6 Working Capital Management 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 working capital management work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $78,000 Reversed — Fast-Growing E-Commerce Brand, Barrie
A fast-growing e-commerce brand in Barrie, Ontario had been reassessed for $78,000 and had 17 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on an owner making hiring decisions on last quarter’s bank balance.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $78,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
$99,000 Proposed Adjustment Withdrawn In Full — Technology Company Preparing to, Saskatoon
Client: A technology company preparing to raise · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Adjustment withdrawn$99,000
File closed in7 weeks
Penalties assessedNone
The situation
A technology company preparing to raise in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan received a proposal letter opening a review of working capital management. The CRA had identified pricing set by feel, with no visibility into margin by service line and proposed an adjustment of $99,000, with 30 days to respond.
What we did
We treated the response as an evidence exercise rather than an argument. We rebuilt the reporting around gross margin by service line, which showed two of five offerings were losing money at the current price, then indexed every supporting document against the specific line the auditor had questioned.
The result
The proposed adjustment was withdrawn in full — all $99,000 of it. The file closed in 7 weeks with no change to the assessed amounts and no penalty.
Case Study 3 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $35,000 Penalty Avoided — Construction Company Bidding Larger, Toronto
Client: A construction company bidding larger contracts · Where: Toronto, Ontario · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$35,000
Turnaround4 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A construction company bidding larger contracts in Toronto, Ontario came to us 4 weeks before its filing deadline with a growth plan with no forecast behind it and no financing lined up. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $35,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We built a rolling thirteen-week cash-flow model, tightened collections, and renegotiated supplier terms so the growth stopped consuming the bank balance, prioritising the items that actually gated the filing and deferring everything that did not.
The result
The return was filed on time and complete. The $35,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 4 · Missed incentive claimed
$16,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — Mid-Sized Professional Services Firm, Regina
Client: A mid-sized professional services firm · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Credits claimed$16,000
Years adjusted4
Review outcomeNo adjustment
The situation
A mid-sized professional services firm in Regina, Saskatchewan had been filing for 4 years without ever claiming the incentives its activity qualified for. Behind that sat pricing set by feel, with no visibility into margin by service line.
What we did
We tested each activity against the eligibility criteria rather than the description on the invoice, then produced a board-ready monthly package — cash, margin, pipeline and covenant headroom — that replaced a spreadsheet nobody trusted.
The result
$16,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
Case Study 5 · Records and systems rebuilt
Month-End Close Cut From 9 Weeks To 7 Days — Distributor Entering a Second, Edmonton
Client: A distributor entering a second province · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Close time before9 weeks
Close time after7 days
Year-endReview, not rebuild
The situation
The accounting file at a distributor entering a second province in Edmonton, Alberta was built on revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling. The year-end had taken 9 weeks each of the last three years.
What we did
We modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it and moved the reconciliations into the monthly cycle, so the year-end stopped being a rebuild.
The result
The file reconciles. Month-end closes in 7 days instead of 9 weeks, and the year-end is a review rather than a reconstruction.
Case Study 6 · Sale and succession
Intergenerational Transfer Completed With $890,000 Deferred — Professional Practice Adding Partners, Windsor
Client: A professional practice adding partners · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Tax deferred$890,000
TransferCompleted
RecordsReview-ready
The situation
A generational transfer at a professional practice adding partners in Windsor, Ontario had been discussed for years without a plan. A minute book with no resolutions behind a decade of dividends meant the transfer as contemplated would have been fully taxable.
What we did
We rebuilt the reporting around gross margin by service line, which showed two of five offerings were losing money at the current price, sequencing the steps so each one was complete and documented before the next depended on it.
The result
$890,000 of tax was deferred through the transfer, and the successor generation took over a corporation whose records stood up to review.
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.
