Earned Income Tax Credit: Providing a Path to Self Sufficiency

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides critical tax relief for low income workers and working people with disabilities.  According to the IRS, four out of five eligible workers claim and get their EITC ,and the average refund is $2,200.  The U.S. Census Bureau found that the EITC lifted 5.4 million people above the poverty line in 2010.

Goodwill strongly supports the EITC and is cosponsoring an event on Thursday, January 24, on Capitol Hill that will help educate policymakers and congressional staff about the importance of this key credit for American workers.

Speakers will address the ways in which the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) brings value to not only individuals and working families, but also to entire communities, local economies and the nation as a whole.  The event comes in conjunction with the IRS’ annual EITC Awareness Day, being celebrated this year on January 27.

On Friday, January 25, at 2:00 p.m. EST,  you are welcome to join in a free webinar hosted by the National Disability Institute to highlight Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day 2013.  You can register for the webinar here.

The EITC was enacted by Congress in 1975 to assist working families and individuals. People have used the EITC to pay for necessities such as rent, bills, home and vehicle repair, and maintenance. In some cases, the tax credit has been put toward large purchases such as a home or car and long-term investments such as savings, obtaining additional education or training, or retirement.