This article examines the impact of the recent dramatic changes in the social policies, particularly the expansion of the EITC and Welfare reform on labor supply, marriage, and cohabitation. Altered policies have increased incentives to work or marry for some, diminished incentives for others....

Internal Revenue Service data indicate that $4.4 billion in excess EITC was claimed for tax year 1994, largely due to violations of the qualifying child eligibility criteria. I find that the probability of misreporting a child is increasing in the size of the EITC and tax benefit. The estimated...

The IRS estimates that more than 20 percent of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) payments are made in error. By matching the Current Population Survey (CPS) to tax return data, this paper finds that a large portion of the overpayments went to families with children. Depending on the exact measure...

We analyze ethnographic data on 42 families' perceptions and uses of the EITC, including the decision to use the lump sum or advance payment form. A behavioral life cycle (BLC) model lends a theoretical framework and a description of family financial situations provides context. Parents discuss...