IGNITE has brought back its free tax clinic to help students meet this year’s filing deadline of April 30.
The clinic is open from Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The service is available to all Humber and Guelph-Humber students. Even alumni who have graduated the previous year can benefit from the clinic.
Gino Lucente, a Tax Lead Volunteer said the service is designed to teach students how to file their own taxes and not commit tax frauds.
“A lot of people aren’t educated on how to file taxes and are intimidated by numbers and documents,” he said. “We try to make the steps as simple as possible.”
Ashley Preston, second-year Humber-Guelph student, said that even though she wants to take advantage of the services, just the thought of filing her taxes gives her anxiety.
“I feel helpless,” she said. “The concept of taxes is so new to me. In my country, my parents took care of everything.”
Lucente said it’s encouraging when students say that through his guidance the process seems less scary than it looks.
“When I get the positive feedback it puts a smile on my face.”
Preston said her shoulders felt light after leaving the clinic.
“A huge burden was lifted off of me.”
The list of documents needed to file taxes inludes:
- A social insurance number
- Tuition forms
- Employment form
- Scholarships
- OSAP
Lucente said even students who don’t have a job may be eligible for $600 to $800 dollars through various tax benefits that they are unaware of.
He said mostly international students are coming to the clinic at the moment.
Lucente hopes more foreign and domestic students show up before the clinic closes at the end of the month. Organizers expect to see double or even triple the amount of people using the resource in the coming weeks.
The tax clinic services are free of charge because “IGNITE wants to give back to students and make their life in college as easy and rewarding as possible,” Lucente said.
Although appointments for the clinic are fully booked, students can walk-in and register themselves through a QR code available at the desk. The clinic is located in the L building at IGNITE’s main lounge area.
Lucente said the tax clinic has been around for eight to 10 years and hopes they continue to support students in the future as well.