Plan Scoping
Every engagement begins here. Before the Tax Compliance and Cash Flow Plan is built, we review your existing bookkeeping, tax filings, corporate records, and government accounts to understand your current position, identify outstanding issues, and determine the scope of work required.
A complete picture of your current position
The review covers the documents and accounts that reflect the actual condition of your file: what has been filed, what is outstanding, and what the Plan will need to account for.
- Bookkeeping records
- Prior tax returns
- GST/HST and QST accounts (where applicable)
- Payroll accounts (where applicable)
- CRA and Revenu Québec correspondence
- Corporate records (if incorporated)
- Accounting software review
- Outstanding filing obligations
- PSB risk screening, where relevant
Every business has a different history
Prior tax returns may have errors. Government accounts may carry outstanding balances or unresolved correspondence. Bookkeeping may be incomplete or categorized incorrectly. Corporate records may not reflect the current ownership or officer structure. These are common situations, not exceptional ones.
Before agreeing to a Tax Compliance and Cash Flow Plan, we review the existing file so we understand the current position, identify outstanding issues, and define the work required. The review is what lets the Plan be built on facts: real filing dates, real responsibilities, real cash flow, not assumptions.
It also protects you. Starting an engagement without a clear picture of the file means pricing based on assumptions. Plan Scoping replaces assumptions with facts.
What to expect after you submit your documents
Plan Scoping is completed after all requested documents have been received. If we are not the right fit, you still receive a written findings summary at the conclusion of the review.
Start with a 15-minute introduction
Plan Scoping begins after a 15-minute introduction. In that conversation, we discuss your business, your current accounting and tax situation, and whether this is the right fit to work together. If we decide to proceed, we send a document checklist and a short engagement agreement for the review.
Book a 15-minute introductionFrequently asked questions
Why is there a review before the Plan is built?
Every business has a different history. Prior tax returns may have errors, government accounts may have outstanding balances, bookkeeping may be incomplete, or corporate records may not be current. Before agreeing to a Tax Compliance and Cash Flow Plan, we review the existing file so the Plan reflects the actual filing dates, responsibilities, and cash flow, not assumptions. It also protects both parties from starting an engagement with hidden problems.
What documents are required for Plan Scoping?
Plan Scoping typically requires bookkeeping records, prior tax returns, CRA account access, government correspondence, and corporate records where applicable. After the 15-minute introduction, we send a specific document checklist based on your business structure and situation.
What happens after Plan Scoping?
What Plan Scoping finds becomes the Tax Compliance and Cash Flow Plan: filing dates for the year ahead, who is responsible for each item, and estimated cash flow tied to those dates. If your books are in reasonable shape, the Plan is priced on that basis. If cleanup work is needed first, that work is identified and quoted separately. Agreeing to the Plan is the engagement letter.