January 19, 2025St. Volodymyr Church
300+ peopleCalgary office · online across Canada
Your First Canadian Tax Return
The first one is the one everything else is built on — your residency date, what you brought with you, what you are owed. We do it with you, in plain language.
- Your first, part-year return — prepared, checked and filed
- Benefits and credits you may already be owed
- Income and property that are still in your home country
250+ Google Reviews
3,400+ clientstrusted us
Why the first one is worth doing properly
The First Return Sets the Record
Your residency date, your income, what you arrived with. CRA works from what you file the first time.
What You Own Already Has a Value
CRA treats what you owned before arriving as acquired at market value on the day you became a resident. Almost nobody writes that number down.
Money You May Already Be Owed
Benefits and credits are calculated from filed returns. Not filing is the most common reason people never see them.
Your Home Country Did Not Disappear
An apartment, an account, a business still there. Once you are a resident here, Canada asks about it.
What we handle for you
- Working out when your Canadian tax residency actually started
- Your first, part-year return — prepared, checked and filed
- Benefits and credits you may be eligible for, and what filing has to do with them
- Income that kept arriving from your home country after you moved
- Property, savings and investments you already owned before you came
- What changes in your second and third year here
Sound familiar?
- You arrived this year and have no idea what April involves
- Someone told you not to bother filing because you barely worked here
- Your employer handled “the taxes” and you are not sure what that covered
- You still have an apartment, an account or a business back home
- You started the software and stopped at the residency question
- You would rather hand it to someone who does this every day than read another forum thread
Talks, Seminars & Events
We explain this in person, too
Community centres, churches and business groups invite Olha to explain how tax works in Canada.
Centre for Newcomers
Running a business in Canada: the bookkeeping and tax side for newcomers
September 23, 2024Lethbridge, Alberta
The Canadian tax system: what business owners need to know
July 18–19, 2026Sundre, Alberta
Our Tent at Kupala Fest: Flower Crowns, Music — and Tax Questions
See the story in photosWhat Our Clients Say
4.9· 250+ Google Reviews
Reviews from our public Google profile
Reviews on the chosen topic come first
I used this company's services. Olha calculated my taxes. I was very satisfied. Last year I started my own business and it was my first year filing a return as self-employed, so I had a lot of questions. But Olha explained everything to me and helped me figure out all the questions. I highly recommend
I’m not usually the type to write reviews, but this team honestly deserves it. For the last two years, they’ve filed our family’s tax returns online, always at a time that works for us — even in the evening after a long day. No fuss, no confusion, no wasting our time. Everything is clear, fast, and done right. They actually care if you understand what’s going on, not just “get it done and move on.” I’m impressed every time. It’s a huge relief to have someone you trust with your documents and personal information, especially as newcomers. If you want accountants who treat you like a real person, not just another client, this is the team for you. Five stars from me and my family!
Our family has been in Canada for two years, and we’re very grateful to have found Anytime Accounting after a disappointing experience with other local accounting firms. In our opinion, many of them lacked proper understanding of the tax situations of newcomers and immigrants. Based on our friends’ recommendations, we turned to Olha — and we’re so glad we did. The team is truly professional, handled our taxes with great care and accuracy, and provided us with valuable advice and support for our future interactions with the CRA. We finally feel like we’re in good hands!
Last year, my family used Anytime Accounting's services for the first time, so I would like to express my gratitude to the accountants for their professionalism and efficiency in filing our declarations. Everything was done on time and without errors. We were impressed with your attention to detail, ability to quickly understand complex issues, and, most importantly, clear and understandable advice at all stages of the process. Once again, we thank you very much and hope to become your regular client.
Sincere gratitude for the thorough and free consultation on tax and benefit questions! Olha gave precise and detailed answers to all my questions, thank you. And special thanks for the format of free consultation help for newcomers, this …
I had a great experience with Anytime Accounting for my self-employed tax return. Olha Vozna was incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and patient throughout the entire process. She made what can be a stressful time feel completely manageable and ensured everything was handled accurately. I felt confident every step of the way knowing I was in good hands. I highly recommend Anytime Accounting to anyone looking for reliable and professional accounting services!
FAQ
Usually yes. Filing is what starts the calculation for benefits and credits, and a partial year of work often means more tax was withheld through payroll than the final calculation requires. Whether you are required to file depends on your situation — that is what the first call is for.
It is a factual question about your ties to Canada, not the date printed on a permit or PR card. It is the first thing we work out, because the rest of the return follows from it.
Once you are a Canadian tax resident, income from outside Canada for the resident part of the year generally belongs on your Canadian return. What that means for your specific accounts and property is worth an actual conversation rather than a rule of thumb.
No, and it is more common than you would think. Catching up on past years is routine work for us — see unfiled returns and catch-up filing.
No. We work with people in their first Canadian year and with people who have been here thirty years. What we specialise in is returns with something extra in them — foreign income, self-employment, several sources, a year that is not simple.
No, that is a different profession and we will not pretend otherwise. We handle the Canadian tax and business side.
Ask before April
Tell us roughly when you arrived and where your income came from. Fifteen minutes is usually enough to see what your first return actually involves.
Don't take our word for it
None of this is our interpretation. It is CRA's own wording — check it yourself:
- CRA — Newcomers to Canada: benefits, credits and your first return
- CRA — Completing your return for newcomers: property you owned before arriving is deemed acquired at fair market value, and "you should keep a record of the FMV"
- CRA — Determining your residency status: what decides when Canada starts taxing you
Checked: 2026-07-27