NACo and the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) have introduced a new toolkit to help health and human services (HHS) agency staff connect eligible families with the temporarily expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) during the 2021 tax filing season.

Counties support the EITC and CTC as important policy tools to combat poverty among our vulnerable residents. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provided a historic, temporary expansion of the CTC (increasing the size of the payment, expanding eligibility and issuing some of the credit via advance monthly payments) and the EITC for childless adults. However, uptake of the advance CTC suggests that gaps in access have persisted with millions of children having missed out on the new income support. Similarly, newly eligible adults are at risk of not claiming the expanded EITC if they do not normally file taxes.

An estimated 75 percent of families are at risk of missing out on tax credits that are currently participating in public benefit programs. As key partners with the federal government in designing and implementing social services and anti-poverty programs, county HHS agencies are uniquely positioned to perform education and outreach to connect vulnerable residents to free tax preparation sites that can help them claim the expanded CTC and EITC this spring.

The NACo/APHSA toolkit is designed to support state and local HHS agencies in alerting program participants of their potential eligibility for tax credits and share information on free tax filing services. As trusted sources of information for the families they serve, HHS agencies play a pivotal role in raising awareness of tax credits within their communities.  The toolkit includes outreach and messaging materials through resource pages, blogs, policy briefs and state and local spotlights.

Throughout 2021, counties invested in numerous efforts to boost tax credit enrollment, often in partnership with local non-profits and other key stakeholders. Some county spotlights include:

• Los Angeles County, Calif.: The Department of Public and Social Services (DPSS) ran a text message campaign to spread CTC awareness to families participating in CalWorks (TANF) and Medi-Cal (Medicaid) programs. On two separate occasions, the County sent a text message to 79,583 CalWorks and 347,000 Medi-Cal families.
• Erie County, N.Y.: The Department of Social Services collaborated with community partners to provide guidance to local residents on how to access CTC. The initiative was brought to Buffalo Public Schools, Parent Centers, IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs, as well as monthly home visits with hundreds of families with the goal of ensuring no one gets left behind in accessing CTC.
• Delaware County, Pa.: The county, along with community organizations and foundations, is urging families to file their taxes to claim their CTC. The county’s efforts span funding for additional VITA sites, staff, volunteers to increase outreach and the number of applications they can process and offering virtual VITA options for citizens who are unable to travel to a local site. Across the county, parents and caregivers have access to numerous organizations and resources to access CTC and other tax credits.

To access the NACo/APHSA Child Tax Credit toolkit, click here.

Additional Resources

• White House Resource on Child Tax Credit for Non-Filers
• NACo Blog: White House relaunches Child Tax Credit website
• NACo Blog: Expanded Child Tax Credit helps reduce child poverty