Do You Qualify for This Tax Credit?

It's tax season! If you earned income in 2018, it's important to file your taxes. Today's blog post discusses a tax credit that may apply to you and free services available through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Earned Income Tax Credit

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a benefit for working people with low to moderate income. To qualify, you must meet certain requirements and file a tax return, even if you do not owe any taxes or are not required to file. EITC reduces the amount of taxes you owe and may qualify you for a refund.

Do I qualify for EITC?

To qualify for EITC you must have earned income from working for someone or from running or owning a business or farm and meet basic requirements. Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) do not count as earned income.

You can determine your eligibility and file and claim your EITC for free:

• Use the online EITC Assistant at IRS.gov to help determine if you're eligible. Information is available in English and Spanish.
• If you made $66,000 or less in 2018, you can use brand name software products through IRS's Free File and electronically file your return to claim your EITC. Visit IRS.gov to access the software.

Will a tax refund affect my SSI or SSDI?

You may be concerned that a tax refund will affect your eligibility for public benefits, including Social Security disability benefits, Medicare or Medicaid, and food stamps (SNAP). The law is clear that, in most cases, tax refunds, including refunds from tax credits such as the EITC, are not counted as income for purposes of determining eligibility for benefits. This applies to any federal program and any state or local program financed with federal funds. For SSI recipients, income tax refunds are not counted as income and all federal tax refunds received on, or after January 2010, are not counted toward your SSI resource limit for 12 months (current allowable resource amount is $2,000 for an individual and 3,000 for a couple). For more information, contact Social Security toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 (1-800-325-0778 TTY) or visit your local office. If you are working with a benefits counselor, your counselor may be able to assist you with questions about how tax refunds may affect your benefits.

Who can help?

The IRS works with national partners, community-based coalitions and thousands of local partners and governments. These partnerships, also known as the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, provide free EITC tax return preparation and tax help and tax education.

VITA offers free basic tax-return preparation to people who:

• Generally make $55,000 or less
• Have a disability
• Are limited-English-speaking taxpayers

IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals. To find your local VITA site, call 1-800-906-9887 or use the VITA Locator Tool.

About Ticket to Work

Social Security's Ticket to Work (Ticket) program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits (SSI or SSDI) and want to work. The Ticket program is free and voluntary. It helps people with disabilities move toward financial independence and connects them with the services and support they need to succeed in the workforce.

Learn more

To learn more about the Ticket program, call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Ask a representative to send you a list of service providers or find providers on your own with the Ticket program Find Help tool.