The success of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has prompted numerous states to develop and administer their own EITC programs. This brief presents the results of analyses that used data from a large sample of low- and moderate-income households to learn more about the relationship between state and federal EITCs as well as about their relationships, respective and combined, with financial behaviors and the experience of financial and material hardship. Given that many EITC beneficiaries face substantial risk of experiencing income volatility and financial shocks, insights gained from this brief can assist policymakers in understanding the importance of expanded EITCs and promoting emergency saving at tax time.
Project: Household Financial Survey (HFS)
Citation
Davison, G., Roll, S. P., Taylor, S. H., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2018, January). The state of state EITCs: An overview and their implications for low- and moderate-income households (CSD Research Brief No. 18-04). St. Louis, MO: Washington University, Center for Social Development.