When Gavin* connected with a financial counsellor, he was at a breaking point.
He had been facing financial and personal difficulties after the loss of a spouse. Health challenges had made daily life harder to manage, including everyday financial tasks. Over time, unresolved tax issues had led to a significant debt from prior years, leaving him with less ability to cover housing costs, keep up with basic home maintenance, and manage other pressing needs.
Gavin needed help seeing the full picture — what support might be available, what he might qualify for, and how to begin accessing it.
That is exactly the gap the Benefits Wayfinder is designed to address.
Canada’s federal and provincial or territorial governments offer more than 300 income benefits and tax credits that can help people with low incomes reduce expenses and increase income. Tax filing alone can make a major difference, boosting incomes for low-income households by an average of $3,500.
And yet many people never receive the help available to them.
One in five Canadians with low incomes do not file a tax return. Each year, more than $2 billion in federal income benefits alone go unclaimed by eligible Canadians. Some benefits are triggered simply by filing taxes. Others require separate applications that can be difficult, time-consuming, and costly to complete. For people already dealing with illness, grief, caregiving, financial stress, or reduced capacity, it can all become too much.
That is why tools like the Benefits Wayfinder matter.
For many Canadians, searching for government benefits can feel overwhelming. There are so many programs, so many rules, and so many different starting points that it can be hard to know what support even exists — let alone what a person may actually qualify for.
The Benefits Wayfinder is a free online tool that simplifies that search. Developed by national charity Prosper Canada and sponsored by TD Bank Group, the bilingual tool helps people across Canada identify government benefits that may help them boost income or reduce expenses based on their own life circumstances. It is designed in plain language, easy to use, and offers customized recommendations drawn from federal, provincial, and territorial government programs. The information is updated on an ongoing basis as new details become available.
In Gavin’s case, that kind of guidance proved transformative.
With support, outstanding tax returns and benefit applications were completed. Prosper Canada’s frontline financial counselling partners also helped Gavin and his Power of Attorney understand the eligibility for and impact of the Disability Tax Credit, along with the Manitoba Primary Caregiver Tax Credit for himself and his adult daughter.
The results were dramatic.
Gavin was approved for the Disability Tax Credit retroactive to 2017. Adjustments to prior-year tax returns completely reversed all balances owing and led to a combined refund of more than $9,200 — enough to cover essential roof repairs. On top of that, he was able to designate his daughter as his Primary Caregiver, resulting in an additional $1,400 refundable credit on her return.
This is the real value of helping people find the benefits they may be missing.
A tool like the Benefits Wayfinder can help turn a confusing, overwhelming system into a clearer path forward. It can help people identify support they may never have known existed. It can help connect tax filing to real-world outcomes: safer housing, reduced stress, more stability, and more money available for basic needs.
For Gavin, access to the right benefits gave him hope and a way forward during an incredibly difficult period of life. It eased financial pressure, supported caregiving, and made urgent home repairs possible.
This is a direct result of the Benefits Wayfinder in action: providing real, lasting financial change for those that need it most.
*Name changed for privacy
For more information on the Benefits Wayfinder please contact: benefitswayfinder@prospercanada.org
Author: Katharine Reid, Senior Officer Marketing and Communications, Prosper Canada