6 Xero Setup and Support 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 xero setup and support work, not a general example.
Case Study 1 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $32,500 Saved Each Year — Specialty Coffee Roaster, Vancouver
Client: A specialty coffee roaster · Where: Vancouver, British Columbia · Engagement: 8 weeks, fixed fee
Annual saving$32,500
Tax on reorganisationDeferred
Elections filedOn time
The situation
A specialty coffee roaster in Vancouver, British Columbia had outgrown the structure it started with. A receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier was the immediate problem; the longer-term one was that the structure blocked the next step.
What we did
We mapped the current structure, modelled the target, and 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 — with the tax-deferred elections filed on time and the supporting valuations documented.
The result
The reorganisation completed without triggering tax, and the new structure saves approximately $32,500 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
Case Study 2 · Deadline rescue
9-Week Turnaround Beat The Deadline And Saved $63,000 — Wedding Photography Studio, Brampton
Client: A wedding photography studio · Where: Brampton, Ontario · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Late-filing penalty avoided$63,000
Filed with21 days to spare
Next yearPapers ready
The situation
With the deadline for xero setup and support weeks away, a wedding photography studio in Brampton, Ontario was carrying eighteen months of unreconciled transactions and a shoebox of receipts. The exposure if the date slipped was around $63,000.
What we did
We reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support. The filing went in complete rather than provisional, so there was no amended return to follow.
The result
Filed with 21 days to spare. $63,000 in late-filing penalties avoided, and the working papers are ready for the following year.
Case Study 3 · Cash and remittance control
$141,000 Of Working Capital Freed From The Tax Cycle — Equipment Rental Yard, Toronto
An equipment rental yard in Toronto, Ontario was profitable on paper and short of cash every month. Input tax credits claimed on receipts that had already been claimed once explained most of the gap.
What we did
We separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly and built a thirteen-week cash view so tax payments stopped competing with payroll for the same dollars.
The result
$141,000 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 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $117,000 Freed — Residential Cleaning Franchise, London
A residential cleaning franchise in London, Ontario was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and a bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account already in the file.
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 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. $117,000 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 5 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $81,000 Across 5 Open Years — Small Law Practice, Guelph
Client: A small law practice · Where: Guelph, Ontario · Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee
Recovered$81,000
Open years claimed5
Ongoing trackingIn place
The situation
An incentive review at a small law practice in Guelph, Ontario started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 5 years, driven by a bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account.
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 $81,000 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 · Backlog brought current
3 Years Filed, $95,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Mobile Pet-Grooming Company, Halifax
Client: A mobile pet-grooming company · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 5 weeks, fixed fee
Years filed3
Assessed balance removed$95,000
CollectionsStopped
The situation
A mobile pet-grooming company in Halifax, Nova Scotia had not filed for 3 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments, and the business was carrying a receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier 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 receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support, 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 $95,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
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.
