in Guelph, Ontario was growing fast — headcount to 66 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. A rental property reported without any capital cost allowance analysis was the first thing to break.
What we did
We carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 66 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $150,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
Case Study 3 · Objection and relief
Desk-Review Assessment Of $14,500 Vacated — Recently Separated Taxpayer, Kitchener
A recently separated taxpayer in Kitchener, Ontario was carrying $14,500 of penalties and interest arising from medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more, much of it accumulated during a period the CRA itself had delayed.
What we did
We reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them and framed the relief application on the specific grounds the CRA guidelines recognise rather than on general hardship.
The result
The assessment was vacated. $14,500 came off the account, and the documentation now on file makes the same position straightforward to defend next time.
Case Study 4 · Cash and remittance control
$76,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Employee with Foreign Investment, Surrey
Client: An employee with foreign investment accounts · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$76,000
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
An employee with foreign investment accounts in Surrey, British Columbia was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. Three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address explained most of the gap.
What we did
We pulled the full slip history from the CRA record, refiled the affected years by adjustment request, and recovered the credits that had been missed and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$76,000 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 5 · CRA review defended
$30,500 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Taxpayer with US-Source Dividends, Calgary
Client: A taxpayer with US-source dividends · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$30,500
File closed in7 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation
A taxpayer with US-source dividends in Calgary, Alberta received a proposal letter opening a review of t4 tax return filing. The CRA had identified foreign accounts that had crossed the T1135 threshold two years earlier and proposed an adjustment of $30,500, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $30,500 of it. The file closed in 7 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 6 · Backlog brought current
7 Years Filed, $76,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Commissioned Salesperson, Windsor
A commissioned salesperson in Windsor, Ontario had not filed for 7 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year 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 carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance, 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 $76,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
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.
