To volunteer for the income tax assistance program, you must be affiliated with a participating organization and register by completing the online registration form.

You must enter the name of the community organization you will be affiliated with on the form. If you are not currently volunteering for an organization, mention this on the form. A program coordinator will contact you to help you find an organization in your area. Note, however, that some areas need only a limited number of volunteers.

Requirements depending on your role

In addition to registering for the income tax assistance program, most volunteers must meet one or more requirements, depending on their chosen role.

• To file returns online, you must:
  • be 18 or over
  • have a valid social insurance number
  • be registered for EFILE and pass suitability screening
  • have a representative identifier (RepID) or get one using the Represent a Client service
  • be registered for NetFile Québec
• To prepare income tax returns on paper or using the program's tax software, without filing them electronically, you must:
  • be 18 or over
  • provide your organization with the results of a background check done in the past three years
• To handle or have access to personal and tax information, you must provide your organization with the results of a background check done in the past three years.
• To play a support role that does not involve handling or having access to personal and tax information, there are not any special requirements (i.e. you only need to register for the income tax assistance program).

Some community organizations assign only one role to each volunteer, while others may assign several roles to each one. That said, most organizations are looking for tax preparers.

How to register as a program volunteer

Step 1 – Complete the online registration form

To register for the income tax assistance program, complete the online registration form.

Step 2 – Register for the CRA and Revenu Québec online filing services

The online filing service allows authorized program volunteers to file income tax returns with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Revenu Québec online, using return preparation software.

Under the Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program, returns prepared using software are usually filed online with the CRA and Revenu Québec.

If you intend to file federal and Québec returns online, do the following as soon as possible:

• If you do not already have one, get a RepID using the Represent a Client service.

• Register for the EFILE service and get authorization from the CRA (the verification process can take up to 30 business days).
   

  Important

  If you do not intend to file returns online, do not request an EFILE number or renew your EFILE account. Only people who file returns online (with or without the Auto-fill My Return service) need to request an EFILE number or renew their EFILE account. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the suspension of your EFILE number.

   

• Ask the organization you are affiliated with to register you with Revenu Québec's NetFile Québec service to get the necessary authorization to file returns (you cannot register yourself).

Step 3 – Get a background check

Depending on your role, you may need to get a valid background check.

If so, you will have to provide the organization you volunteer for with the results. Note that the organization can also request to have the results sent directly to them.

To be valid for the purposes of the income tax assistance program, the background check must:

• have been done in the past three years
• not contain anything that would constitute a violation of the program's conditions or terms of use

A background check can be done by any police service, including municipal and regional police forces, or by a private company that provides personal background checks. There is usually a fee to get a background check. However, it may be covered under a program run by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale and the Ministère de la Sécurité intérieure that offers free background checks to volunteers working with community organizations whose activities and clientele meet certain criteria. The online application can be found at jebenevole.ca.

 

Program registration approval

Once you have met all the registration requirements, we will send you an approval email. You will then be ready to participate in the program and access all the information and tools you need.

The email will include a unique and permanent eight-digit volunteer identification number (VIN). Carefully save your VIN because you will need to use it each year you volunteer for the program.

Secure online filing services

The CRA's Auto-fill My Return

Auto-fill My Return is an optional and secure CRA service that allows you, as a program volunteer, to automatically fill in parts of an individual's federal income tax return using software provided under the program.

The service gives you access to individuals' CRA files when completing their returns.

If you want to use the Auto-fill My Return service, you must:

• have followed steps 1, 2 and 3 under “How to register as a program volunteer”

  Important

  To register for EFILE or renew your EFILE account, you must have a RepID.

  If you have a RepID, provide it when registering for the program. If you don't have one, you can get one by registering with the Represent a Client service. Only people who file returns online should request an EFILE number or renew their EFILE account. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the suspension of your EFILE account.

  End of note

• use the software provided under the income tax assistance program: UFile CVITP
• use UFile CVITP to submit the Authorization request – Signature page for each individual for whom you are using the Auto-fill My Return service

The Auto-fill My Return service is only available in UFile CVITP. You can use it to download tax data for 2017 and subsequent years. However, income tax returns for 2017 must be filed by mail.

Revenu Québec's Tax Data Download service

Tax Data Download (TDD) is a secure Revenu Québec service that lets program volunteers who have been authorized by Revenu Québec automatically complete parts of an individual's Québec income tax return using software provided under the program. You can use the TDD service to access an individual's information held by Revenu Québec when filing their Québec income tax return.

If you want to use the TDD service, you must:

• have followed steps 1, 2 and 3 under “How to register as a program volunteer”
• use the tax software provided under the program
• get the individual's consent by:
  • having them sign an Authorization to Download Tax Data: Income Tax Assistance – Volunteer Program (COM-1076.TD.A-V), or
  • having them give you their download code

The TDD service is only available through UFile CVITP, and the download code can only be used for the current year.

Your personalized space

As a program volunteer, you'll have access to a personalized space online 24/7.

After you register, we'll send you a user code to access the space.

In your personalized space you'll find:

• a learning guide that includes the following:
  • a comprehensive tax guide that addresses the tax situations you are likely to encounter
  • a section on basic tax concepts
  • instructions on how to use UFile CVITP software for specific tax situations
  • a section with case studies
  • a list of the tax changes for the current filing season
• information about income tax preparation sessions
• working documents and forms
• a calendar of tax webinars

Tax webinars

In your personalized space, you'll have access to training webinars offered weekdays (including evenings) and weekends by the CRA. They are designed to prepare you for the tax season. CRA and Revenu Québec instructors will walk you through case studies and answer your questions about the topics covered.

Once you have registered for the income tax assistance program, you'll receive a user code to access your personalized space and the webinar links.