Federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
The Federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a national policy - all decisions regarding eligibility and benefit levels are made at the national level and are uniform across the states. [More detail and national data...]
Federal decisions are italicized.
Eligibility Criteria
Income eligibility criteria
Income limit for 1-parent family with 2 qualifying children1 | $40,295/year (2009) |
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Income limit for 2-parent family with 2 qualifying children2 | $45,295/year (2009) |
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Qualifying child criteria
Qualifying child criteria3 | Under 19 yrs (< 24 if student); live with claimant for at least half year (2009) |
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Immigrant eligibility criteria
Federal restrictions on lawful permanent residents' (LPRs) access to benefits4 | None (2005) |
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Benefits
Benefit level
Refundable credit available3 | Yes (2009) |
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Max benefit for family with 2 qualifying children5 | $5,028/year (2009) |
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Participants
Number of recipients
Number of recipients (tax filers)6 | 148,142 tax filers (2005) |
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Spending
Total spending
Total spending (federal)7 | $255.5 million (2005) |
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Data Notes and Sources
Data on the Federal EITC were compiled by NCCP in June 2009.
- The limit for 1-parent family with 1 qualifying child is $35,463 per year; the limit for 1-parent family with 3 or more qualifying children is $43,279 per year.
Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, EITC Thresholds and Tax Law Updates, http://www.irs.gov (accessed June 23, 2009).
- The limit for 2-parent family with 1 qualifying child is $40,463 per year; the limit for 2-parent family with 3 or more qualifying children is $48,279 per year.
Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, EITC Thresholds and Tax Law Updates, http://www.irs.gov (accessed June 23, 2009).
- Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, EITC Thresholds and Tax Law Updates, http://www.irs.gov (accessed June 23, 2009).
- National Immigration Law Center, Guide to Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs, Fourth Edition, 2002; with updates from Update Page, http://www.nilc.org (accessed October 28, 2005).
- The maximum benefit for a family with 1 qualifying child is $3,043 per year; the maximum benefit for a family with 3 or more qualifying children is $5,657 per year.
Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, EITC Thresholds and Tax Law Updates, http://www.irs.gov (accessed June 23, 2009).
- Figure includes claimants with and without qualifying children (data are preliminary); nationally, about 82% of claimants were tax filers with qualifying children (based on 2001 data).
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, The 2007 Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach Kit, http://www.cbpp.org (accessed June 14, 2007).
- Figure includes spending on claimants with and without qualifying children (data are preliminary); nationally, about 98% of spending is for tax filers with qualifying children (based on 2001 data).
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, The 2007 Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach Kit, http://www.cbpp.org (accessed June 14, 2007).