The authors use a unique data set of federal tax returns to analyze usage and participation patterns of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) over the period 1989–2006. The authors find that most EITC recipients claimed the EITC for short periods, 61% for 1 or 2 years. Over the period examined,...

Since its enactment in 1975, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has evolved from a small program to alleviate some of the tax burden of the payroll and income tax on low–income working parents to become a significant part of the Federal government's redistribution efforts. This paper presents...