Councilman Allan Domb is on a mission to make sure that all Philadelphians know about their potential eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The Earned Income Tax Credit is a federal tax credit for low- to moderate-income working individuals and couples, particularly those with children. Eligible wage-earners who qualify for the EITC can receive a refundable credit of up to $6,269 per income tax return. The average refund is around $2,500.
Unfortunately, of the 228,000 Philadelphians who could receive a refund, almost 40,000 have not applied – leaving almost $100 million on the table in Washington. Councilman Domb wants that money to come back to Philadelphia and back to the working people who’ve earned it. In a city where so many families live in poverty, money refunded by the EITC has the potential to make a real difference. In fact, the IRS estimates that the EITC and Child Tax Credits help lift 9.4 million people out of poverty, including 5 million children.
Councilman Domb firmly believes that EITC has the power to help Philadelphia’s working people and families. That’s why he’s committed to spreading the word about it. In 2016, he encouraged his City Council colleagues to record public service announcements like this one to educate the public about the EITC. This year, he needs your help. Learn the facts about the EITC, check out our resource links below, then be sure to share them with your friends and family.
And remember, the deadline to apply for the EITC is April 17, 2017.
Are you eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit?
Your first step in finding out if you qualify for the EITC for Tax Year 2016 is knowing your income and tax filing status. Then, check the chart at the right to see where you fit. For the purposes of qualifying for the EITC, there are two ways primary you can earn income:
- You can work for someone who pays you, or
- You can own or run a business or a farm.
If you have income from investments, it must be $3,400 or less, and be counted as part of the maximum earned income levels in the chart at the right.
2016 Income Eligibility Based on Filing Status |
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Number of Qualifying Children | Single, Head of Household, Widowed | Married, Filing Jointly | Maximum Benefit |
None | $14,880 | $20,430 | $506 |
One | $39,296 | $44,846 | $3,373 |
Two | $44,648 | $50,198 | $5,572 |
Three or more | $47,955 | $53,505 | $6,269 |
Calculating Your EITC and Other Resources
You can calculate an estimate of your EITC using tools available on the IRS website. Be sure to use the right tool for the correct tax year. Spanish language versions are available here.
For more information about EITC eligibility and claiming your EITC, see these resources:
- You Earned It Philly.com – the Philadelphia Department of Revenue’s EITC site, a great site that includes links to FREE tax preparation assistance locations throughout the city.
- EITC Fact Sheet – Designed by the Philadelphia Department of Revenue. Download it to email, share and print.
- EITC Assistant and Calculator – From IRS.gov, contains links to calculators back to Tax Year 2014.
- EITC Central – Also from IRS.gov, contains eligbility information, calculators, as well as statistics about partipation, average credits claimed, social media, videos and more.
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