It’s tax time!

It is tax time and you may require assistance when filing your taxes and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) can help. They offer service in both official languages as well as via TTY service.  Their website at www.cra.gc.ca is an invaluable source of information for the 26 million tax filers in Canada.

Most Canadians get a tax refund and so it pays to file your taxes.  Low-income Canadians must file a tax return to access certain income support programs.  Free tax preparation software is available at www.cra.gc.ca/netfile.

It is important to avoid tax scams! The CRA will NEVER communicate with you via email.  If you get emails regarding your taxes, they are not legitimate and should be deleted immediately without opening the attachments.  If you receive a phone call from someone saying they are from the CRA and you are unsure if it is legitimate, hang-up and call the CRA directly and they will be able to call up your file and address any issues.  Never give personal information to a stranger.

Through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP), community organizations host free tax preparation clinics and arrange for qualified and security-cleared volunteers to prepare income tax and benefit returns for eligible individuals who have a modest income and a simple tax situation.  To see the clinics in Calgary, please visit www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/vlntr/clncs/calgary-ab-eng.html or call 1-800-267-6999.

If your enquiry requires CRA to access your account and release or update personal information, they will ask you to identify yourself. Please be prepared to provide the following:

• your social insurance number or business number;
• your name or business name;
• your complete address or complete business address;
• your date of birth (individual accounts only);
• for individual and trust accounts, details from your account or your most recently assessed return, notice of assessment, reassessment, or other tax document; and
• for business accounts, details from your business account or your most recently assessed business-related tax information return.

If you wish to deal with the CRA on someone else’s behalf, you must be an authorized representative.

For a full list of contact numbers for the various departments at CRA, please visit  www.lenwebber.ca/need-help-with-your-taxes/.

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