It’s tax time! Don’t panic: there’s free tax help

Doing your taxes shouldn’t be expensive. Here are some tips to save you time and money this tax-filing season.

Get your taxes done for you

If you have a modest income and a simple tax situation, volunteers from the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program may be able to do your taxes for you—for free. Tax clinics are usually open from February to the end of April, with some open year-round.

To find a clinic near you, use the MyCRA mobile web app at canada.ca/cra-mobile-apps or go to canada.ca/taxes-help.

Get help doing your taxes

• Check out the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) list of certified software, including free products, and join the majority of Canadians who file online.
• Make tax filing simpler. The CRA’s auto-fill my return service fills in parts of your current and prior-year tax and benefit return automatically. It’s available in certain NETFILE certified software, some of which is free. To use it, you must be fully registered for My Account.
• Asking a trusted friend or relative to help you do your taxes? If you want them to take care of all your tax affairs, like filing your return and checking your refund, you can give them your permission online by using the “Authorize my representative” service in My Account or by filling out Form T1013, Authorizing or Cancelling a Representative and sending it to the CRA.

Get help managing your tax affairs

• Use My Account to manage your tax and benefit affairs online. My Account allows you to track your refund, change your return, check your benefit and credit payments, print a proof of income statement, view your RRSP limit, change your address and marital status, and more.
• Get information on the go. The free MyCRA mobile web app gives you secure access to important tax information, such as your notices of assessment, the status of your tax return, and more. If you get benefits and credits, you can use the free MyBenefits CRA mobile web app.

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