6 Transaction Categorization 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 transaction categorization work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Cash and remittance control
Remittance Schedule Corrected, $87,000 Refunded — Small Law Practice, Regina
Client: A small law practice · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Overpayment refunded$87,000
Late remittances sinceZero
ScheduleAutomated
The situation
Remittances at a small law practice in Regina, Saskatchewan were consistently late by a few days, which was enough to trigger penalties every quarter. Behind it sat eighteen months of unreconciled transactions and a shoebox of receipts.
What we did
We rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review, then moved the remittance dates into a scheduled process rather than a monthly decision.
The result
Penalties stopped from the following remittance onwards, and $87,000 of overpaid instalments was refunded.
Case Study 2 · Planning that cut the bill
$14,000 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Two-Location Cafe, Halifax
Client: A two-location cafe · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
First-year saving$14,000
RepeatsAnnually
Filing positionUnchanged in risk
The situation
A two-location cafe in Halifax, Nova Scotia was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly and still left input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once on the table.
What we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything, then reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support.
The result
The change saved $14,000 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 3 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 81 Staff With $128,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Equipment Rental Yard, Edmonton
Client: An equipment rental yard · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 11 weeks, fixed fee
Headcount reached81
Working capital freed$128,000
Missed deadlinesZero
The situation
An equipment rental yard in Edmonton, Alberta was growing fast — headcount to 81 in eighteen months — and the back office had not kept up. A bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account was the first thing to break.
What we did
We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly, and built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
The result
The business reached 81 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $128,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
Client: A subscription box retailer · Where: Lethbridge, Alberta · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Proposed tax cleared$47,000
Review duration9 weeks
OutcomeNo change
The situation
A subscription box retailer in Lethbridge, Alberta was selected for review after three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement showed up in the CRA's automated matching. The proposed adjustment on transaction categorization came to $47,000.
What we did
We set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end. Every figure in the response traced to a source record the auditor could verify without asking a second question.
The result
The review closed with no change. $47,000 of proposed tax came off the table, and the documentation now in place makes the next review a short one.
Case Study 5 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $52,000 Across 4 Open Years — Specialty Coffee Roaster, Windsor
An incentive review at a specialty coffee roaster in Windsor, Ontario started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 4 years, driven by three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement.
What we did
We rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review, documenting eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
The result
The credits produced $52,000 across the open years, and the tracking now in place means the following year's claim is documented as the work happens rather than reconstructed afterwards.
Case Study 6 · Sale and succession
$220,000 Sheltered By The Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption — Residential Cleaning Franchise, Brampton
A residential cleaning franchise in Brampton, Ontario had an offer on the table and 13 months to close. The shares did not qualify for the capital gains exemption, and retained cash well above what the business needed to operate was part of the reason.
What we did
We purified the corporation so the shares met the qualifying tests, then reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support well ahead of the closing date.
The result
The sale closed on schedule with $220,000 sheltered by the lifetime capital gains exemption across the shareholders.
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.
