For people living with low incomes in Canada, tax time is an important opportunity to access a wide range of federal and provincial/territorial benefits and credits. However, many people with low incomes experience barriers to tax filing that prevent them from accessing these important sources of income.

We gathered insights on tax-filing knowledge, motivations, experiences, and supports accessed. The most complicated aspects of the tax filing process for participants were: Tax form navigation, refund calculation, and document compilation. Participants tax filed primarily to access benefits and get money back. Our findings also suggest different ways policy makers and practitioners can improve tax filing experiences for Canadians living on low incomes.