Discover financial empowerment resources
Discover financial empowerment resources
Interpreting the data: Key takeaways from Welfare in Canada, 2023. For nearly 40 years, the annual Welfare in Canada series and its predecessors have documented the depth of poverty that persists for people receiving social assistance. The 2023 edition builds on this work to provide a...
The Welfare in Canada reports look at the total incomes available to those relying on social assistance (often called “welfare”), taking into account tax credits and other benefits along with social assistance itself. The reports look at four different household types for each province and...
In November 2023, Prosper Canada hosted two national, virtual roundtable sessions on closing the gap in tax filing and improving benefits access for under-served populations. The roundtables brought together more than 50 participants from government, industry, and community organizations to start a...
Filing a tax return is one of the most important ways for Canadians to access income benefits. However, numerous barriers can make tax filing challenging, particularly for people living on low incomes. After engaging with 31 individuals, we discovered that there are disruptors and compounders that...
The disability tax credit (DTC) is an important program for those facing severe and prolonged physical or mental impairment. Some individuals face unique barriers when it comes to completing their application and claiming the credit. On this page, the CRA is correcting some of the most common myths...
The external evaluation firm, Taylor Newberry Consulting, evaluated the Benefits Wayfinder between June 2022 and January 2024. This infographic showcases the feedback received based on feedback collected from 500 users and over 35 organizations across Canada. Impact: L'orienteur en mesures...
This article by Credit Canada answers many questions around tax filing. For instance, what happens if you don't file your taxes, or you don't pay any tax owing. It also addresses the benefits of filing your taxes. Click on "Access this resource" to learn...
This CRA site has information on what Indigenous Peoples should know about the tax return they send to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and how that return can result in various benefit payments. There's also information on available tax filing...
Every year, scammers take advantage of income tax filing season to try to trick Canadians into divulging sensitive personal information that scammers can use to commit fraud or into sending money to pay off fictitious "debts". How to spot most tax season scams There are often red flags that the...
The Canada Disability Benefit is an opportunity to guarantee that people with disabilities can live a life with dignity and have an adequate standard of living. For the new Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) to meet its goal of financially supporting and reducing poverty of people with disabilities,...
This publication is an outreach product to help promote the program "How to open a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) for yourself or a loved one with a disability". This infographic was created in response to feedback from stakeholders and was designed in collaboration with experts in...
This report provides insights from the project, including highlighting the challenges people with disabilities in British Columbia face in their journey to get income benefits, the opportunities to remove those barriers and implications for future benefits design. The demand for access to benefits...
The overall purpose of the collaborative project between Seneca College and Prosper Canada was to build a supportive booking system for tax clinics serving low-income...
The Expanding Economic Opportunity Through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (EEOVITA) cohort has been working to identify and engage targeted, underserved populations most at risk for missing out on the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) benefit. This project, which began in January 2022 and concludes...
Organizations play a vital role in providing community members with access to benefits. Tax clinics, homeless shelters, food banks, health centres and others can all do their part to provide these services. This free 60-minute demonstration will showcase our new Bridge to Benefits tool which...
Bridge to benefits: Implementing benefits access in social service has been created for organizations that are interested in starting, refining or expanding their work in access to benefits services. This includes benefits services such as helping to fill out applications, providing access to...
The Welfare in Canada reports look at the total incomes available to those relying on social assistance (often called “welfare”), taking into account tax credits and other benefits along with social assistance itself. The reports look at four different household types for each province and...
The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) has shared three tax credits seniors should know about: Age amount Disability amount (for yourself) Pension income amount You may also learn more about sharing tax credits and splitting pension income with your...
Searching for government benefits can feel like wading through a huge ocean of information. With so many benefits programs out there, it can be hard to know where to start. This webinar will teach you how to help people seeking ways to boost their incomes and/or reduce their expenses by...
This infographic by community food centres Canada provides a helpful visual summary of tax benefits that can add to income or reduce the taxes Canadians pay when they file their tax return. The information is especially useful for people: Working or living on a low income; Living with a...
Managing money is challenging. In the current economic environment, it has become even more difficult. For people living on a low-income, managing the day-to-day expenses, let alone life changes or emergencies, can be overwhelming. Prosper Canada has created an online course that you can share...
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...
The CRA has compiled benefits and credits factsheets for: Students Persons with disabilities Modest income individuals Housing insecure individuals Adults 65 and older Women in shelters Indigenous peoples Newcomers These are available in English and...
In this webinar you will learn about the barriers facing people with disabilities in accessing benefit programs and the work currently underway to identify, influence and pilot solutions to help advance the access to benefits process now and in the future. This webinar includes: - An...
Canada’s tax system has a punitive impact on lower income families with children hoping to earn more money, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Softening the Bite: The Impact of Benefit Clawbacks on Low-Income Families and How to Reduce It,” authors Alex Laurin and...