Need a hand to prepare your tax return?

It’s tax season! If you have a simple tax situation and modest income, you may be eligible to get help to file your income tax and benefit return through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP). Even if you have no income to report for 2015, you should still file your income tax and benefit return to be eligible to receive certain tax credits and benefits on time.

The CVITP is a 45-year old community-based program supported by the Canada Revenue Agency. Last year, through the CVITP’s Need a Hand campaign, over 2,300 community organizations and 17,000 volunteers prepared and filed more than half a million tax returns on behalf of eligible individuals across the country.

Free volunteer tax preparation clinics are generally offered from mid-February to the end of April each year. More information is provided in this video, which is available in multiple languages.

Who can the CVITP help?

The CVITP is available to anyone with modest income and a simple tax situation and may include:

• social assistance recipients;
• newcomers to Canada;
• seniors; and
• students.

CVITP volunteers do not prepare tax returns for complex situations, such as:

• returns for deceased persons;
• individuals who file for bankruptcy;
• self-employed individuals;
• individuals who report capital gains or losses;
• individuals who report employment expenses; or
• individuals who report business or rental income and expenses.

Need more information?

To get more information about the Need a Hand campaign, or to find a free tax preparation clinic in your area, go to www.cra.gc.ca/volunteer.

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For media information

Date modified:

2016-02-17