EITC – Helping Working Families Make Ends Meet

The Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC, is a work incentive for low-income Americans. Because the credit is refundable, it’s a source for income in cases where there is no tax liability.

Income level, filing status and the number of eligible children determine the amount of the credit, which was worth more than $4,500 for some taxpayers in 2007.

H&R Block helped more than 5 million people claim nearly $10 billion in EITC benefits in 2006. Yet millions of eligible Americans fail to claim this valuable credit. Thus, Block has developed education and outreach programs to raise awareness of the EITC:

    helping working families make ends meet
  • Financial Literacy: H&R Block has partnered with such organizations as Operation HOPE and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) to provide free tax and financial education to low- and moderate-income Americans in more than 60 cities.
  • Disaster Victim Relief: H&R Block helped victims of Hurricane Katrina claim $6.6 million in EITCs and provided free tax preparation and other services through partnerships with Operation HOPE, the Clinton Foundation and others in 2006.
  • Free Online Tax Preparation: H&R Block provides free online tax preparation services to 70% of all tax filers, including all EITC-eligible taxpayers via the Free File Alliance at www.irs.gov.
  • Working Families Credit: H&R Block worked with San Francisco city officials to sponsor the Working Families
    Credit, a city-level financial benefit that helped more
    than 9,500 San Francisco families claim more than
    $2 million in WFC benefits in 2008.