6 Family and Caregiver Tax Credit Review 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 family and caregiver tax credit review work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Planning that cut the bill
$71,000 Saved By Correcting What Prior Filings Had Missed — Retiree Drawing From Three, Barrie
Client: A retiree drawing from three sources · Where: Barrie, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Saving identified$71,000
RecurringYes
Positions documentedAll
The situation
A retiree drawing from three sources in Barrie, Ontario asked for a second opinion on family and caregiver tax credit review after three years of rising tax. The review found three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address.
What we did
We built the comparison first — current structure against two alternatives — and then carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance.
The result
First-year saving of $71,000, with the same benefit recurring. Every position taken is documented and supported in the file.
Case Study 2 · CRA review defended
$138,000 Reassessment Reduced To Nil On Review — Recently Separated Taxpayer, London
A review notice arrived at a recently separated taxpayer in London, Ontario covering family and caregiver tax credit review for two tax years. The auditor's working position was an adjustment of $138,000, driven by RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year.
What we did
Rather than negotiate, we rebuilt the record. We reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them and submitted a point-by-point response that answered each proposed adjustment with the document behind it.
The result
The auditor accepted the documented position and closed the review without adjustment, protecting $138,000 and leaving the prior filings undisturbed.
Case Study 3 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $48,000 Freed — Commissioned Salesperson, Vancouver
Client: A commissioned salesperson · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$48,000
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation
A commissioned salesperson in Vancouver, British Columbia was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and medical expenses claimed on a calendar-year basis when a shifted window was worth far more already in the file.
What we did
We pulled the full slip history from the CRA record, refiled the affected years by adjustment request, and recovered the credits that had been missed 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. $48,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 4 · Missed incentive claimed
$46,000 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Two-Income Household with Rental, Victoria
Client: A two-income household with rental property · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$46,000
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation
A two-income household with rental property in Victoria, British Columbia assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. RRSP room accumulated over eight years and never used in a high-income year meant they had applied all along.
What we did
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and filed the outstanding T1135 disclosures under the voluntary disclosure route before the CRA raised them.
The result
$46,000 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Case Study 5 · Backlog brought current
Collections Halted And $26,500 Cut From A 5-Year Backlog — Self-Employed Consultant, Surrey
Client: A self-employed consultant · Where: Surrey, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Balance reduced by$26,500
Backlog cleared5 years
CollectionsHalted
The situation
By the time a self-employed consultant in Surrey, British Columbia called, 5 years were outstanding and the CRA had assessed on estimates. Underneath it sat a rental property reported without any capital cost allowance analysis.
What we did
We reconstructed the records year by year and carried the capital loss back against gains reported in the prior three years and generated a refund rather than a carry-forward balance. 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 $26,500, and a relief application addressed part of the accumulated interest.
Case Study 6 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $61,000 Reversed — Taxpayer with US-Source Dividends, Lethbridge
Client: A taxpayer with US-source dividends · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$61,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation
A taxpayer with US-source dividends in Lethbridge, Alberta had been reassessed for $61,000 and had 12 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on three years of returns filed without the slips that had been mailed to an old address.
What we did
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and reset the medical expense claim window, transferred credits between spouses, and applied the tuition and disability amounts to the return that used them.
The result
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $61,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
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.
