The UW Accounting and Finance Student Association (AFSA) tax clinic, which assists community members in filing tax returns, said they had a successful run doing so this year, processing nearly 900 tax returns for 708 distinct individuals this season.

Although this number is lower compared to the clinic’s all-time peak, the organizers are glad that this may indicate improvement in accessible tax services. “The tax clinic’s ultimate goal is to provide assistance to people who need it,” said Ben Ma, clinic coordinator. “If fewer people require our services, perhaps that means that tax services overall are now more accessible to everyone.”

This year’s clinic lasted two weeks from March 21 to 29.

There were a lot of internal changes implemented in the 2026 AFSA tax clinic. They shifted from paper-based tracking and physical receipts to a completely new digital management system as a part of an upgrade of its operations. This change has brought positive environmental impacts by reducing paper, enabling a trial program for scheduling appointments, and monitoring data to inform future developments. 

Despite the smooth operation, the  usual challenge of predicting the arrivals of clients remained. The clinic was overcrowded in the first few days of opening, and then a massive rush occurred in the final hours. Ma recalled, “About 200-300 clients arrived 2-3 hours before we closed for the season. Unfortunately, at that sudden volume, we couldn’t assist all visitors in a timely manner.” It is a pattern that the clinic hopes to break, and they emphasized that the tax clinic is pleased to assist on all operating days, not just the final one. 

The AFSA tax clinic wishes students to understand the long-term benefits of filing taxes annually beyond the immediate help they provide. By doing this, students are eligible to apply for low-income benefits up to $1,500 per year, earn tuition tax credits for future usage, and qualify for the Ontario Electricity Support Program, which may lower a hydro bill to $0.

The campus tax clinic will reopen in March 2027. In the meantime, students with questions about filing taxes are welcome to visit the clinic’s post-filing FAQ at taxclinic.uwaterloo.ca/PostFiling.html.