FREE TAX CLINIC

Do you need help with your tax return? You may be eligible if you have a modest income and a simple tax situation.

A free tax clinic is a place where eligible people can get their tax returns done for free by volunteers. They are hosted by community organizations across Canada through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) and the Income Tax Assistance - Volunteer Program (ITAVP) in Quebec. Techquila Freelancing Inc. will be hosting a Free Tax Clinic.

There are different types of free tax clinics.

  • Walk-in
  • Drop-off
  • By appointment
    • In Person
    • Virtual
    • Virtual - Northern Communities

Walk-in:

a clinic where your tax return is completed during advertised hours on a first-come, first-served basis. No appointment needed.

Drop-off:

a clinic where your income tax documents are dropped off during advertised hours. Your tax return will be completed by a volunteer, and you will pick it up at a later time. You will have to prove your identity when you pick up your tax return and documents.

By Appointment:

a clinic where an appointment is needed to file your tax return. Appointments can be in person or virtual.

  • In person: a volunteer will do your tax return at a scheduled time.
  • Virtual: a volunteer within your province or territory will do your tax return at a scheduled time by videoconference or by phone, both will be recorded.
  • Virtual - Northern Communities: if you are a resident in a prescribed zone, a volunteer who may or may not be located within your province or territory, will do your tax return at a scheduled time by videoconference or by phone. 

Watch for our Free Tax Clinic between February and May.

Our program is free to eligible individuals with a modest income and simple tax situation. 

What you need:

 

  • Tax information slips (slips prepared by your employer)
  • Receipts
  • Social Insurance Number
  • Identification
  • Previous Notice of Assessment (when possible)

ALL ABOUT VOLUNTEERING

Join our mission to empower your community by helping tackle their taxes. Make a difference—one return at a time!

  • There are certain requirements for Volunteers:
  • CVITP volunteers must meet the requirement of their role before they can participate.
    • If you will have more than one role, register for the role that has the highest requirements.
  • Affiliate with a CVITP community organization.
    • Volunteers must participate through a CVITP community organization, like us. 
    • You do not need to be a member of the organization.
    • You can be affiliated with more than one organization.
    • CRA’s coordinators and/or Techquila can help match you with an organization after you register as a volunteer.
  • Be located in Canada.
    • Primary place of residence in Canada
    • Must be physically present in Canada when preparing and submitting returns under CVITP.
  • Must be 18 years or older to prepare and file tax returns.
    • No age limit for volunteering with the CVITP.
    • Coordinator must have EFILE and RepID
  • Act professionally and respectfully.
    • You are expected to conduct yourself in a professional manner.
    • You are expected to respect the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
    • You are expected to respect all CVITP participants regardless of race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, or religion.
  • Volunteers are required training.
    • CVITP volunteers are required to complete training
    • Follow the CVITP procedures outlined in the training.
  • Keep taxpayer information secure and confidential
    • Safeguard taxpayer information.
    • Be responsibile in this respect.
    • Depending on the information handles, a police record check may be needed.
  • Provide services free of charge
    • Volunteers cannot charge for this volunteer service.
    • Volunteers must decline any offers of monetary reward.
    • Bring any monetary reword to the attention of your CRA coordinator immediately.
  • Identify yourself as a volunteer
    • You must identify as a CVITP volunteer.
    • You must not present yourself as an employee or representative of the CRA or Revenu Québec.
  • Avoid a conflict of interest
    • Do not create a conflict of interest between your work as a volunteer and your private or business activities.
    • Never promote your private or business activities to individuals you serve through the CVITP.
    • If you have an EFILE number for professional use, you must get a separate EFILE number for the CVITP.

Volunteer registration is available year-round, but we recommend you register/renew starting the fourth week of October to be ready for tax season. Register early to prevent delays and ensure you don’t miss important information.

 

There are a couple roles that you can volunteer for:

Coordinator

  • You must register or renew your EFILE and RepID, this process can take up to 30 business days to process. You must have this before you can volunteer.
  • As the primary contact with the CRA, you will communicate with and assist volunteers, organize and schedule tax clinics, prepare and/or file returns, review tax information, and distribute software activation keys.

 

Support

  • You do not need to register for EFILE and RepID before you can volunteer.
  • Volunteers in support roles provide general assistance and do not prepare or file tax returns. Depending on your support role, you may handle or have access to taxpayer information. Support roles include:

    • Greeter: is the taxpayer’s first point of contact at in-person clinics

    • Interpreter: facilitates communication between the taxpayer and volunteer by acting as a translator

    • Screener: ensures taxpayers have the required paperwork and helps organize documents. Screeners may also help to ensure taxpayers meet program eligibility criteria

    • Administrator: schedules appointments, makes follow-up calls, books space for tax clinics, and performs other administrative tasks

 

Training consists of how to do taxes, using tax software, and determining their responsibilities. There are a couple ways to do the training.

  • Web-based training

  • In-Person Training

  • Virtual Training Sessions

 

Volunteers at virtual clinics may complete taxes by:

  • Videoconference

  • By phone

  • Drop-off clinic

 

Before you register for any of these roles, you need to determine if you will access or handle taxpayer information. The CVITP registeration is free and we will cover the police check if needed. Please note, the police check is valid for three years.

REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER

  • Please complete all requirements for the role(s) you register to volunteer in.
  • Returning volunteers will be required to enter their Volunteer Identification Number (VIN) when registering for the program.
  • The Volunteer Identification Number (VIN) is a unique and permanent, eight-digit identification number. It will remain the same for a volunteer year after year, even if there has been a break in program participation.
  • Any volunteer approved to participate in the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) will be assigned a VIN and retain it for the duration of their participation in the program.

You will not access or handle taxpayer information, click below.

You will access or handle taxpayer information, click below:

OBTAIN A VALID POLICE RECORD CHECK