Here’s how the Earned Income Tax Credit is helping families like Stephanie’s

Have you claimed yours? There’s still time!

What would you do with a few extra thousand dollars? There’s a chance you’re owed money and don’t know it. You’re not alone. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) could put thousands back in your pocket, but one in five people who qualify don’t claim it.

Stephanie, a West Hartford mom, would use it to pay for the rising cost of living. Summer is coming, and so are her child care costs – the EITC can help her to afford that. 

“I can pay upfront three or four months,” she said.

Like many families, she’s seen the cost of food, utilities, and other essentials go up, and the EITC is one way to help working people afford those costs.

“My price increase at the grocery store is ridiculous,” she said. “Everything is high.”

Stephanie, like many people in our state, learned about the EITC through The Connecticut Project.

“I was excited because we do need help,” she said. “We pay so much taxes in Connecticut, and anything that helps would be a benefit.”

The average person who qualified received $2,482 last year – that’s money you could use to pay for food, rent, child care, and utilities. If you qualify, you could be owed even more! Take our quiz to see if you qualify.

Have you already filed your taxes? You can check to see if you claimed your EITC by looking at Form 1040 (the first page of your return). If you claimed it, then the amount will be listed under the “payment” category on the “earned income credit” line. If it’s not there, that’s OK! You can amend your past returns to claim it for the last few tax years.

You don’t need children to qualify, although you can get more money back if you have them. It also won’t affect your benefits like SNAP, HUSKY, OR WIC. To qualify, you must earn at least $1 in income by working for someone else, yourself, doing freelance work, or doing gig work like working as a rideshare or delivery driver. Disability and child support payments don’t count towards the “earned income” part of the EITC.

Don’t leave behind money that you’re owed. File for free by April 15 to get what you’ve already earned.