6 Unfiled Tax Return Services 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 unfiled tax return services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Scaling without breaking
Second-Province Expansion Handled, $113,000 Of Cash Released — Professional Under a Lifestyle, London
Client: A professional under a lifestyle audit · Where: London, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Cash released$113,000
New registrationsComplete on day one
Compliance gapsNone
The situation
Revenue at a professional under a lifestyle audit in London, Ontario was up sharply and cash was tighter than ever. Underneath it sat six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file.
What we did
We brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action. Every new obligation — registration, remittance frequency, provincial filing — was set up before it was triggered, not after.
The result
$113,000 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 2 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $103,000 Cut From A 4-Year Backlog — Business Owner with a, Vancouver
Client: A business owner with a director liability assessment · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$103,000
Backlog cleared4 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a business owner with a director liability assessment in Vancouver, British Columbia called, 4 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a director liability assessment for a corporation that had already stopped operating.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn. Each filing replaced an arbitrary assessment with a real one.
The result
The account is current. Filing on real numbers rather than CRA estimates reduced the balance by $103,000, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 3 · Records and systems rebuilt
9 Months Reconciled And $18,500 Of Input Tax Recovered — Corporation Under a GST/HST, Victoria
Client: A corporation under a GST/HST review · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Months reconciled9
Input tax recovered$18,500
Close time5 days
The situation
A corporation under a GST/HST review in Victoria, British Columbia was carrying a proposal letter with a 30-day response window and no supporting records assembled. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 9 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We filed the disclosure through the Voluntary Disclosures Program before contact, which removed the gross-negligence penalty entirely, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
9 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 5 days, and $18,500 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 4 · CRA review defended
$145,000 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Taxpayer with Eight Years, Surrey
Client: A taxpayer with eight years of unfiled returns · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$145,000
File closed in10 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation
A taxpayer with eight years of unfiled returns in Surrey, British Columbia received a proposal letter opening a review of unfiled tax return services. The CRA had identified a net-worth assessment built on unexplained deposits that were actually loan proceeds and proposed an adjustment of $145,000, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We traced each unexplained deposit to its source — loans, transfers between accounts, an insurance settlement — and reduced the net-worth assessment accordingly, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $145,000 of it. The file closed in 10 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 5 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $51,000 Of Annual Savings — Contractor Facing a Proposed, Lethbridge
Client: A contractor facing a proposed reassessment · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$51,000
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at a contractor facing a proposed reassessment in Lethbridge, Alberta had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and an objection deadline that had passed with no extension applied for had become expensive.
What we did
We brought every outstanding return current, then negotiated a payment arrangement that stopped the collections action. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$51,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
Case Study 6 · Cash and remittance control
Instalments Rebased, $127,000 Of Cash Returned To The Business — Restaurant Under a Net-Worth, Regina
Client: A restaurant under a net-worth audit · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Cash returned$127,000
Instalment basisCurrent year
ReviewedQuarterly
The situation
A restaurant under a net-worth audit in Regina, Saskatchewan was paying instalments calculated on a prior year that no longer reflected the business. Six years of unfiled corporate and personal returns and an active collections file was tying up $127,000 of cash.
What we did
We rebased the instalments on the current-year estimate rather than the prior-year default, and assembled the contemporaneous records, filed a structured response to each proposed adjustment with the supporting documents indexed, and had the proposal withdrawn.
The result
$127,000 of cash stayed in the business, the penalty cycle ended, and the instalment position is reviewed each quarter against actual results.
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.
