Confirming the individual’s identity
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Screening for eligibility
Before agreeing to complete an individual’s tax returns, the organization and the volunteer must ensure that the individual is eligible for the income tax assistance program.
Note that an organization may adjust the suggested income limits to reflect the local economic reality, the population being served and the number of resources it has.
For more information, refer to the Income Tax Return Preparation Sessions section in the Guide for Volunteers available in the Personalized Space for Volunteers on Revenu Québec’s website.
CRA’s SimpleFile by phone and Revenu Québec’s Simplified Income Tax Return services
The CRA's SimpleFile by phone service, formerly called File my Return, allows eligible individuals to submit their federal tax return by answering a series of short questions through an automated phone service. For more information on this service, refer to SimpleFile by Phone automated phone service.
The Simplified Income Tax Return service is a new online service offered by Revenu Québec to certain individuals to file their Quebec income tax return as part of a pilot project called Simplified Income Tax Return. For more information on this service, refer to Simplified Income Tax Return.
Important note
Note that under the income tax assistance program, volunteers are not authorized to file either the individuals’ federal tax return or the Quebec income tax return using these two services. The volunteers must, however, verify with the individual if they used these services to file their tax returns when validating the individual's eligibility for the income tax assistance program.
Confirming the individual’s identity
Photo identification is required to validate the identity of individuals who request to have their tax returns prepared or who return to pick up their completed tax returns.
- Proof of identity must:
- be valid
- be government issued
- include a photo
- Examples of valid identification include:
- a driver’s licence
- a health insurance card
- a Canadian or foreign passport
- an Indian status and identification card
- a military or other government employee identification card
Virtual income tax preparation sessions
There are additional ways to confirm an individual’s identity during virtual income tax preparation sessions. For more information, refer to the Personalized Space for Volunteers on Revenu Québec’s website.