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POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

EITC Provides Critical Support for Working Families

Today is the 13th annual Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day, designed to elevate a federal tax credit that encourages work and helps working families meet daily needs.

The EITC reduces poverty, lifting 5.7 million people out of poverty in 2017, including 3 million children. By raising family incomes, it helps keep children healthy, improves students’ school performance, and increases their earnings in adulthood, research shows.

Unfortunately, 1 in 5 eligible workers don’t get the EITC because they don’t know about it, don’t know how to claim it, or don’t know where to find trustworthy tax help.

That’s why CBPP’s Get It Back Campaign is so important. For 30 years, we’ve conducted a national outreach campaign to help connect eligible workers to the EITC, other refundable tax credits, and free tax filing assistance. The campaign provides resources for groups and individuals, including an EITC estimator, flyers in 24 languages, fact sheets, and videos. Learn here how you can start promoting the credit.