Who Receives the Earned Income Tax Credit?
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is designed to benefit low-income workers, particularly those with children.
Published Sep 25, 2025by the USAFacts team
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The tax code contains several tax credits designed to support workers and children. Among the largest is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which delivers upwards of $60 billion per year to low-income households nationwide. $59,187 This brief provides an overview of the EITC, examining benefits by number of children and income levels.
Data summary
- In 2022, 24.1 million tax returns claimed the EITC, and benefits totaled $60.1 billion.
- Average EITC benefits are typically equivalent to 12% to 13% of average annual pre-tax earnings of recipients.
- Average EITC benefits are typically equivalent to 12% to 13% of average annual pre-tax earnings of recipients.
- In 2022, 65% of EITC benefits went to taxpayers earning under $25,000 per year, with the tax credit increasing their pre-tax annual incomes by over 20%.
Keep exploring
- How did the child tax credit change over time? - The American Rescue Plan temporarily increased the child tax credit per child and expanded eligibility for lower income families. Now the credit is back to pre-pandemic levels.
- Who doesn’t pay federal income taxes? - Whether someone owes federal income tax depends on their income, deductions, and credits. In 2023, 3 in 10 filers owed nothing.
- How has TCJA impacted individual income taxes? - In 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act expanded or made parts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent. Here's how the TCJA has affected taxes since 2018.
- How much money does the government collect per person? - Individual income taxes accounted for more than half of total revenues for the federal government in 2022.