The Buzz

CRA: Help members of your community access benefits and credits by hosting a free tax clinic

Whether it’s the Canada Child Benefit, the GST/HST credit, or the Climate Action Incentive, benefits and credits are essential for helping families with the rising cost of living. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is committed to making it easier for people with low or modest incomes to access these important benefits and credits.

Free tax clinics hosted through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) and Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program (ITAVP) in Quebec are at the heart of these efforts. So far in 2022, over 3,300 community partners and 14,500 volunteers have helped over 630,000 people access benefits and credits by completing their income tax and benefit returns.

To reach even more Canadians, we’re enhancing the funding available  to community organizations through our grant for hosting free tax clinics, also known as the CVITP Grant.

Here’s what you need to know about the CVITP Grant:

• There’s a new formula for the CVITP Grant, which increases the amount of money awarded to eligible organizations, especially those that work with Indigenous and Northern communities.
• To ensure all eligible organizations have the opportunity to benefit from the funding changes, the CRA is reopening the 2022 CVITP Grant online application portal from November 21 to December 31, 2022.
• If your organization has already applied for the 2022 CVITP Grant, you do not need to resubmit an application.
• CVITP Grant funding is retroactive, which means your organization must first register for and host a free tax clinic through the CVITP or ITAVP before you can apply for funding.
• Only organizations that hosted free tax clinics between June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 can apply during the reopened 2022 CVITP Grant application period.
• Organizations that host free tax clinics after May 31, 2022 can apply for the 2023 CVITP Grant when the regular application period opens in Spring 2023.

Here’s how much money eligible organizations could receive:

    $500 for the basic needs of running a free tax clinic

+  $250 for organizations that serve Indigenous communities

+  $250 for organizations that serve Northern communities

+  $5 for each federal tax return filed

=  total funding amount*

*Up to a maximum of $30,000

Here’s what you need to know about hosting a free tax clinic:

Free tax clinics are a collaboration between non-profits, charities or community groups and the CRA. You can choose to host in-person or virtual clinics, where volunteers complete taxes by videoconference, by phone, or through a drop-off clinic. If you’re interested in hosting a free tax clinic, the CRA will work with you and provide support to help run your clinic.

For more information on hosting a free tax clinic, go to canada.ca/taxes-volunteer or contact a CRA coordinator.

For more information on hosting a free tax clinic in Québec, go to revenuquebec.ca/volunteers