About 25 million people receive a refund for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which they use to pay bills, cover expenses like child care, or make major purchases. The EITC is one of America’s most important anti-poverty programs and helps to ensure millions of workers are not taxed into poverty.
Refundable tax credits help millions of people with low incomes reach economic stability. Chief among them are the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC), which benefitted 28 million in 2018 and lifted nearly 11 million people out of poverty. The temporarily expanded CTC in 2021 had dramatic impacts in reducing child poverty and promoting family well-being. Tax credits reach workers who are paid low incomes, invest in families, improve children’s outcomes, and strengthen local economies. CLASP advocates protecting and building on these investments, including expanding the EITC for workers without dependent children and making the CTC fully refundable.