Share your thoughts: Supporting newcomers to Canada filing their income tax and benefit return

The Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) People First philosophy guides the CRA to meet client needs and expectations by putting people at the centre of everything we do. The philosophy reinforces the importance of engaging people to understand their experiences, the issues they face, and how we can improve our services to align with their needs.

The CRA hosted consultations to collect input from service provider organizations and community organizations working with newcomers who have arrived in Canada within the past five years. Our goal was to better understand how to support newcomers and the organizations that assist them in filing an income tax and benefit return.

Consultation methodology

The CRA conducted nineteen in-depth interviews with representatives from service provider and community organizations who assist newcomers in filing an income tax and benefit return. These organizations were identified through pre-existing relationships with the National Settlement and Integration Council (NSIC) and organizations who have previously interacted with the CRA.

The consultation interviews were conducted online via Microsoft Teams and lasted between 30 and 60 minutes.

Key objectives of the consultations

• To understand if newcomers are aware of the benefits and credits they could be eligible for prior to filing their first income tax return.
• To learn about the common issues newcomers face in accessing benefits and credits and/or filing their tax return.
• To understand if newcomers are aware of the need to file their taxes, how to improve awareness, and where they go for financial and tax related information.
• To understand if/how service provider organizations and community organizations interact with the CRA.
• To identify opportunities for the CRA to improve its interactions with service provider organizations and community organizations serving newcomers.

What we learned

Participants shared valuable insights regarding the barriers faced by both staff and clients, and how these barriers impact their experience. The findings were grouped into two themes:

Theme 1 – Barriers newcomers face when navigating the taxation system and accessing benefits and credits

• Limited understanding by newcomers of Canada's tax system and the eligibility criteria for benefits and credits
• Language barriers and complex tax language in government letters and websites
• Confusion about filing requirements, reporting income, and providing necessary information to apply for benefits
• Difficulties in contacting the CRA, understanding contact centre and outreach session communications, and accessing online information
• Challenges in accessing support and resources, including tax clinics, due to a preference for seeking help from friends, family, or other trusted sources

Theme 2 – Feedback on ways to address the barriers and improve services to newcomers

• Provide multilingual documentation and plain language resources
• Offer step-by-step guides, practical filing information, and access to trained staff for free tax filing support
• Improve contact services by increasing subject matter expertise and minimizing wait times
• Better assist newcomers by enhancing collaboration and supports available for settlement organizations and educational institutions
• Offer pre-arrival tax information and convenient outreach sessions
• Simplify and improve the clarity and accessibility of online information resources and forms
• Provide targeted support for newcomers with varying levels of tax literacy, including offering a range of resources and support services for those who prefer to file their own taxes
• Enhance training for settlement provider organization staff and expand resources for tax clinics

Related information

Benefits, credits, and taxes for newcomers - Canada.ca

Contact us

Individuals who want to get more information may contact us by sending an email to: BOMS/SMDP@cra-arc.gc.ca.