7 reasons to file a tax return
There are many good reasons to keep up to date on your tax filing each year. You may file a tax return even if you don’t have any income. It could help you access certain refundable tax credits and other benefits.
There are many good reasons to keep up to date on your tax filing each year. You may file a tax return even if you don’t have any income. It could help you access certain refundable tax credits and other benefits.
The CRA has compiled benefits and credits factsheets for: These are available in English and French.
The Canada workers benefit (CWB) is a refundable tax credit to help individuals and families who are working and earning a low income. The CWB has two parts: a basic amount and a disability supplement. You can claim the CWB when you file your income tax return. Learn more including eligibility requirements, how to apply and how much you can expect to receive by clicking on the Get It button below.
Most people know a little about investing, but they need to know more to be able to manage their investments to meet their goals. Try this quiz by the FCAC to see if your knowledge is basic or more advanced.
Last year, the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) helped to lift nearly four million children out of poverty and provided economic relief to millions of struggling households. However, many first-time and lapsed filers from underserved and vulnerable populations missed out on these critical benefits. Locating and serving eligible low-income youth, formerly incarcerated individuals, people experiencing homelessness, immigrants, survivors of domestic violence, and isolated tribal populations has presented a challenging opportunity to free tax prep service providers across the country. This research highlights the key findings and recommendations to increase the accessibility to the CTC.
Need help filing your taxes? You may be able to avail of the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. The Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) has existed since 1971 and is a longstanding partnership between the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and community organizations and their volunteers. Tax clinic volunteers complete tax and benefit returns for eligible individuals to ensure they receive, or continue to receive, their entitled benefit payments. In Québec, volunteers prepare both the federal and provincial tax return. The CVITP service is offered free of charge to everyone who meets the eligibility criteria, and includes doing taxes for the current and previous years. For the 2022 tax season, community organizations are hosting free in-person and virtual tax clinics.
Filing your taxes might be one of the most important financial actions you’ll take each year. It can also feel confusing or stressful at times. Find out more about how income tax works, including tax deductions and tax credits using the Ontario Securities Commission's interactive chart to see what tax bracket you are in.
In 2016, Prosper Canada partnered with the Ontario government and nine non-profit organizations through the Ontario Financial Empowerment Champions and Financial Empowerment and Problem Solving projects, to pilot delivery of community financial help services for low-income Ontarians. Third-party evaluations of both projects confirmed that the services provided addressed an unmet need, reduced client financial stress, and improved client financial outcomes. They also confirmed that almost all service users would recommend the services to others.
Intuit is committed to helping students across the country work towards a more prosperous financial future by equipping them with the education they need to feel confident about their taxes. Through the Intuit TurboTax Simulation, we are helping students overcome the fear of Tax Day. You do not need to be an expert to teach taxes, and we recommend teaching to grade levels 9-12.
This report presents the findings of an ethnographic research project undertaken by researchers at the Accelerated Business Solutions Lab (ABSL) at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). It is the second of a series of ethnographic reports on the experiences of vulnerable populations. The objective of this study is to develop the CRA’s understanding of newcomers’ experiences as they first encounter the Canadian tax and benefit system. These findings illuminate potential directions for improving tax and benefit information and services available for newcomers.
A free online course to learn about personal income taxes in Canada, developed by the Canada Revenue Agency. Contents include: Additional resources for teachers and facilitators are available.
The Canada Revenue Agency administers dozens of cash transfer programs that require an annual personal income tax return to establish eligibility. Approximately 10–12 percent of Canadians, however, do not file a return; as a result, they will not receive the benefits for which they are otherwise eligible. In this article, we provide the first estimates of the number and characteristics of non-filers. We also estimate that the value of cash benefits lost to working-age non-filers was $1.7 billion in 2015. Previous literature suggests either a rational choice model of tax compliance (in which the costs of filing are weighed against its benefits) or a more complex behavioural model. Our study has important consequences for policy-making in terms of the administrative design and fiscal costs of public cash benefits attached to tax filing, the measurement of household incomes, and poverty rates.
In 2020, The Behavioural Insights Team partnered with United Way and Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre to develop and test an email intervention to increase participation in tax filing clinics. An "active choice" email (sample email) significantly increased response rate and attendance to virtual clinics.
The Get It Back Campaign helps eligible workers in the United States claim tax credits and use free tax filing assistance to maximize tax time. A project of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Campaign partners with community organizations, businesses, government agencies, and financial institutions to conduct outreach nationally. For 30 years, these partnerships have connected lower and moderate-income workers to tax benefits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). Their website contain a variety of outreach materials that can be adapted for your organization, including:
The Canadian Disability Tax Credit (DTC) can help reduce the taxes you or someone who supports you owe. It also offers a lot of other great benefits. To apply for the DTC, your healthcare provider will need to fill out the Disability Tax Credit Certificate (form T2201). This tool is designed to give them the information they need to fill out that form
Tips and considerations for providing alternative tax filing service delivery.
Considerations and best practices for drop-off and virtual tax filing services.
Program strategies grounded in an understanding of your community can increase the likelihood of engagement and follow-through. The following resources are intended to support VITA programs with implementation strategies at key program stages, like outreach and intake, and offer examples of how other virtual VITA programs have addressed critical challenges.
This toolkit has been created to support the Virtual Self Filing tax filing model piloted in 2020 by community agencies in Ontario. In this model, individuals file their own tax return but receive support from community agency staff or volunteers to do so. This resource was made possible through funding from Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation and Intuit Canada. We are grateful to Woodgreen Community Services and EBO Financial Education Centre for their contributions to this resource. If you are interested in adopting the Virtual Self Filing tax filing model in your own agency using the TurboTax for Tax Clinics software, please contact Ana Fremont (Program Delivery & Integration Manager) at [email protected]
Virtual self-filing model
This section contains resources that describe the flow of the virtual self-file model (two options), and examples of scripts and documents that may be used to support the process. These may be customized for your own agency.
Guide to the virtual self-file model of tax filing
Virtual self-file overview (Journey map)
Sample script: Recruiting clients for the virtual self-file project (Used in 2020)
Email templates (Independent filing method)
Booking confirmation email sample (Two-step method)
Sample introduction scripts (Woodgreen)
Sample disclaimer statement
Sample client intake form (Woodgreen)
Document and income eligibility check
Sample document check form (Woodgreen)
Virtual review of tax return: Quick tips
Additional support resources
This section contains additional resources to support at tax time. Be sure to also review our Tax filing toolkit and Financial Coaching toolkit for other relevant resources.
Sample client profiles (Woodgreen)
Common tax deductions
Common sources of income and their tax slips
Notice of Assessment – how to read it
Questions and answers released by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) about filing your taxes, including information on:
During 2020, alternative approaches to the traditional community tax clinic model have become even more valuable as COVID-19 lockdown measures prevented in-person program delivery. In response to the growing demand for alternative ways to deliver tax-filing support, Prosper Canada partnered with Intuit Canada and three community organizations in Ontario to pilot a virtual tax-filing model that empowers individuals to complete their tax return themselves. The pilot was supported by tax experts and volunteers who helped guide individuals through the TurboTax for Tax Clinics Canada software. The webinar speakers are: This webinar is ideally suited for frontline practitioners exploring alternate ways to deliver tax-filing support to vulnerable Canadians. Click 'Get it' below to access the video link, and scroll down to access handouts, slides, and video timestamps for this webinar.
Handouts, slides, and video time-stamps
Read the presentation slides for this webinar.
Download the handout for this webinar: Process map: Virtual Self-File model overview
Time-stamps for the video recording:
4:01 – Agenda and introductions
5:59 – Audience polls
10:27 – Project introduction (Speaker: Ana Fremont, Prosper Canada)
14:31 – Tour of TurboTax for Tax Clinics (Speaker: Guy Labelle, Intuit)
17:59 – Woodgreen project pilot (Speaker: Ansley Dawson, Woodgreen Community Services)
27:35 – EBO 2-step process (Speaker: Marc D’Orgeville, EBO)
39:26 – Woodgreen program modifications (Speaker: Ansley Dawson, Woodgreen)
46:03 – Q&A
This tax season, community tax clinics across Canada will be preparing to support clients virtually rather than in person amidst physical distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adapting to a virtual tax clinic model means preparing for different ways of volunteer preparation, client outreach, and delivering one-on-one tax-filing help. Click 'Get it' below to access the video link, and scroll down to access handouts, slides, and video timestamps for this webinar.
In this one-hour webinar, speakers from the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will share key considerations for Canadian practitioners operating tax clinics in 2021, as well as how to access CVITP program training and support.
This webinar is designed to support practitioners delivering community tax clinics in Canada.
Handouts, slides, and time-stamps
Disability Alliance BC supports people in British Columbia with disabilities through direct services, community partnerships, advocacy, research and publications. Their website provides information on disability benefits including the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), CPP Disability, Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSP) and more.
This resource offers a set of common indicators that community organizations can use to measure the reach and impact of their financial empowerment (FE) programming. It is intended for any community organization that works to foster greater financial well-being for economically disadvantaged Canadians. This resource compiles the key performance indicators (KPIs) and presents them for use by community organizations beyond the National Financial Empowerment Champions (FECs) partners. The KPIs have been refined in response to partners’ feedback and in recognition of developments in the FE field, ensuring that the definitions reflect current and best practices in the field of financial empowerment/financial literacy in Canada and the USA.
This paper explores the intersection of digital innovation, digital services, access, and taxpayer rights in the Canadian context, in light of the experiences of vulnerable populations in Canada, from the perspective of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman. Many aspects of the CRA’s digitalization can further marginalize vulnerable populations but there are also opportunities for digital services to help vulnerable persons in accessing the CRA’s services.
The CVITP provides people, who may otherwise have difficulty accessing income tax and benefit return filing services, with an opportunity to meet their filing obligations. Often, filing a return is required to gain access to, or continue to receive, the government credits and benefits designed to support them. This report illustrates that the CRA needs to take a broad, country-wide perspective of the CVITP, while also taking into consideration regional and other differences. Services offered and training provided to volunteers need to reflect the realities of the diverse regional, geographic, socio-economic, workforce, and vulnerable, sectors throughout Canada. Different areas of the country will have different primary needs from the CVITP. The CRA needs to address those needs, both in its actions through the CVITP, as well as in the training provided to CVITP volunteers and the support given to partner organizations.
The mandate of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman is to assist, advise, and inform the Minister about any matter relating to services provided by the CRA. The Taxpayers’ Ombudsman fulfills this mandate by raising awareness, upholding taxpayer service rights, and facilitating the resolution of CRA service complaints issues. Through independent and objective reviews of service complaints and systemic issues, the Ombudsman and her Office work to enhance the CRA’s accountability and improve its service to, and treatment of, people. and systemic issues. This is the Annual Report of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman for 2019-20.
The position of Taxpayers’ Ombudsman (the Ombudsman) was created to support the government priorities of stronger democratic institutions, increased transparency within institutions, and fair treatment. As an independent and impartial officer, the Ombudsman handles complaints about the service of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman hears first-hand the concerns of individuals, tax practitioners, and community support organizations. The Ombudsman visited with Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) partner organizations, volunteers, and the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) CVITP coordinators to learn more about the program and to understand the success stories and challenges they all experience. This report gives voice to what they have heard and provides recommendations on how to address the issues raised.
WoodGreen Community Services, a large multi-service frontline social service agency in Toronto, provides free tax preparation services year-round to people living on low incomes. WoodGreen was interested in designing a novel solution to address the tax filing needs of homebound seniors who are unable to access WoodGreen’s free in-person tax-preparation services due to physical or mental health challenges. Specifically, WoodGreen wanted to know… How might we provide high-quality professional tax preparation services to all clients whether or not they are onsite? Prosper Canada and a leading commercial tax preparation software company partnered with WoodGreen Community Services in order to answer this design question.
Many frontline community organizations provide free tax preparation services to people living on low incomes across Canada using a variety of methods. However, when COVID-19 struck, a large majority of agencies offering free tax-filing supports were forced to close their doors and halt in-person services. Non-profit organizations, EBO (Ottawa) and WoodGreen Community Services (Toronto) with a long-standing history of delivering tax-filing supports, needed to explore alternative models that catered to the different needs of their clientele. Prosper Canada and Intuit, a leading commercial tax preparation software company, partnered with WoodGreen and EBO, in order to answer this design question. These journey maps describe the process of this service flow, from intake to client sessions and post-session activities.
Benefits and credits provide income and financial support for many individuals. This toolkit contains information on common tax credits and benefits, benefits for specific populations, and practitioner resources including case studies and information on identification documentation for accessing benefits. We are grateful to West Neighbourhood House in Toronto, Ontario for their contribution in the development of the practitioner resources in this toolkit and to Momentum in Calgary, Alberta for their content consultation support. Worksheet resources in this toolkit are available as fillable PDFs. Please open with Adobe Acrobat Reader for full functionality. Prosper Canada launched the Benefits wayfinder on January 19, 2022. Latest update on April 8, 2022: The toolkit is now available in French.
This toolkit contains resources and information which may offer support to organizations, agencies, or frontline staff supporting individuals, during a challenging time. This toolkit was developed in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and more resources will be added as they become available. If you have a resource or would like to submit tips to be included in a future addition, please write to: [email protected]. Added on Feb 26, 2021: Answers to your questions about paying back CERB - Canada Revenue Agency
Added on Feb 11, 2021: Tax information for Indigenous peoples - Government of Canada
Government/public service information for Canadians during COVID-19
This section will be updated as more actions are taken in response to COVID-19.
Government of Canada information
(Information on the current situation, health and safety, financial and economical support)
Income tax filing and payment deadlines – Canada Revenue Agency
Free tax clinics go virtual – Canada Revenue Agency
Changes to taxes and benefits – CRA and COVID-19 – Canada Revenue Agency
Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan – supports available for individuals and businesses – Department of Finance Canada (updated)
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) –
(Information on EI, Labour Program, Passport Services, Canada Student Loans)
COVID-19: How FCAC is responding – Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)
COVID-19: Warning of potential financial fraudsters – Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)
COVID-19 student loan adjustments – National Student Loan Centre
Applicants Guide – Social Insurance number (applications now by mail only) – ESDC
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – Government of Canada
Service Canada service adjustments
Contact info during COVID-19 – Service Canada
Alternative Service Canada e-services delivery link – Service Canada
Applying for Employment Insurance – Important Notice (English) – Service Canada
Informations importantes pour présenter une demande d’assurance-emploi (Francais) – Service Canada
Service request online form – Service Canada
Non-government Canadian resources
COVID-19: Resources for Workers and Renters – Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
COVID-19 – Updates on the Law and Legal Services (Ontario) – Steps to Justice
Canada’s Six Biggest Banks Take Decisive Action to Help Customers Impacted by COVID-19 – Canadian Bankers Association (CBA)
Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic – The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
Financial help for Canadians affected by COVID-19 – CBC News
Indigenous Community Support Fund – Government of Canada
Resources for non-profits during COVID-19 – Prosper Canada resource collection
Benefits information for Canadians during COVID-19
Financial Relief Navigator tool (Prosper Canada)
Canada recovery benefits
Answers to your questions about paying back CERB – Canada Revenue Agency
News release: CERB repayments for self-employed individuals – Government of Canada
After CERB: Transitioning to new benefits – Government of Canada
Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) – Canada Revenue Agency
Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) – Canada Revenue Agency
Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) – Canada Revenue Agency
Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)
Apply for Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) with CRA – Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Canadian Emergency Response Plan (CERB info sheet) – Government of Canada
Canadian Emergency Response Plan – French (CERB info sheet in French) – Government of Canada
What is the CERB? – Prosper Canada
FAQ: Canada Emergency Response Benefit – Prosper Canada (updated June 10th)
CERB: What you need to know about cashing your cheque – FCAC
COVID-19 Benefits (summary, includes Ontario) – CLEO/Steps to Justice
COVID-19 and Income Assistance – CLEO/Steps to Justice
GST/HST credit and Canada Child Benefit
COVID-19 – Increase to the GST/HST amount – Government of Canada
Canada Child Benefit Payment Increase – Government of Canada
Benefits payments for eligible Canadians to extend to Fall 2020 – Government of Canada
Support for students
Support for students and recent graduates – Government of Canada
Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) – Government of Canada
General emergency government benefits information
COVID-19 measures to help Canadians (benefits and credits factsheet) – Government of Canada
COVID 19 measures: Money to help you (child family benefits factsheet) – Government of Canada
COVID 19 measures: Money to help you – French (child family benefits factsheet in French) – Government of Canada
COVID-19 Economic Response Plan (supports for individuals factsheet) – Government of Canada
COVID-19 Economic Response Plan – French (supports for individuals factsheet in French) – Government of Canada
Changes to taxes and benefits: CRA and COVID-19 – Government of Canada
Summary of Financial Benefits Under Canada’s COVID response plan (Multi-language) – Refugee Sponsorship Training Program
Support for organizations and businesses
Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) Calculator – CRA
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy – Your questions asked – Imagine Canada
COVID-19 Emergency Support to Community Organizations (Infographic) – Government of Canada
COVID-19 Aide D’Urgence Aux Organismes Communautaires (infographie) – Government of Canada
Information by Canadian province/territory
Alberta
Financial Supports for People Impacted by COVID-19 – Momentum
3 Tax Filing Changes that Everyone Should Know – Momentum
Alberta’s COVID-19 response – Government of Alberta
British Columbia
BC Emergency Benefit for Workers – Government of British Columbia
New emergency fund for parents of children with disabilities – Government of British Columbia
New mental health supports and virtual counselling – CAMH British Columbia
Mental Health and COVID-19 | HealthLink BC – Government of British Columbia
Staying Safe at Work – WorkSafe BC
BC Crisis Supplement – Government of British Columbia
Manitoba
Province of Manitoba COVID-19 Information and Support – Government of Manitoba
New Brunswick
Quick Reference Guide – Support for New Brunswick Workers and Students – NBjobs.ca, Government of New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
COVID-19 updates, FAQs, supports – Government of Newfoundland & Labrador
Public Advisory: Information for Income Support Clients Regarding the Canada Emergency Response Benefit – Government of Newfoundland & Labrador
Northwest Territories
COVID-19 information – Health and Social Services NWT
Backgrounder: Wave 2 Economic Relief Measure details – Government of NWT
Nova Scotia
Novel coronavirus – Information and support for Nova Scotians – Government of Nova Scotia
Some social assistance recipients qualify for CERB payments – The Nova Scotia Advocate
EnergyAssist – free energy programs in Nova Scotia
Government of Nova Scotia programs, services and information
Nunavut
Nunavut’s Path: Living with COVID-19 – Department of Health Nunavut
Ontario
COVID-19: Support for people – Government of Ontario
Increase to Ontario GAINS payments for seniors – Government of Ontario
COVID-19 resources: Information about government programs, income support, housing support, and more – Social Planning Toronto
COVID-19 Resources – Association of Municipalities of Ontario
COVID-19 – Updates on the Law and Legal Services – Steps to Justice
COVID-19 current support for social assistance recipients – Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services
COVID-19 and Income Assistance – CLEO/Steps to Justice
Prince Edward Island
COVID-19 information, updates, support for business and workers – Government of PEI
Saskatchewan
Support for Businesses and Workers – Government of Saskatchewan
Quebec
COVID-19 – Financial assistance for workers – Government of Quebec
COVID-19 – Tout savoir sur les mesures en place pour les consommateurs – Union des Consommateurs
Yukon
Information about COVID-19 – Yukon.ca
Canada Emergency Response Benefit to be exempted from Yukon Social Assistance – Yukon.ca
All
Overview of Government Responses to COVID-19 – FP Canada
How does COVID-19 relief differ across Canada? – Canada’s National Observer (dated March 30, 2020)
Summary of Property Tax Deferrals in Canada – creditcardGenius
Budgeting/spending
Budgeting resources
Five different budgeting methods – Prosper Canada
Cash flow budget template – PDF – Prosper Canada
Cash flow budget template – fillable PDF – Prosper Canada
Simple budget template – PDF – Prosper Canada
Simple budget template – fillable PDF – Prosper Canada
Ten ways to trim expenses – Prosper Canada
Ways to save at the grocery store – Prosper Canada
5 budgeting app ideas – Prosper Canada
COVID vs Personal Budget tool – EBO Ottawa
Managing COVID-19 financial stress – Mental Health Commission
COVID-19 Aid and Recovery Education (CARE) packages – CPA Canada *NEW
COVID-19 Aid and Recovery Education (CARE) packages in French – CPA Canada *NEW
Tracking spending/bills
Expenses tracking sheet – PDF – Prosper Canada
Expenses tracking sheet – fillable PDF – Prosper Canada
Tracking fluctuating expenses – Prosper Canada
Prioritizing Bills tool – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Spending tracker tool – CFPB
Cutting expenses tool – CFPB
Online budgeting tools
Budget Planner (free) – Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)
Budget Calculator Spreadsheet (downloadable Excel sheet) – MyMoneyCoach.ca
Spending Habits Calculator – GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca
Debt and credit concerns
Action planning
Guide for talking to creditors – Prosper Canada
Steps to debt repayment – Prosper Canada
Managing bills and debt during an emergency – Prosper Canada
More resources
Options you can trust to help with your debt – Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy
Credit Counselling Canada – for 1:1 debt counselling support
Resources to help during COVID-19 – Credit Counselling Society
Debt Help / COVID-19 Resource Centre – Credit Canada
Financial Relief in Canada during the coronavirus pandemic – Credit Counselling Society
COVID-19 Resource Centre; legal and business information – Torkin Manes
Covid and Credit – Equifax Canada
Financial coaching/One-on-one resources
Coaching during an emergency
Managing during an emergency: Tips for individuals – Prosper Canada
Thrive Even When Life Feels Chaotic and Uncertain – Momentum
Financial coaching at a distance: Tips for practitioners – Prosper Canada
Going virtual with your financial consultations – CFPB
Coaching skills and tools
Coaching skills: Active listening – Prosper Canada
Coaching skills: The art of acknowledgement – Prosper Canada
COACH-ing moments – Prosper Canada
Mind mapping (to support brainstorming) – Prosper Canada
‘Plan, do, review’ action planning template – Prosper Canada
Technology support
Connected Canadians (technology support for seniors)
Youth teaching adults – ABC Literacy
Financial services/Consumer safety
Banking
No-cost and low-cost bank accounts in Canada – FCAC
Account comparison tool – FCAC
What do do if you’re facing financial hardship (Includes bank fees which may be refunded) – FCAC
Frauds and scams
CERB and other COVID-19 scams – Prosper Canada (NEW!)
Escroqueries liées à la PCU et autres fraudes courantes durant la pandémie de COVID-19 – Prospérité Canada (NEW!)
COVID-19 fraud – Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
COVID-19 specific frauds and scams – CanAge
Virtual asset safety/future planning
Tips to create a plan for your digital assets – CFPB
Resources by population group (seniors, newcomers, Indigenous people)
Resources for supporting seniors
COVID-19 specific frauds and scams – CanAge
COVID-19: Support for Seniors – CARP
COVID-19 Updates – Money Matters: Benefits, Taxes, Banking, Financial Relief, and Scams – The Council of Aging in Ottawa
Increase to Ontario GAINS payments for seniors – Government of Ontario
Changes to GIS and public pensions under COVID-19 – Government of Canada
New Horizons program for seniors – Government of Canada
New supports for seniors announced (May 12) – Prime Minister’s Office
Resources for supporting newcomers
Coronavirus: Financial assistance for newcomers, temporary residents, and refugees – Government of Canada
Summary of Financial Benefits Under Canada’s COVID response plan (Multi-language) – Refugee Sponsorship Training Program
Information for Newcomers – Settlement.org
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
Resources for Indigenous people
Tax information for Indigenous peoples – Government of Canada
Indigenous income tax issues – Government of Canada
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Indigenous communities – Government of Canada
Resources for people with disabilities
COVID-19 Measures for Persons with Disabilities (DTC info sheet)- Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
COVID-19 Measures for Persons with Disabilities – French (DTC info sheet in French) – Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Disability Tax Credit Tool – Disability Alliance BC
Disability Inclusion Analysis of Government of Canada’s Response to COVID-19 (report and fact sheets) – Live Work Well Research Centre
Support for homelessness sector
Homeless Supports – Social Planning TO (Toronto)
Resources: Coronavirus COVID-19 – Canadian Network for the Health and Housing of People Experiencing Homelessness (CHH3)
A Pandemic Response and Recovery Toolkit for Homeless System Leaders in Canada (Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness)
Disaster Recovery Toolkit – Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA (HUD)
Adapting to a ‘virtual work enviroment’
Meeting
The new normal? Leading and thinking in virtual teams – a toolkit – Kineo.org
Tamarack’s guidelines for working remotely – Tamarack Institute
Four tips to ease your virtual meeting stress – Global Learning Partners
Learning
Online Learning: Designing for Engagement and Collaboration – IDEO
As a senior, you may be eligible for benefits and credits when you file your taxes. The Canada Revenue Agency has tips to help you get all of them! This page includes tips for seniors at tax time and links to relevant Government of Canada resources.
If you file your taxes in the United States, you can learn how your tax return can kickstart your savings. This guide from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau walks you through some fast and easy ways to use your tax refund to increase your savings. This guide covers multiple topics including: why save your tax return, how to save money fast, affordable ways to file your taxes, and how to protect yourself from tax fraud.
This infographics from the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) show information about the program by province for the tax filing year 2019, including number of returns filed and amount of refunds and benefits accessed. The information is presented in English and French. Les informations sont présentées en anglais et en français.
This report explores the behaviors and outcomes related to savings and financial well-being of low- and moderate-income (LMI) tax filers in the United States. Findings from research conducted by Prosperity Now, the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis and SaverLife (formerly EARN) during the 2019 tax season are presented. This analysis is unique in that it compares tax filers' outcomes over time across three different tax-filing and savings program platforms: volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) sites, online tax filing through the Turbo Tax Free File Product (TTFFP), and SaverLife's saving program.
Prosper Canada and AFOA Canada are pleased to collaboratively tell the story of The Shared Path: First Nations Financial Wellness. This work was undertaken in the spirit of reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous people in Canada and creating a more equitable and inclusive society by closing the gaps in social, health, and economic outcomes that exist between us. This report defines financial wellness in the context of First Nations Peoples and communities, reviews why it matters, provides a conceptual framework to help clarify the determinants of financial wellness, and identifies barriers, needs, best practices and principles for building the financial wellness of Indigenous individuals, families, and communities together.
A tax refund is often the largest amount of money a low-income household will receive throughout the year. It offers a unique opportunity to think long term and save for the future. Thus, in 2018, Momentum launched a new pilot program called Tax Time Savings (TTS), presented by ATB. It was through a dedicated collaboration with ATB Financial, Aspire Calgary, Sunrise Community Link Resource Centre, Centre for Newcomers, and First Lutheran Church Calgary that made it all possible. This report shares results and highlights from the 2018 Tax Time Savings program. 93% of participants earned the maximum match of $500.
Are you a newcomer to Canada, or someone who works with newcomers? This online tool will help you explore five money modules to better manage your finances in Canada. Learn about the financial system in Canada, income and expenses, setting goals and saving, credit and credit reports, and filing taxes. Updated July 26, 2022: My money in Canada provides important information about Canada’s financial system and promotes positive money management habits to support Canadians to succeed financially. Interactive exercises and checklists support you to make informed choices and to create a customized financial plan that works for you. Originally designed to support newcomers to Canada as they settle and establish themselves financially, My money in Canada has been updated to serve all Canadians, including those who are new to Canada.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s continuing effort to encourage saving at tax time is now part of a larger Bureau initiative to support people in building liquid savings. The new initiative is called Start Small, Save Up. The vision for Start Small, Save Up is to increase people’s financial well-being through education, partnerships, research, and policy or regulatory improvements that increase people's opportunities to save and empower them to realize their personal savings goals. This paper provides a description of how having liquid savings contributes to people’s financial stability and resiliency, and the unique opportunity that tax time offers to begin saving for the short and longer term. Starting to save or continuing to save when receiving a tax refund may lead to longer term financial well-being.
The Canadian Financial Diaries Research Project is using the financial diaries methodology to understand the financial dynamics of vulnerable Canadians in a rapidly changing socio-economic context. This includes understanding the barriers and opportunities that people face in trying to improve their financial and overall well-being. The website shares research insights and news about the project as the different phases of research are synthesized.
This webinar shares results on Statistics Canada research on barriers to uptake for the Canada Learning Bond (CLB). Specifically, this research examines whether tax filing or Social Insurance Number (SIN) access are greater barriers to accessing the CLB. Read the slides which accompany this Statistics Canada webinar. (Lire les diapositives en francais). Regarder la vidéo en français.
Introduced in 1998, the Canadian Education Savings Program (CESP) was designed as an incentive to encourage education savings for the post-secondary education of a child. The program is centred on Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs), where savings accumulate tax-free until withdrawn, to pay for full- or part-time postsecondary studies such as a trade school, CEGEP, college, or university, or in an apprenticeship program. The CLB was introduced in 2004 specifically for children from low income families. CLB provides, without family contribution being required, eligible families with an initial RESP payment which may be followed by annual payments up until the child is aged 15 years old. The objective of this paper is to assess the extent to which not tax-filing and not having a SIN for a child could pose a challenge to accessing the CLB and the CESG. This study will address the knowledge gap by analyzing overall differences in SIN and tax-filing uptake by family income, levels of parental education, family type and Indigenous identity of the child. The findings will help understand access issues related to the CLB but also to other programs with similar administrative conditions. En francais: Accéder au Bon d’études canadien: l’atteinte des critères d’identification et d’éligibilité selon le revenu.
In this report, The Common Cents Lab and MetLife Foundation share findings from the experiments we have run over the past several years with VITA providers to improve tax-related outcomes. We encourage you to consider implementing these ideas and engaging in additional conversations about how to use behavioral science to increase financial capability for all taxpayers. The report outlines a series of interventions that exemplify
ways these best practices have been implemented in the field and
how to use behavioral science to further extend their impact. We’ve
organized these interventions into two categories:
A lack of emergency savings renders low-income households vulnerable to material hardships resulting from unexpected expenses or loss of income. Having emergency savings helps these households respond to unexpected events, maintain consumption, and avoid high-cost credit products. Because many low-income households receive sizable federal tax refunds, tax time is an opportunity for these households to allocate a portion of refunds to savings. We hypothesized that low-income tax filers who deposit at least part of their tax refunds into a savings account will experience less material and health care hardship compared to non-depositors. Six months after filing taxes, depositors have statistically significant better outcomes than non-depositors for five of six hardship outcomes. Findings affirm the importance of saving refunds at tax time as a way to lower the likelihood of experiencing various hardships. Findings concerning race suggest that Black households face greater hardship risks than White households, reflecting broader patterns of social inequality.
Tax time financial capability services offered at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites range from encouraging taxpayers to save a portion of their refund to free credit reviews, to referrals to financial coaching, and others in between. This report from Prosperity Now summarizes research findings on VITA programs offering asset-building and financial capability services. Specifically, findings address barriers to be overcome, facilitating factors, and the opportunities for targeted outreach, tailored messages, and policy improvements to move the needle on Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) take-up rates.
This is a one-hour webinar on the tax filing experiences of Canadians living on low incomes, and some successful strategies frontline practitioners can use to reduce stress at tax time for participants, in their delivery of community tax clinics. The speakers in this webinar are: Click 'Get it' below to access the video link, and scroll down to access handouts, slides, and video timestamps for this webinar.
Handouts, slides, and time-stamps
Read the presentation slides for this webinar
Handouts for this webinar:
Tax time insights research report – webinar handout (Prosper Canada)
Income tax checklist – webinar handout (The Working Centre)
Form for missing income information – webinar handout (The Working Centre)
Income tax return summary sheet – webinar handout (The Working Centre)
Host checklist for tax clinics – webinar handout (The Working Centre)
Forms for rental information – webinar handout (The Working Centre)
Referral to FEPS – webinar handout (The Working Centre)
Time-stamps for the video-recording:
3:10 – Introductions and Agenda
6:32 – Audience polls
10:52 – Tax time insights: Experiences of people living on low incomes (Speaker: Nirupa Varatharasan)
26:00 – The Working Centre tax clinic experiences (Speaker: Jen Smerdon)
The research symposium "Overcoming barriers to tax filing for people with low incomes" was held in Ottawa on Thursday, February 7, 2019, hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit. The symposium presents research results and insights from practitioners in the field on barriers to tax filing experienced by people with low incomes, challenges and opportunities in tax filing and benefits assistance programs, strategies to boost tax filing, and innovations in tax filing assistance.
Barriers to tax filing experienced by people with low incomes
Income tax filing and benefits take-up: Challenges and opportunities for Canadians living on low income, Uttam Bajwa, University of Toronto
Tax time insights, Nirupa Varatharasan, Prosper Canada
“Stories from the field”: Contextualizing the barriers Indigenous People face, Erin Jeffery, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
Closing the tax-filing gap: Challenges and opportunities
The Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, Nancy McKenna, CVITP, Canada Revenue Agency
Supporting organizations in the CVITP, Aaron Kozak, Employment and Social Development Canada, and Melissa Valencia, Canada Revenue Agency
A Realist analysis of nonprofit tax filing services, Kevin Schachter, University of Manitoba and SEED Winnipeg
National and regional strategies to boost tax filing
The Community Volunteer Income Income Tax Program, Nancy McKenna, Canada Revenue Agency
GetYourBenefits! Diagnose and Treat Poverty, Dr. Noralou Roos, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
Get your piece of the money pie, Althea Arsenault, New Brunswick Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation
Innovations in tax filing assistance
Scaling tax filing assistance, John Silver, Community Financial Counselling Service (CFCS)
Virtual Tax Filing Pilot, Radya Cherkaoui, Intuit Canada, and Steve Vanderherberg, Woodgreen Community Services
Innovative use of technology for VITA, German Tejeda,
In this presentation, German Tejeda, National Director of Financial Programs, Single Stop USA, shares results from the Virtual VITA Program in the United States since 2012. This presentation is from the session 'Innovations in tax filing assistance', at the tax research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, Radya Chaerkaoui, Senior Product Manager and Innovation Catalyst, Intuit Canada, and Steve Vanderherberg, Director-Strategic Initiatives, WoodGreen Community Services, share insights from their Virtual Tax Filing Pilot program. This presentation is from the session 'Innovations in tax filing assistance', at the tax research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, John Silver, Executive Director, Community Financial Counselling Service (CFCS), Winnipeg, shares insights from the low income tax program at CFCS. This program files almost 10,000 returns each year, and also provides tax clinic support to other agencies and delivers detailed training for tax clinic volunteers. This presentation is from the session 'Innovations in tax filing assistance', at the tax research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, Noralou P. Roos, Co-Director, GetYourBenefits! and Professor, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, explains how access to tax filing and benefits is an important poverty intervention. This presentation is from the panel discussion 'National and regional strategies to boost tax filing', at the tax research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, Simon Brascoupé, Vice President, Education and Training, AFOA Canada, explains the financial wellness framework and how tax filing presents opportunities for building financial wellness in Indigenous communities. This presentation is from the session 'Closing the tax-filing gap: Challenges and opportunities', at the tax research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, Kevin Schachter, Graduate Student at University of Manitoba and Information Manager at SEED Winnipeg, presents a realist analysis of nonprofit tax filing services. This presentation is from the session 'Closing the tax-filing gap: Challenges and opportunities', at the tax research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, Aaron Kozak, ESDC and Melissa Valencia, CRA, present findings from their research on the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP). This includes recommendations for structural changes to the program, review of CVITP training, changes to registration, and more. This presentation is from the session 'Closing the tax-filing gap: Challenges and opportunities', at the tax research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, Nancy McKenna, Manager, CVITP, Canada Revenue Agency, explains how the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) works. This includes eligibility requirements, the size of the program in 2017/2018, and partnerships. This presentation is from the session 'Closing the tax-filing gap: Challenges and opportunities', at the tax research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, Erin Jeffery, Outreach Officer with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) shares what the CRA Outreach team has learned about tax filing barriers facing Indigeous People in Canada. These barriers include lack of documentation, lack of trust, access to services, and challenges around accessing Canada Child Benefit. This presentation is from the session 'Barriers to tax filing experienced by people with low incomes', at the research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, Nirupa Varatharasan, Research & Evaluation Officer with Prosper Canada, explains the research methods and insights gathered in the report 'Tax time insights: Experiences of people living on low income in Canada.' This includes demographic information, the type of tax filing resources accessed by this population, and insights on the types of challenges and opportunities that result from their tax filing processes. This presentation is from the session 'Barriers to tax filing experienced by people with low incomes', at the research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
In this presentation, Uttam Bajwa, Global Health and Research Associate with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, reports on tax filing challenges and opportunities for Canadians living on low incomes. This includes the challenges of not knowing what to do, fear and mistrust, and challenges accessing supports. This presentation is based on the research conducted for the Prosper Canada report 'Tax time insights: Experiences of people living on low incomes in Canada'. This presentation is from the session 'Barriers to tax filing experienced by people with low incomes', at the research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.
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.
In this toolkit you'll find materials to help you learn about what's involved in tax filing, and some materials to support setting up your own community tax clinic. Updated February 14, 2023 Find the income tax package for the province or territory where you resided on December 31, 2022. Alberta Updated January 31, 2023: Updated January 9, 2023: Tax brackets have been indexed for inflation
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest Territories
Nova Scotia
Nunavut
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon
This infographic by Prosper Canada features advice to help Indigenous communities and organizations set up free income tax clinics. Advice was shared by clinic volunteers through a roundtable and interviews as part of the First Nations Financial Wellness project.
Operating at arm’s length from the Canada Revenue Agency, the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman (OTO) works to enhance the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) accountability in its service to, and treatment of, taxpayers through independent and impartial reviews of service-related complaints and systemic issues. OTO receives complaints and concerns from members of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. In this conference presentation, the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman provides examples of the types of issues her Office receives in order to provide community leaders with her insights in helping Indigenous people get better service from the CRA. In support of the AFOA Canada 2018 National Conference theme of Human Capital – Balancing Indigenous Culture and Creativity with Modern Workplaces, this presentation will provide participants with information on the types of issues and trends her office sees from members of the Indigenous communities and on better ways of serving these populations.
By providing a refundable credit at tax time, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is widely viewed as a successful public policy that is both antipoverty and pro-work. But most of its benefits have gone to workers with children. Paycheck Plus is a test of a more generous credit for low-income workers without dependent children. The program, which provides a bonus of up to $2,000 at tax time, is being evaluated using a randomized controlled trial in New York City and Atlanta. This report presents findings through three years from New York, where over 6,000 low-income single adults without dependent children enrolled in the study in late 2013. The findings are consistent with other research on the federal EITC, indicating that an effective work-based safety net program can increase incomes for vulnerable and low-income individuals and families while encouraging and rewarding work.
This webinar, "Planning a successful community tax clinic in Indigenous communities, Part 2," is the second in a 2-part series sharing information, community examples and promising practices with Ontario First Nation communities and Indigenous organizations to support the launch and planning of your own tax clinic that meets the needs of your community. The speakers are: This is the webinar video recording. Read the presentation slides for the 'Tax clinic planning for indigenous communities' webinar.
This webinar, "Planning a successful community tax clinic in Indigenous communities (Part 1)," is part one of two webinars trainings which share information, community examples and promising practices from Ontario First Nation communities and Indigenous organizations. This training will support the launch and planning of your own tax clinic that meets the needs of your community. Speakers are: Read the presentation slides from this webinar. View Part 2 in this webinar series.
Even if you make no money, you should file a tax return each year. You may be eligible for a refund (money back). Filing your taxes triggers access to government benefits that you can’t get any other way. This worksheet will help you gather the information you will need at tax time. You will need a file folder, an envelope, or a small box to put all of your paperwork in. This is worksheet #7 from the booklet 'Managing your money'.
This infographic by Prosper Canada summarizes the barriers to filing taxes faced by people living on low incomes. These barriers include access challenges, fear, lower literacy, and other challenges.
Financial Empowerment is a new approach to poverty reduction that focuses on improving the financial security of low-income people. It is an evidence-driven set of interventions that have proven successful at both eliminating systemic barriers to the full financial inclusion of low-income people and providing enabling supports that help them to acquire and practice the financial skills and behaviours that tangibly improve their financial outcomes and build their financial security. The Financial Empowerment approach focuses on community level strategies that encompass five main types of interventions that have been identified as both necessary for low-income households to improve their financial outcomes, and effective at helping them to do so.
This brief highlights findings from a small-scale pilot that integrated Virtual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services at two New York City Head Start programs during the 2013 tax season. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) coordinated the pilot in partnership with the Administration for Children & Families (ACF) Region Food Bank For New York City was the VITA provider. Participating Head Start programs included The Children’s Aid Society and Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC).