6 Fractional Controller 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 fractional controller services work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
$84,000 Of Arbitrary Assessments Vacated After 4 Years — Professional Practice Adding Partners, Victoria
Client: A professional practice adding partners · Where: Victoria, British Columbia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Arbitrary tax vacated$84,000
Years brought current4
Account statusCurrent
The situation
4 years of unfiled returns had turned into notional assessments at a professional practice adding partners in Victoria, British Columbia, with a growth plan with no forecast behind it and no financing lined up underneath. Collections had already started.
What we did
We produced a board-ready monthly package — cash, margin, pipeline and covenant headroom — that replaced a spreadsheet nobody trusted, then filed every outstanding year in chronological order so the CRA could vacate the notional assessments cleanly.
The result
All 4 years were accepted as filed. $84,000 of arbitrarily assessed tax was vacated, collections action stopped, and the account is current for the first time in 4 years.
Case Study 2 · Missed incentive claimed
$61,000 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Fast-Growing E-Commerce Brand, Calgary
Client: A fast-growing e-commerce brand · Where: Calgary, Alberta · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$61,000
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation
A fast-growing e-commerce brand in Calgary, Alberta assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. A covenant breach discovered only when the bank called meant they had applied all along.
What we did
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it.
The result
$61,000 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Case Study 3 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 34 Staff With $114,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Manufacturer Planning a Plant, Halifax
Client: A manufacturer planning a plant expansion · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached34
Working capital freed$114,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation
A manufacturer planning a plant expansion in Halifax, Nova Scotia was growing fast — headcount to 34 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. A covenant breach discovered only when the bank called was the first thing to break.
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, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 34 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $114,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
Case Study 4 · Cash and remittance control
$146,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Mid-Sized Professional Services Firm, Windsor
Client: A mid-sized professional services firm · Where: Windsor, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Working capital freed$146,000
On-time remittancesEvery period since
Forecast horizon13 weeks
The situation
A mid-sized professional services firm in Windsor, Ontario was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. Pricing set by feel, with no visibility into margin by service line explained most of the gap.
What we did
We built a rolling thirteen-week cash-flow model, tightened collections, and renegotiated supplier terms so the growth stopped consuming the bank balance and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$146,000 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 5 · Deadline rescue
$21,000 Late-Filing Penalty Cancelled On Relief Application — Family Business Planning Succession, Vancouver
Client: A family business planning succession · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Penalty cancelled$21,000
Relief applicationGranted
ReturnAccepted as filed
The situation
A family business planning succession in Vancouver, British Columbia had already missed one deadline and was about to miss a second. Behind it sat revenue up 40% year over year and a bank balance that kept falling, and a penalty of $21,000 was accruing.
What we did
We split the work into what had to happen before the deadline and what could follow it, then produced a board-ready monthly package — cash, margin, pipeline and covenant headroom — that replaced a spreadsheet nobody trusted.
The result
The outstanding return was accepted as filed, and the taxpayer relief application cancelled $21,000 of the penalty already assessed on the earlier year.
Case Study 6 · Structure rebuilt
Holding Structure Added, $43,000 Saved Annually — Technology Company Preparing to, Saskatoon
Client: A technology company preparing to raise · Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$43,000
ReorganisationTax-neutral
StructureMatches operations
The situation
A technology company preparing to raise in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was carrying a growth plan with no forecast behind it and no financing lined up, and every option for fixing it ran through a reorganisation that had to be done without triggering tax.
What we did
Working with the client's lawyer, we modelled the covenant ratios monthly and restructured the debt before the next test date rather than after it and prepared the elections, resolutions and valuations the structure needed to stand up.
The result
The structure now matches the business. Annual saving of $43,000, and the reorganisation itself was tax-neutral.
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.
