Helping Vulnerable Canadians Find $3 Million in Missed Tax Refunds, Credits and Benefits.

For many Canadians, filing their annual tax return is simply something to tick off their to-do list every April – and for those qualifying for an instant tax refund, it can even feel a bit like winning a mini lottery!

But for the nearly 10% of Canadians who live below the poverty line, filing a tax return can mean so much more. It can be the critical first step in helping to pull themselves out of poverty through accessing critical government support programs.

How? Well, Canadians need to have up-to-date tax returns filed in order to access resources like Employment Insurance, apply for affordable housing and claim benefits and credits like the GST/HST credit, the Canada Child Benefit, disability credits, and more. These programs put money directly into the pockets of the people who need it most - and put them on track to move up and out of poverty.

It’s also easier said than done. Some of the challenges that prevent vulnerable Canadians from filing their taxes include not having a mailing address, bank account, government ID, or access to a computer. Without the right support, those challenges are tough to overcome.

Returning Hope® to Vulnerable Canadians.

Our annual Returning Hope® program helps vulnerable Canadians gain access to free, on-site tax preparation with the support of H&R Block Tax Experts.

Through this program, we work with local community support centres to provide qualifying Canadians with the end-to-end support they need to successfully file current and past tax returns. Not only do they get access to an H&R Block Tax Expert, but Lenovo provides on-site technology and our local community support centre partners provide an accessible mailing address.

For low or no-income Canadians, it’s an opportunity to gain access to money and government support they otherwise wouldn’t have received.

Where and When to Access H&R Block Returning Hope®.

Between March 17-23, 2024, free tax clinics in partnership with 20 local community support centres will be taking place in cities across Canada.

This year’s participants include:

• 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.

Achieving $3M in tax credits and returns for Canadians.

2024 marks the eighth year of Returning Hope®. So far, we've helped to file 4,075 tax returns for those in need and helped find over $2.5 million in missed credits and refunds.

This year, we expect to exceed $3M returned to the pockets of our vulnerable community members. Imagine the difference that amount of money can make! If you’d like to hear how one person’s life was impacted by the Returning Hope® program, you can read John’s touching story.

Where to find more info?

To learn more about the program, or if your organization is interested in participating, check out our Corporate Social Responsibility page.