Educate employers about the availability and value of these tax credits. Tax credits provide
money to workers at no cost to employers. The extra money can help employees pay for child
care, housing, and other basic needs, leading to a more stable workforce.
Encourage employers to promote the advance EIC. The advance credit can boost monthly
pay by more than $125 per month. A higher take-home pay can help employers by
increasing job
stability. There is no cost to employers -- they simply reduce the taxes they would otherwise
send to the federal government -- and employers are not responsible for verifying eligibility.
Teach a brown bag seminar on the EIC and/or Homestead credit at a local workplace.
Provide enough information to help employees determine if they are eligible. Bring along extra
tax forms and instructions. Let employees know where they can get one-on-one help with their
taxes. Explain the advantages of the advance EIC, and provide guidelines to help employees
determine if this option makes sense for them.
Assist employers in sponsoring a free tax assistance clinic for employees. Local VITA
volunteers can assist with this.
Provide employers with outreach materials such as fact sheets, envelope stuffers, and
posters. Suggest ways these could be used. Employers can include fact sheets on earned income
and Homestead credits in benefit packets for new employees. They can include information as
envelope stuffers, when sending paychecks or tax information. Fact sheets can be posted at
worksites.
Offer to write short articles on the earned income and Homestead credits for company
newsletters.
Make presentations to local business organizations encouraging their involvement in
outreach efforts.
Offer to teach a short session on the EIC and Homestead credit at PTA meetings or other
school functions during tax season. Be sure to let parents know where they can get help in
claiming the credits.
Educate school administrators and teachers about the availability and value of these tax credits. Tax
credits provide extra money to parents, helping to stabilize families.
Provide schools with outreach materials such as fact sheets, envelope stuffers, and posters.
Schools can include information on earned income and Homestead credits with other school
notices. They can include articles in school newsletters.
Offer to write short articles on the earned income and Homestead credits for school
newsletters.
Encourage schools to sponsor a free tax assistance clinic for parents. Title I schools, as well
as schools with large numbers of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals, are good
candidates. Local VITA volunteers can assist with this.
Publicize the tax credits at homeless shelters, by posting flyers or providing in-person
information. Researchers estimate that up to 40% of homeless persons have some earnings
during the month, and many more have earned income sometime during the year. A tax refund
can provide a deposit needed to secure housing. A permanent address is not necessary to claim
the credit. Encourage homeless individuals and families to claim the EIC and Homestead credit
by educating staff at shelters, teaching informational sessions to clients, providing tax forms,
and/or arranging for tax assistance from a VITA volunteer.
Publicize tax credits at food pantries and other emergency feeding sites. A recent survey
by UW-Extension
found that 44% of food pantry clients in Wisconsin have a worker in their household. Many
others are recently unemployed. A tax credit can provide extra money for food. Encourage
pantries to share information with clients by distributing information and/or arranging for free
on-site tax
assistance.
Collaborate with your county W-2 agency. Offer to conduct EIC workshops for
W-2 clients. Provide
W-2 agencies with EIC and Homestead credit information to provide to clients. Many W-2
participants are new to the workforce and do not have prior experience with the EIC. Because
the EIC is integral to the success of welfare reform, W-2 participants are an important target
group for EIC outreach efforts.
Conduct informational workshops with area service providers who come in contact with
low-income families. Increasing awareness among providers is a
great way to ensure that low-income families have access to the
information. The IRS can sometimes provide representatives to co-teach EIC
workshops. Contact the IRS Taxpayer Education Office, (414) 297-3717.
Encourage government assistance programs to provide information on the EIC and
Homestead credit to recipients, past recipients, and applicants. For instance, EIC
information can be included with Unemployment Compensation checks, food stamp mailings,
WIC vouchers, and child support checks.
Offer educational sessions for clients of organizations serving low-income families.
Possibilities include Head Start programs, community health centers, Consumer Credit
Counseling programs, child care centers, etc.
Encourage organizations serving low-income clients to sponsor a VITA site.
The more convenient and accessible VITA sites are, the more likely
clients will be to use them. VITA sites are key to ensuring that families
claim their tax credits.
*Many of these ideas are suggested by the Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities, A Guide to
Earned Income Credit Outreach Strategies. This is an excellent
resource with extensive information and ideas.
Cooperative
Extension
Page author: Judi
Bartfeld (bartfeld@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Last modified on
01/28/08
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1996-2001 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System,
doing business as the Division of Cooperative Extension of the University
of Wisconsin-Extension.
