Helping Eligible Workers Claim the EITC

Some 21 percent of workers who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) don’t claim it, the IRS estimates, and the IRS and its partners have designated today as the 9^th annual EITC Awareness Day to spread the word about the EITC through public events and engaging the media.

As our Working-Family Tax Credit Essentials series explains, the EITC and Child Tax Credit reward work and reduce poverty. Research also shows that they help people in working families at every stage of life, from infancy through retirement.

CBPP conducts a National Tax Credit Outreach Campaign to promote the tax credits and provide free tax filing assistance year-round.  The campaign consists of thousands of community and social service organizations, government agencies, and employers working together to inform potentially eligible workers about the EITC, how to claim it, and where to find free tax filing assistance.

The campaign website has several resources, including:

• Ten Ways You Can Promote EITC Awareness Day, with links to a sample customizable email message, press release, and handout;
• EITC estimator to determine the credit’s potential value for a worker;
• Tax Credit Outreach Kit with information and materials to help groups conduct local outreach;
• Outreach tools and materials to inform potentially eligible workers about available tax credits and free tax filing assistance;
• EITC state participation rates with EITC claims and refunds by state; and
• Outreach infographics that illustrate the value and impact of working-family tax credits and free tax filing assistance.

Visitors can also request a complimentary copy of the Tax Credit Outreach Kit in the mail.