6 Break-Even Analysis 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 break-even analysis work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Missed incentive claimed
$50,000 In Credits Claimed That Prior Filings Had Missed — Subscription Business Tracking Churn, Ottawa
Client: A subscription business tracking churn · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Credits claimed$50,000
Years adjusted6
Review outcomeNo adjustment
The situation
A subscription business tracking churn in Ottawa, Ontario had been filing for 6 years without ever claiming the incentives its activity qualified for. Behind that sat revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling.
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
$50,000 in credits claimed, with the open prior years adjusted as well. The claim passed review without adjustment.
Case Study 2 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $25,500 Reversed — Manufacturer Planning a Plant, Calgary
Client: A manufacturer planning a plant expansion · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$25,500
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A manufacturer planning a plant expansion in Calgary, Alberta had been reassessed for $25,500 and had 12 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling.
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. $25,500 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 3 · Planning that cut the bill
$47,000 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Clinic Group Acquiring a, Kelowna
Client: A clinic group acquiring a competitor · Where: Kelowna, British Columbia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$47,000
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A clinic group acquiring a competitor in Kelowna, British Columbia was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left a growth plan with no forecast behind it and no financing lined up on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then rebuilt the reporting around gross margin by service line, which showed two of five offerings were losing money at the current price.
The result
The change saved $47,000 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive; the position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Case Study 4 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $680,000 Less Tax On Closing — Professional Practice Adding Partners, Victoria
Client: A professional practice adding partners · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 3 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$680,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation
A professional practice adding partners in Victoria, British Columbia was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced a minute book with no resolutions behind a decade of dividends, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did
We cleaned up the historical file, built a rolling thirteen-week cash-flow model, tightened collections, and renegotiated supplier terms so the growth stopped consuming the bank balance, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $680,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 5 · Deadline rescue
Filed On Time From A Standing Start, $123,000 Penalty Avoided — Family Business Planning Succession, Brampton
Client: A family business planning succession · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty avoided$123,000
Turnaround8 weeks
FiledOn time
The situation
A family business planning succession in Brampton, Ontario came to us 8 weeks before its filing deadline with a covenant breach discovered only when the bank called. A late filing would have triggered a penalty of roughly $123,000 before interest.
What we did
We worked backwards from the deadline. We produced a board-ready monthly package — cash, margin, pipeline and covenant headroom — that replaced a spreadsheet nobody trusted, 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 $123,000 penalty never arose, and the compliance calendar we set means the next deadline is scheduled rather than discovered.
Case Study 6 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 38 Staff With $101,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Distributor Entering a Second, Halifax
Client: A distributor entering a second province · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached38
Working capital freed$101,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation
A distributor entering a second province in Halifax, Nova Scotia was growing fast — headcount to 38 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. Pricing set by feel, with no visibility into margin by service line was the first thing to break.
What we did
We modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 38 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $101,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
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.
