Filing taxes on your own for the first time? Here’s what to know

Doing your own taxes for the first time can be overwhelming, but there are plenty of tools to help you get started. Here's what you should know.

A few years ago, Ali Najaf decided to file his taxes on his own for the first time.

Najaf, an HR professional in Vancouver, used a free service in university for tax filing, and then after graduation began paying a professional to file them. But in 2021, he thought it would be useful to learn to do his taxes on his own.

“I believe in learning by doing,” said Najaf.

But he was surprised at how difficult it was, and ended up missing out on a work-from-home benefit. In 2022, he decided to try again, this time with help from a friend.

Najaf recently got married and knows that might change his tax situation, so this year he’s considering hiring a professional. But if he does, he wants to learn as much as he can to build a strong base so that next year he can file on his own again.

Najaf said navigating the tax system can be especially difficult if your first language isn’t one of the two official languages, and said he’s struggled to find all the information he needs.

His advice to others doing their taxes for the first time is to educate themselves and figure out their options.

“Doing it properly is (more) important than just saving some money,” he said.