Healthy Families EITC Coalition

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Advocacy Opportunities

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ABOUT

The Coalition

The Healthy Families EITC Coalition is a statewide nonpartisan network of advocates working to improve the health and well-being of Massachusetts children and families through an increase in the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The 40+ member coalition is led by Children’s HealthWatch at Boston Medical Center and consists of community-based agencies, legal advocates, professional associations, and Massachusetts workers and their families. A list of partnership and supporting organizations of the Healthy Families EITC Coalition can be found at the bottom of this page under the Supporting Organizations section.

EITC

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a benefit for working individuals and families with low to moderate income that reduces the amount of taxes they owe and may even provide them with a refund. It is a tax policy critical in reducing the financial burden of low-income families and has the potential to decrease food insecurity and increase health through shifting income towards spending on healthy meals and necessary medical care.

VITA Sites

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $54,000 or less, persons with disabilities, the elderly and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

Priorities

  • Increase the Massachusetts EITC from 30% to 50% of the value of federal EITC.
    • Increasing the MA EITC to 50% of the federal credit would increase economic mobility and improve children’s health.
  • Enable taxpayers who file with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) to access the Massachusetts EITC.
    • Expanding state EITC eligibility to taxpayers who file with an ITIN would allow certain immigrants, with a range of legal statuses, to claim the state EITC, which would help families make ends meet.
  • Direct the Department of Revenue to engage in a comprehensive outreach EITC promotion and outreach campaign.
    • Directing the Department of Revenue to engage in comprehensive outreach would increase awareness of EITC and help eligible EITC taxpayers claim their credit
  • Establish state funding for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites.
    • Establishing state funding for VITA sites would ensure VITA sites in Massachusetts are able to provide free, IRS-certified, and highly accurate tax preparation to low-income taxpayers.

Upcoming Events

Past Events

EITC Updates

Massachusetts increased the state EITC in 2018. What does this mean for families? 

  • With the increase in the MA EITC to 30% of the federal credit, a family with two children eligible for the maximum credit will receive $1,684.80, a difference of +$393.12 from the former 23% match of the federal credit.
  • This increase will further help the over 400,000 families across the Commonwealth who receive EITC to make ends meet.
  • For more information on the increase, see the table below.
Number of children Max federal credit (based on Tax Year 2017) Current: MA EITC = 23% federal credit

FY19 increase:

MA EITC = 30% federal credit
0 $510 $117.30 $153
1 $3,400 $782.00 $1,020
2 $5,616 $1,291.68 $1,684.80
3+ $6,318 $1,453.14 $1895.40

In the News

Scholars Strategy Network:

The Earned Income Tax Credit’s Impact Throughout Massachusetts

The following interactive tools display the impact the EITC has on the state of Massachusetts. The data used in this tool was compiled in 2015 for Tax Year 2014 by the IRS and then the data was aggregated into different geographic units by The Brookings Institution. The maps displayed here show legislative districts for the House and Senate chambers of Massachusetts.

To use the interactive tool, scroll over a district and click on it to see information on how many taxpayers claimed EITC in that district and the sum of EITC dollars going into that district.

If you have questions about the tool please contact Keith Chappelle at Keith.Chappelle@bmc.org.

State House Districts

State Senate Districts

Accomplishments

  • July 30th, 2018: Massachusetts increases the Massachusetts Earned Income Tax Credit from 23 percent to 30 percent of the federal credit
  • July 17th, 2017: Governor Baker signs the budget for the fiscal year 2018 including the provision to expand Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to survivors of domestic violence and abandoned spouses.
  • July 11th, 2017: The Massachusetts legislature passes a budget for the fiscal year 2018 including a provision to expand Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to survivors of domestic violence and abandoned spouses.
  • August 5th, 2015: Governor Baker signs Earned Income Tax Increase for Working Families, increasing the Massachusetts Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from 15% to 23% of the federal EITC.

Publications

Children’s HealthWatch:

  • Massachusetts Increases the state EITC

    Massachusetts EITC Increased to 30% of the federal credit in FY 2019 Budget.

    The Story

  • Survivors of domestic violence and abandoned spouses can now access Earned Income Tax Credit

    On July 7th, 2017, the Massachusetts Legislature approved a budget including an unprecedented provision allowing survivors of domestic violence and abandoned spouses access to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). 10 days later, on July 17th, 2017, Governor Baker approved the budget, making this provision law.

    The Story

  • Governor Baker signs a bill expanding the state EITC

    On August 5th, 2015 Governor Charlie Baker enacted a fifty-percent increase in the Massachusetts EITC, allowing potentially 400,000 individuals and families in the Commonwealth the ability to access state benefits to improve their health and well-being. The bill increased the state EITC level 15% to 23% of the federal EITC, which translates to an increase in the maximum state credit from $951 to $1,459.

    The Bill

  • Quanda Burrell stands with Governor Barker after the EITC expansion bill was signed in August of 2015

    Quanda Burrell, a 29-year-old single mother of two is one of the over 400,000 individuals in Massachusetts expecting to benefit from this EITC expansion. Many, like Burrell, work full-time but still struggle to make ends meet as they juggle student loan and credit card debt while also paying for day-to-day expenses like basic housing, food, and medical needs. She relies heavily on her EITC refund to help ease the financial burden that she as the head of low-income household faces. Moreover, she relies on these funds to adequately care for her own health as well as the health and well-being of her children. For her and many others, this recent expansion was the first step in the right direction to securing health for low-income families across the Commonwealth.

    Her Story

  • CHW staff members join Governor Baker at the State House in August 2015 in support of the EITC expansion

    The Healthy Families EITC Coalition and Children’s HealthWatch played a part in supporting this legislation both through collecting, analyzing, and reporting data relevant to the issue but also through actively campaigning for its adoption. Before the bill was reified by Governor Baker, CHW Boston Research Assistant Jennifer Cano provided both her personal and professional support for the measure in a letter to the editor published in the Revere Journal.

    Letter to the Editor
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Supporting Organizations

Organizations that support the mission of the Healthy Families EITC Coalition include:

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