Tax Clinics
Each year, UTSU helps over 600 students file their taxes at its annual tax clinic that provides members with FREE 1-on-1 assistance from student volunteers (who have completed Canada Revenue Agency training). Appointments will be held in-person at the Student Commons, 230 College Street.
International students need to bring certain documents and information to your appointment. See what documents you need here.
Tax Clinic 2022 Highlights:
- We provided tax filing assistance to over 350 students!
- This year we offered in person and virtual appointments
- We had a team of 27 tax volunteers who provided help with 2020 and 2021 taxes
- Volunteers committed > 600 hours to the clinic
- Assisted undergraduate students, graduate students, and student families
Documents to have for your appointment (If Applicable):
- Photo ID (Required) (e.g student card or government ID)
- Most recent Notice of Assessment (note: only for people who previously filed taxes)
- Social Insurance Number (SIN) (Required to EFILE)
- T4 – Salary/wages (T4 provided by employer)
- T4A – Scholarships, bursaries
- T2202 – Tuition fees and education amount (get it from ACORN)
- T5 – Investment income
- RRSP contributions
- Charitable contributions
- Medical expenses (not covered by a medical plan)
- Property taxes or rent paid (rent cheques or a letter from your landlord)
- For international students, the date of arrival to Canada, and immigration status (if a new immigrant)
- For parents, a list of your dependents, exact dates of birth, and SINs, spouse, partner info
(This list will be emailed to you when you book your appointment or you can download a PDF version here.)
NOTES: Appointments are first come first served. If you visit the booking site and no appointments are available please check back regularly as slots are opened each week based on volunteer availability.
UTSU tax volunteers may assist with simple tax situations only. We may be unable to help when a student: makes more than $55,000 annually; is self-employed; has capital gains or losses; has foreign or interest income over $1000; has declared bankruptcy; or $1000 or more appears in Box 48 on the T4A form.
If you are a family (e.g. married, common-law), you must use the book a Student Family Tax Appointment option on the booking page when scheduling your appointment.
Students looking to file for family members must have their family members (and their relevant documentation) present at the appointment.
Newcomers to Canada need to have their date of arrival to Canada and immigration status available.
UTSU Tax Clinic 2023
NOTE: We are receiving a high volume of appointment requests. Please check back periodically, as new appointments are added each week based on volunteer availability. Thank you!
2022 Tax Filing Appointment
- Sign-up for appointments start on March 20, 2023
- Appointments available from April 3 to May 2, 2023
2022 Student Family Tax Appointment
- Sign-up for appointments start on March 20, 2023
- Appointments available from April 3 to May 2, 2023
The clinics are held in partnership with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) who provides training for volunteers under the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. This free service is reliant on volunteer participation and runs roughly 6 weeks.
We are not currently recruiting volunteers. For any inquiries email tl.crc@utsu.ca.
The Canadian Federation of Students and UFile ONLINE have joined together to provide FREE online tax preparation and filing for all Canadian post-secondary students. To be eligible for this special offer, the student must be a resident of Canada, have tuition fees and have attended school for at least one month during the tax year being prepared.
To access the free UFile tax service:
- Student signs in to a new or existing UFile account for the current tax year.
- Enter tuition fees and months at school and click NEXT.
- Scroll to locate the “Special offer” form in UFile’s left-hand navigation.
- Enter the following Canadian Federation of Students “Free for Students” special offer code: CFS1981 and click NEXT.
- Enter tax information and then print or NETFILE the income tax return.
APUS–UTGSU also runs a FREE Tax Clinic for their members – services@apus.ca.
If a student will transfer tuition credits to their parents or grandparents, they may prefer to have their tax return completed together with theirs. Tuition credits that are not used or transferred to a supporting person in the current year will be carried forward by UFile for future use by the student.
Other free tax clinics may be researched (by location) on the Canada Revenue Agency website by searching “Find a tax clinic in your area.”
For more information contact hello@utsu.ca
Testimonials
“I have lived and went to school in several different countries and have enjoyed living in Toronto these last four years! I am currently employed in a work-study position as a Student Success Programs Study Groups Assistant at UofT. Having never lived and filed taxes in Canada, I didn’t have much knowledge about the process. I am so grateful to Ben and the UTSU Tax Clinic for streamlining the process and providing helpful information!”
Sophia, Tax Clinic Student Client
“The UTSU tax service is a wonderful asset to be confident about your taxes. Especially, if you have to be independent and are unsure about small details. Their virtual service this year was so easy to schedule. The volunteer I had was thorough and patient and scheduled me for 1.5h, plenty of time to get everything done together and he followed up immediately with outstanding questions. I enjoyed my experience and wish this was available when I was an undergrad!“
Priya, Tax Clinic Student Client
“My name is Anna and I’m a 2nd year PharmTox student! The tax clinic was incredibly helpful. I used it last year, too, and since I hadn’t done my taxes myself at home, this definitely saved me a lot of stress, especially around finals season. The volunteers were very friendly and helpful, and I’m really grateful for their help!”
Anna, Tax Clinic Student Client
“I enjoyed my time as a volunteer with the tax clinic and, in light of the pandemic, being able to help others and lessen the stress on their lives was very fulfilling to me. I know that tax season can be very daunting for many people, from my experience having helped my own parents and siblings with their taxes. In this small way, as a tax clinic volunteer, I got to meet peers from all sorts of backgrounds and from all over the world, while assisting with this important – but often confusing – part of student finances.”
Jonathan, Tax Clinic Volunteer
“The UTSU Tax Clinic is an amazing opportunity to learn important skills such as filing personal taxes as well as assisting clients with their tax-related concerns and conflicts. As a volunteer, I found the process smooth due to the training and material provided by the CRA as well as the Tax Clinic. Overall, it was a great way for me to apply what I have learned in my tax courses in real life while meeting and aiding fellow students at U of T.“
Tenzin, Tax Clinic Volunteer