Publisher's Synopsis
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable tax credit available to eligible workers earning relatively low wages. Since the credit is refundable, an EITC recipient need not owe taxes to receive the benefit. Hence, many low-income workers, especially those with children, can receive significant financial assistance from this tax provision. Studies indicate that a relatively high proportion of EITC payments are issued incorrectly. The IRS estimates that in FY2013, 22% to 26% of EITC payments-between $13.3 billion and $15.6 billion-were issued improperly. These improper payments can be overpayments or underpayments. The IRS's most recent study (released in 2014) of the factors that lead to EITC overclaims-the difference between the amount of EITC claimed by the taxpayer on his or her return and the amount the taxpayer should have claimed-concluded that there were three major reasons that tax filers claimed the wrong amount of the credit:
