I heard that some people get money back from the government through EITC. What is it and how do I qualify?
EITC is the Earned Income Tax Credit. It is a program that is part of the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) that actually pays you money if you earn some, but not a lot of money. If you are under the age of 25 you might be eligible for EITC if you earn money by working and you have children. You must have earned some money by working, not just by getting government benefits. Your child must have lived with you for more than half of the year that you are seeking the credit for. Once you turn 25, even if you don’t have children you might be eligible for EITC. You can receive EITC even if you are getting other public assistance such as TANF, food stamps, SSI and Medicaid. It does not count as “income” for public benefits decisions. You can also get EITC for past years if you were eligible. You do not have to make enough money to be required to pay taxes in order to get EITC, but you must fill out a tax form to get it. You can get free help preparing your taxes from a VITA (Volunteer Income T
