UW’s Accounting and Finance Student Association (AFSA) is hosting its 2024 annual tax clinic in late March, open to students claiming a T2022 tuition credit. Low-income individuals and families will also be eligible for free tax return services.
Ben Ma, one of the leaders of the tax clinic, encourages students to take advantage of this cost-free service. “Students don’t realize that when they’re not filing tax returns, they’re not filing for benefits. This year, low income benefits are quite substantial – you can get around $1,300 just from filing your tax return.”
This year, the clinic will be operated by around 200 volunteers, mainly from the UW school of accounting and finance. Specializing in the field, a majority of these volunteers have co-op experience, with some alumni having about eight years of professional experience.
“Year over year, we see that when people come in to file taxes they’re looking for experience, but once they get through the first shift, the first tax return, they realize the value it’s giving back to the community,” Ma said.
The clinic has returned to normal operations since the COVID-19 pandemic, having been canceled in 2020 due to lockdowns and reorganized virtually in 2021. A large amount of backlog had to be processed in the years following, due to a decreased amount of people filing their tax returns during the pandemic. Numbers before the shutdowns show substantial growth in usage with approximately 400 clients accessing the service in 2014, increasing to 1,200 in 2019. Last year, about 1,300 students in low-income residences used the service, indicating a return to pre-COVID levels.
The clinic will be open on March 23, 24, 30, and 31 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the UW Science and Teaching Complex, where intake receptionists will take information and give further instructions. More information, including eligibility criteria, is provided on their website at https://www.uwafsa.ca/taxclinic.
