Get Help with Your Taxes
CAFolio is a free, fully virtual tax clinic under the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP). We help people with modest income and a simple tax situation file their income tax and benefit returns safely from home.
To get started, please review the eligibility checklist below. If you meet these criteria, you can start the intake application.
Who We Serve
- Adults 65 years and older
- People with modest income
- Persons with disabilities
- Newcomers to Canada
- Indigenous Peoples
- Students and youth
- Housing‑insecure or homeless individuals
- Other low‑ and modest‑income individuals and families
Eligibility Criteria
CVITP clinics are intended for people with modest income, based on total family income and family size. A common guideline is:
- 1 person in family: up to about $40,000 total family income
- 2 people: up to about $55,000
- 3 people: up to about $57,500
- 4 people: up to about $60,000
- 5 people: up to about $70,000
- Each additional person: add about $5,000
These amounts recommended by CRA CVITP across Canada.
BC / Vancouver note:
Because the cost of living in British Columbia, especially in Metro Vancouver, is significantly higher than many parts of Canada, CAFolio may consider slightly higher income than the national guideline for local residents, while still focusing on low‑ and modest‑income households.
In general, a simple situation means the person has no income or their income comes from these sources:
- Employment income (T4)
- Pension income (CPP, QPP, OAS, private pensions – T4A, T4A(P), T4A(OAS))
- Benefits (DTC, PWD, T4E, T5007)
- RRSP / RRIF income (T4RSP, T4RIF)
- Scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, or research grants (T4A, T2202)
- Interest income under about $1,200 per year (T5)
We cannot prepare returns where the person has any of the following:
- Self‑employment, business, professional, or commission income (including most gig work and unreported cash work)
- Employment expenses (requiring T2200/T2200S)
- Business income and expenses (including farming or fishing)
- Rental income and expenses (renting out a house, room, or other property)
- Interest, investment, or dividend income totaling more than $1,200 per year
- Capital gains or capital losses (for example, sale of real estate other than a simple principal residence, or many stock trades)
- Bankruptcy returns (pre‑ or post‑bankruptcy)
- Deceased returns (filing for someone who has died)
- Foreign property or investments requiring T1135
- Complex foreign income (foreign pensions or multiple foreign sources), except for the specific U.S. Social Security exception if the clinic accepts it
- Complicated residency cases (non‑residents, deemed residents, etc.) that go beyond a simple resident or newcomer scenario
By starting an application, you’re confirming that you (and your family, if applicable) meet the eligibility criteria listed above.