Volunteer Tax Program

THE 2024 TAX SEASON

The Volunteer Tax Program is here to help you with your taxes. We provide free tax filing services by professional student volunteers who are trained to Canada Revenue Agency standards. All U of C students, staff, and faculty (with campus ID) are welcome to use our services.

The Volunteer Tax Program is ramping up for the 2024 season. Tax preparation appointment bookings will take place in two phases:

  1. Phase 1 runs from February 17 for all appointment available February 24 to March 21, 2025.
  2. Phase 2 runs from March 17 for all appointments available from March 24 to April 4, 2025.

NEW! WALK-IN DAYS AVAILABLE

The Volunteer Tax Program is now offering two walk-in Saturdays for those not able to book appointments.

  • When? Saturday, March 29, 2025 and Saturday, April 5, 2025.
    Walk-ins accepted from 9:00AM to 5:00PM on these days ONLY.
  • Where? Clubs East, Room 130 (MacEwan Hall, lower level near Jugo Juice)

Eligibility Requirements

  • Only open to Ucalgary students, staff, faculty and alumni
  • Single with income below $35,000
  • Single parent with one child and income below $45,000 (increase limit by $2,500 for each additional dependent)
  • Married/Common Law Couple with income below $45,000 (increase limit by $2,500 for each additional dependent)
  • No Foreign property owned with a value greater than $100,000 CAD or ANY Rental properties
  • No capital gains or losses (Selling property, stocks, crypto, etc)
  • No self employment income (Uber, Private tutor/babysitting, Doordash, jobs that pay commission, etc)

THINGS TO BRING TO YOUR APPOINTMENT

Please ensure you bring printed copies of all relevant documents and receipts to your appointment. If you do not bring printed copies, you will be asked to get them printed before continuing with your appointment; otherwise, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment.

  • All relevant tax slips (Could include T4s, T5s, T5007, T4A, etc.)
  • Any receipts for child care, medical expenses, and RRSP contributions
  • Government issued photo-identification AND UCID/Campus ID
  • Social Insurance Number
  • Tuition receipts (such as T2202, TL11A, or TL11B)
  • Charitable donation receipts
  • 2023 and 2022 Notice of Assessment
  • Medical expenses *
  • Moving expenses *

* Restrictions apply. See more in the ELIGIBILITY requirements.

Other miscellaneous things

  • During intake appointments, customers should be prepared to book a pick-up appointment for 2 weeks later. (they will either receive their completed tax return or will be given their tax return to mail into the CRA themselves if we are unable to file it)
  • Proof of Vaccination NOT required.
Please see below for a list of alternative filing options for you to complete and file your tax return(s):

Low Cost Services

  • H&R Block

Free Services

  • CVITP clinic: Utilize another free tax clinic in Calgary. Find a tax clinic in your area (cra-arc.gc.ca):
    1. Look up “CVITP” on your browser.
    2. Click on the result “Free Tax Clinics – Canada.ca”
    3. Under Services and Information select “Find a tax clinic in your area”
    4. Select province, city, desired clinic type, and language.
    5. Scroll through the entries to find the closest and most convenient free clinic.
    6. All the information you need to access and use each clinic is provided by clicking on the clinic name!
  • UFile Online: File taxes yourself. It is an easy-to-use alternative and free for students with this offer code: CFS1981. UFile | Tax Software for Canadians. Get the best tax refund.
  • File my Return: File my Return is a free, secure, and easy to use telephone service for eligible people with low income or a fixed income whose situations remain unchanged from year to year. Those who are eligible have received an invitation letter in the mail or in their T1 income tax and benefit package. File my return – Canada.ca

Please be advised that this list of resources is for general informational purposes only and is provided in good faith. The Students’ Union, University of Calgary does not warrant, endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for the accuracy or reliability regarding these third-party resources.

FAQ

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to visit us in the tax clinic or send us an email at vstax@ucalgary.ca.

  • WHAT IS A NOTICE OF ASSESSMENT (NOA) AND WHERE DO I FIND IT?

    The NOA summarizes tax tax return from the prior year and provides key carry forward information for the current year’s tax return. If you have never filed Canadian taxes before, you will not have a NOA. If you have filed Canadian taxes in the past, you will have a NOA. You can get it from your CRA online account or you can call CRA at 1-800-959-8281 and gather 4 key numbers: Federal tuition carry forward amount, provincial tuition carry forward amount, RRSP Deduction Limit, and Unused RRSP Contribution Carry Forwards. These are the 4 amounts you will need to complete your tax return.

  • WHAT ARE TUITION CREDITS? AND HOW DO I GET THE MONEY I PAID FOR TUITION BACK IN MY POCKET?

    As an incentive to pursue post-secondary education, the federal and provincial government allows the use of tuition credits. Tuition credits are non-refundable, meaning that they can only be utilized to the extent that they reduce the amounts you owe to CRA to begin with. If you had a very little or no income throughout the year, your tuition credits will not be used. Instead, you can either transfer them to a parent or spouse (up to a maximum of $5000) or carry them forward indefinitely. Example: Zane earns $10,000 in 2019 and he pays $6,000 of tuition. Because Zane does not earn more than the minimum income level for tax (which is about $13,000), he will not need to apply any of his tuition credits. He can transfer $5,000 to his parents or spouse, and then carry forward the remaining $1,000. He can also carry forward the the full $6,000. In the future, when he earns more income, Zane can claim his tuition credits to receive a refund of his taxes paid. More information can be found here.

  • HOW WILL THE ELIMINATION OF ALBERTA EDUCATION AND TUITION TAX CREDITS EFFECT MY TAXES?

    Effective January 1, 2020, Alberta students will no longer be able to claim provincial tuition and education credits. However, you will still be able to claim 2019 tuition credits and carry forward any unused amounts indefinitely. Federal tuition and education amounts will still apply until further notice. Read more about the provincial change here.

  • MY FRIEND GOT $XX.XX FOR A REFUND BUT I ONLY RECEIVED $XX.XX. WHY IS THAT?

    Your refund (or balance owing to CRA) is determined by a series of complex calculations. The maximum amount your refund can be is the amount of income tax that was already deducted from your employment income. If you would like additional information in regards to how your refund (owing) was calculated, don’t hesitate to drop by the tax clinic or send us as email.

WHO ARE WE AND WHAT DO WE DO?

The Students’ Union Volunteer Tax Program (SU VTP) at the University of Calgary began operating in 2000 in associated with the CRA’s Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. Since then, our program coordinators, Client Relations, EFILE, and Audit Team Leads, along with over 100 trained volunteers, assist members of the campus community in completing and filing their tax returns for free, either by e-filing or providing a mail-in tax return to clients.

WHAT IS THE STUDENTS’ UNION VOLUNTEER TAX PROGRAM?

The Canada Revenue Agency, and other Community Volunteer Income Tax Programs (CVITPs) similar to ours, host free tax preparation clinics all over Canada for qualifying low-income individuals, seniors, and new immigrants and families. Every year at the University of Calgary, qualified volunteers are selected to prepare tax returns for eligible members of the campus community – many of whom are students and university employees. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), in conjunction with the Students’ Union Volunteer Tax Program team, provides training and tax software to over 100 volunteers who help to file over 1,000 returns annually.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE SU VOLUNTEER TAX PROGRAM?

The Volunteer Tax Program is specifically designed to help low income individuals with limited income. To check your eligibility, please click here.

BE A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY

Volunteer opportunities can be found here.

Volunteer Opportunities
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