Free Tax Filing Program Set to Surpass $3 Million in Missed Tax Credits and Refunds for Vulnerable and Low-Income Canadians

 H&R Block's Returning Hope® program in partnership with 20 community support centres across Canada ensures vulnerable Canadians can access critical government benefits programs year round

CALGARY, AB, March 13, 2024 /CNW/ - More than 3 million Canadians live below the low income cut off, but each year thousands of them miss out on critical tax credits and government benefits because they didn't file their taxes. In its eighth year, H&R Block is running its Returning Hope^® Program, providing free end-to-end tax filing support to help low-income and vulnerable Canadians who may not otherwise be able to file.

Many Canadians aren't aware that even if you have limited or no income, filing taxes provides access to essential federal and provincial government tax credits, benefits, and programs. This includes the GST/HST credit, Employment Insurance, the Canada Child Benefit, the Canada Carbon Rebate, disability tax credits, the Canada Workers Benefit, and many more. Canadians must also file a current tax return to apply for affordable housing. For many vulnerable Canadians, it can be challenging to file their taxes for a number of reasons, such as not having a fixed address, access to a computer, a bank account, or the necessary documentation like government ID.

H&R Block's Returning Hope Program^® will run from March 17-23. This year, they're partnering with 20 regional community support centres to provide free tax filing to help low-income and vulnerable Canadians file their taxes. The week-long pro-bono tax clinics pair Canadians in need with an H&R Block Tax Expert to help them file, and gain access to credits and benefits they may be entitled to. To date, the program has helped file 4,075 tax returns and found more than $2.5 million in missed credits and refunds, and is expected to surpass $3 million in 2024.  This year, H&R Block welcomes six new community support partners to the program including Back Door Mission in Oshawa, the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre in Vancouver, Metro Community in Kelowna, Good Shepherd in Hamilton, Welcome Centre Shelter in Windsor, and Cool Aid in Victoria.

"The Returning Hope program is about changing lives for the better and can be a first step out of poverty," said Hilary Zaharko, Vice President, Marketing of H&R Block Canada. "Even for Canadians who have little to no income, filing taxes is important to access credits and benefits they may be entitled to throughout the course of the year. Our program provides free, on-site tax filing, which is so important as many individuals face challenges filing their taxes. Very often we see clients who don't have a fixed address, an email account, access to technology to or phones, or a bank account to deposit funds into." 

This year's program will run at the following 20 community support centres across Canada:

• Alberta: The Mustard Seed in Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Calgary and Edmonton.
• Ontario: Street Haven in Toronto, Inn From the Cold in Markham, The Ottawa Mission in Ottawa, St. Vincent Place in Sault Ste. Marie, the Good Shepherd in Hamilton, the Welcome Centre in Windsor, and the Back Door Mission in Oshawa.
• British Columbia: The Mustard Seed in Kamloops, the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre in Vancouver, the Metro Community in Kelowna, and Cool Aid in Victoria.
• Saskatchewan: Friendship Inn in Saskatoon.
• Manitoba: Siloam Mission in Winnipeg.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: The Gathering Place in St. John's.
• Nova Scotia: Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in Halifax.
• Quebec: The Benoit Labre Maison House in Montreal.

"For some clients, a tax refund can lead to significant life changes, including having the means to cover some core needs like paying first and last month's rent on a new place to live," said Zaharko. "We're proud to be able to make a difference in the lives of our neighbours." 

Special thanks to Lenovo Canada for providing the Returning Hope^® program with laptops to serve clients on-site at their community support centres. If your organization is interested in joining the Returning Hope^® program, reach out to [email protected], or visit hrblock.ca for further information. 

About H&R Block Canada

A trusted partner of Canadians for 60 years, H&R Block Canada is Canada's tax leader. Serving almost 1,000 locations across Canada, H&R Block's team of Tax Experts use the latest in technological advances combined with real-world expertise to help people file taxes in office, through drop off service, upload their documents remotely, or use do-it-yourself Tax Software. H&R Block Canada can support in the preparation of personal, small business, corporate, U.S., rental, and estate taxes. H&R Block's comprehensive education program, Tax Academy, trains new experts and ensures our Tax Experts continually update their skills. Learn more at www.hrblock.ca or 1-800-HRBLOCK.

SOURCE H&R Block Canada Inc.

H&R Block Canada (c/o Ketchum), Amanda Federchuk, 416-505-0517, [email protected]