Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center - EITC

When Tax Time Brings Relief: the EITC and Working Parents

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:33:02 -0500

Filing tax forms may not be much fun for anyone, but it can bring relief to struggling families, especially during these tight times. The federal Earned Income Tax Credit lifts more than 4 million people—over half of them children—out of poverty each year; it’s the nation’s most effective antipoverty program for working families. Here’s how it works.

Employer Guide to EITC (2009)

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:11:15 -0500

If you hire staff you are in a position to let your employees know about the earned benefits they may be entitled to, using this short, practical guide from the National Human Services Assembly before April 15!

Brookings Takes a Look at the EITC

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:04:33 -0500

Economic recovery proposals before Congress include tax relief for lower-income working families, including targeted expansions in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). A new Metropolitan Policy Program analysis shows how proposed expansions to the EITC would benefit taxpayers in individual states, metropolitan areas and selected cities around the nation.

A Hand Up: How State Earned Income Tax Credits Help Working Families Escape Poverty in 2006

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 07:56:12 -0600

Tax time is upon us—for some low- and moderate-income families, it can bring a major relief. State and federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) programs remove tax burdens for these working families, and are available even to those with incomes too low to be taxed. States that enact EITCs can reduce child poverty, increase effective wages, and cut taxes for families struggling to make ends meet, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Guide for Employers Promoting Tax Credits and Federal Benefits

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 13:36:18 -0600

Did you know that the Earned Income Tax Credit lifts more families above poverty than any other federal program? Corporate Voices for Working Families recently released its 2006 Employer Guide that builds on its EITC toolkit and offers tips to get the word out to low-wage employees about federal programs that help with tax credits, health care, food, and home heating costs.

New Opportunities for State Earned Income Tax Credits in 2005

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 12:25:41 -0600

Over the past two years, many states tried to balance their budgets by increasing sales and excise taxes, which disproportionately burden low-income working families. At the same time, advocates struggled to improve state Earned Income Tax Credit policies to give these families tax relief. 2005 may offer opportunities to create effective state EITCs, according to this State EITC study. The report summarizes advocacy efforts in Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Rhode Island and Utah, and offers strategies for all states.

Building Native Communities: A Guide for Claiming the Earned Income Tax

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 08:02:00 -0600

Many of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) dollars that could help families and communities go unclaimed. This handbook is designed to help eligible Native American families understand how to file for their EITC refund. Those who have been eligible for an EITC refund within the past three years, but have not claimed it, can still file to receive it.

Making the Best of Tax Time

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 14:02:33 -0500

With April 15th fast approaching, families are wrestling with their tax forms and hoping for refunds. A key tool for easing the tax burden on low-income working families is the Earned Income Tax Credit. Fortunately, there's lots of help available online to assist taxpayers in taking advantage of the EITC.

Working Poor in Every Community

Tue, 07 Dec 2004 07:18:04 -0600

The working poor are in every community, large and small. Analyzing Earned Income Tax Credit claims between 2000 and 2002, this Brookings Institution report tracks the increase in working poor families in cities, suburbs and in rural areas across the country, reflecting the erosion of good jobs and the spread of low-wage work throughout the suburbs, and the continuing economic distress most evident in southern states.

Geography of Low-Income Families and Children Fact Sheet

Wed, 08 Dec 2004 07:09:28 -0600

Low-income families are moving to the South to follow jobs -- a sign of families' commitment to work, and the need for strong work supports, like an expanded federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), refundable state tax credits, and affordable child care. Restoring recent immigrants' access to income and work supports would decrease the vulnerability of their children and help these families become financially stable.

What Do EITC Rules Mean for Families?

Thu, 09 Dec 2004 14:08:06 -0600

Child advocates are worried that the pre-certification documentation requirements will unduly burden families and deter some from getting the tax refund to which they are entitled.

Earned Income Credit

Thu, 09 Dec 2004 14:09:37 -0600

The Government Accounting Office reviewed the IRS' plans to require pre-certification documentation for some families claiming the earned income tax refund (EITC). Changes to the plans have improved the balance between unreasonable burdens on taxpayers and addressing the high over-claim rate. But the IRS evaluation plan is incomplete and lacks milestones to allow for adequate evaluation of its impact.

Telling Where it Hurts

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:18:44 -0500

All across the United States, governors and state legislators are facing ever-growing budget gaps. Sluggish state economies and increases in the number of children and families that need help are putting the squeeze on state services. What does this mean for children and families? And what is the solution? In this column, Connect for Kids' Jan Richter offers her thoughts.

Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach Kit

Wed, 24 Nov 2004 10:47:48 -0600

Analyst agree that the most effective anti-poverty measure available is the Earned Income Tax Credit. Every year the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities puts together a community information kit to help get the word out.

EIC Eases Tax Time Pressures for Working Parents

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:33:11 -0500

For many low-income families, tax time can actually bring relief�in the form of the Earned Income Credit. Learn more about the most powerful anti-poverty program for families with children.