6 Year-End Closing 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 year-end closing services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Records and systems rebuilt
24 Months Reconciled And $11,500 Of Input Tax Recovered — Two-Partner Engineering Firm, Winnipeg
A two-partner engineering firm in Winnipeg, Manitoba was carrying a shareholder loan account that had drifted for three years with no supporting entries. Nothing reconciled, and every filing started with 24 months of cleanup.
What we did
We rebuilt from source rather than correcting on top of the existing file. We rebuilt the trial balance from source documents, reconciled every bank and credit-card account, and issued a CSRS 4200 compilation with a proper basis-of-accounting note, then set the routine that keeps it clean.
The result
24 months reconciled to the bank. The close now takes 10 days, and $11,500 of previously unclaimable input tax was recovered in the process.
Case Study 2 · Sale and succession
$725,000 Sheltered By The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption — Machine-Shop Owner-Operator, Victoria
Client: A machine-shop owner-operator · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Gain sheltered$725,000
ClosingOn schedule
Share qualificationMet
The situation
A machine-shop owner-operator in Victoria, British Columbia had an offer on the table and 29 months to close. The shares did not qualify for the capital gains exemption, and a single shareholder holding every share, with no room to multiply the exemption was part of the reason.
What we did
We purified the corporation so the shares met the qualifying tests, then separated personal and corporate spending, cleared the shareholder loan through a documented salary and dividend mix, and restated the comparative year well ahead of the closing date.
The result
The sale closed on schedule with $725,000 sheltered by the lifetime capital gains exemption across the shareholders.
Case Study 3 · Cash and remittance control
$82,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Regional Courier Operator, Edmonton
Client: A regional courier operator · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$82,000
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
A regional courier operator in Edmonton, Alberta was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. Year-end statements that arrived four months late and never tied to the bank explained most of the gap.
What we did
We set a monthly close calendar with a fixed cut-off, so the year-end became a review of work already done rather than a twelve-month rebuild and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$82,000 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 4 · Backlog brought current
7 Years Filed, $110,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Growing Landscaping Company, Kitchener
Client: A growing landscaping company · Where: Kitchener, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Years filed7
Assessed balance removed$110,000
CollectionsStopped
The situation
A growing landscaping company in Kitchener, Ontario had not filed for 7 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying a bank that refused to renew an operating line without compliant statements 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 reconciled the inter-company accounts, papered the arrangement with a written agreement, and aligned both corporations’ year-ends, 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 $110,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 5 · Planning that cut the bill
Remuneration Review Saved $16,000 Across Corporate And Personal Returns — 14-Person Design Agency, Vancouver
Client: A 14-person design agency · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Combined saving$16,000
ScopeCorporate + personal
Future yearsNo rework needed
The situation
Nothing was wrong at a 14-person design agency in Vancouver, British Columbia — the filings were on time and accurate. What they were not was planned. Two sets of numbers — one in the accounting file, one the owner actually ran the business on had never been reviewed.
What we did
We rebuilt the trial balance from source documents, reconciled every bank and credit-card account, and issued a CSRS 4200 compilation with a proper basis-of-accounting note, and ran the numbers across both the corporate and personal returns so the saving was real rather than deferred into someone else's hands.
The result
$16,000 came off the combined corporate and personal tax bill, and the structure holds for future years without further work.
Case Study 6 · Structure rebuilt
Corporate Structure Rebuilt For $31,000 Of Annual Savings — Boutique Fitness Studio Group, Brampton
Client: A boutique fitness studio group · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Saving per year$31,000
DocumentationComplete
Transfer basisRollover
The situation
The structure at a boutique fitness studio group in Brampton, Ontario had been set up years earlier for a business that no longer existed, and a shareholder loan account that had drifted for three years with no supporting entries had become expensive.
What we did
We separated personal and corporate spending, cleared the shareholder loan through a documented salary and dividend mix, and restated the comparative year. The reorganisation used the rollover provisions rather than a taxable transfer, so no tax fell due on the restructuring itself.
The result
$31,000 of annual saving, achieved on a tax-deferred basis. The minute book, elections and valuations are all in the file.
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.
