6 US Form 1120-S 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 us form 1120-s filing work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $128,000 Freed — Inbound Transferee on Assignment, Winnipeg
Client: An inbound transferee on assignment · Where: Winnipeg, Manitoba · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$128,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
An inbound transferee on assignment in Winnipeg, Manitoba was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and US tax paid but no foreign tax credit claimed on the Canadian return already in the file.
What we did
We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures through the Voluntary Disclosures Program, which eliminated the penalty exposure entirely 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. $128,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 2 · Deadline rescue
11-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $69,000 — Canadian Corporation with US, Halifax
Client: A Canadian corporation with US customers · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$69,000
Filed with13 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for us form 1120-s filing weeks away, a Canadian corporation with US customers in Halifax, Nova Scotia was carrying foreign accounts that had passed the $100,000 T1135 threshold three years earlier. The exposure if the date slipped was around $69,000.
What we did
We restructured the US holding so the Canadian and US characterisations aligned, ending the double taxation going forward. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 13 days to spare. $69,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 3 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $390,000 Deferred — Emigrant Who Left Canada, Burnaby
Client: An emigrant who left Canada mid-year · Where: Burnaby, British Columbia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$390,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at an emigrant who left Canada mid-year in Burnaby, British Columbia had been discussed for years without a plan. No valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We filed the section 216 election with the supporting rental statements and recovered the excess withholding as a refund, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$390,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
Case Study 4 · Missed incentive claimed
$25,500 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Canadian Resident with a, Kitchener
Client: A Canadian resident with a US rental property · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$25,500
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation
A Canadian resident with a US rental property in Kitchener, Ontario assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. A US LLC taxed as a corporation in Canada, producing double tax on the same income meant they had applied all along.
What we did
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and reported the deemed disposition properly on the departure return and claimed the foreign tax credits that had been left unused.
The result
$25,500 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Client: A non-resident owning Canadian rental property · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$65,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a non-resident owning Canadian rental property in Windsor, Ontario were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat a departure year filed as a normal resident return with no deemed disposition reported.
What we did
We filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures through the Voluntary Disclosures Program, which eliminated the penalty exposure entirely, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $65,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 6 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $8,000 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Shareholder of a US, Kelowna
Client: A shareholder of a US LLC · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$8,000
Records rebuilt9 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation
A shareholder of a US LLC in Kelowna, British Columbia could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because US tax paid but no foreign tax credit claimed on the Canadian return sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did
We restructured the US holding so the Canadian and US characterisations aligned, ending the double taxation going forward, 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, $8,000 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
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.
