Tax Resources and Supports
There are various agencies that offer multilingual support to low-income Calgarians to help them with filing their taxes.
Importance of Filing Taxes
A tax is a compulsory financial contribution imposed by law to raise government revenue (1). Residents of Canada are required to file their Income taxes on employment and other income that they receive. The deadline for filing taxes is April 30.
Benefits of Filing Taxes
In Canada many benefits aimed at people living on low incomes are administered through the income tax system. This means filing taxes is a critical step in accessing benefits that have the potential to boost household incomes (2). Learn about taxes and benefits:
How to File Taxes
Online: There is a free tax software available to file your taxes online. Learn about NETFILE at canada.ca/netfile.
On paper: Download a tax package at Canada.ca/taxes-general-package.
Free tax preparation clinics: A free tax clinic is a place where eligible people can get their tax returns done for free by volunteers. Access a tax clinic near you by visiting canada.ca/taxes-help.
What you’ll need to file taxes
Use the checklist below to get ready to prepare your taxes.
Social insurance number and other personal data
Income T-slips or RL-slips
Records of any other income, such as an income statement from your self-employment
Receipts for tax deductions, including medical expenses, charitable donations, childcare or caregiver expenses, monthly transit passes, etc.
Data from past tax years such as your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contribution limit, repayments required under the Home Buyers Plan or Lifelong Learning Plan
The tax package sent to you by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or the Agence du Revenu du Québec (ARQ)
Tax filing for self-employed
In Canada, you can be taxed on other forms of income. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) offers a free Liaison Officer service to owners of small businesses and self-employed individuals to help them understand their business tax obligations. Learn more here.
Avoiding frauds and scams
As a taxpayer, you should be cautious if you receive any communication that claims to be from the CRA and requests personal information such as a social insurance number (SIN), credit card number, bank account number, or passport number. If you are unsure and want to confirm if the CRA contacted you, call the CRA:1-800-959-8281. Learn other ways to protect yourself against fraud.
Information cited above come from the following sources: