It's tax time: Don't panic. There's free tax help.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Feb. 21, 2017) - Doing your taxes shouldn't be expensive. Below are some tips to reduce your costs and make it easier to do your taxes this filing season.

Get help doing your taxes

• Many companies offer free software that you can use if you have a simple tax situation. Check out the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) list of certified software, including free ones, and join the 84% of Canadians filing online.
• The CRA's Auto-fill my return service automatically fills in parts of your current and prior year tax and benefit return, making tax filing simpler. Auto-fill my return is available in certain NETFILE certified software, some of which are free. To use Auto-fill my return, you must be fully registered for My Account.
• If you need help doing your taxes, and you have a modest income and a simple tax situation, volunteers from the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program may be able to prepare and file your income tax and benefit return-for free. These clinics are usually open from February to the end of April every year. To find a clinic near you, use the MyCRA mobile app at cra.gc.ca/mobileapps or go to cra.gc.ca/volunteer.
• Asking a trusted friend or relative for help when doing your taxes? If you want them to take care of all your tax affairs, like filing your return and checking your refund, you can to give them your permission by filling out and sending Form T1013, Authorizing or Cancelling a Representative to the CRA.

Get help managing your tax affairs

• Use My Account to manage your tax and benefit affairs. My Account allows you to track your refund, change your return, check your benefit and credit payments, print a proof of income statement, view your RRSP limit, change your address and marital status, and more.
• The free MyCRA mobile app gives you secure access to important tax information, such as your notices of assessment, the status of your tax return, and more. If you get benefits and credits, you can use the free MyBenefits CRA mobile app to instantly view all your benefit information. You can use MyCRA or MyBenefits CRA from any mobile device. To access these apps, go to cra.gc.ca/mobileapps.

Stay connected

To receive updates on what is new at the Canada Revenue Agency, you can:

Follow the CRA on Twitter - @CanRevAgency.

Follow the CRA on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to a CRA electronic mailing list.

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Watch our tax-related videos on YouTube.