Last year, over 23 million people received $2,916 on average under the program.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is encouraging taxpayers to claim their Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) as part of the annual EITC Awareness Day outreach campaign to help millions of Americans secure credits this year, the agency said in a statement on Jan. 23.
EITC is aimed at low-income taxpayers who obtain credits if they have children, dependents, or disabilities. The credits can be used to reduce the amount of tax they owe, potentially increasing their refunds.
“The Earned Income Tax Credit is vital to supporting working American families and rewarding them for their hard work,” IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank J. Bisignano said.
“The IRS encourages every taxpayer who qualifies for the credit to claim the full amount they are due under the Internal Revenue Code.”
Last year, an estimated 23.5 million workers and families benefited from the program, receiving roughly $68.5 billion in EITC payments. This calculates to $2,916 in payments on average.
Low-income taxpayers may be eligible for the EITC, and the amount of credit will be affected by whether the recipients have children, dependents, or a disability, according to the IRS website.
The agency estimates that about 1 in 5 taxpayers eligible for EITC do not claim the credit, underscoring the importance of the annual outreach campaign.
Taxpayers can use the EITC Assistant tool to check their eligibility and estimate their credit amount. The IRS encouraged electronic filing of returns and the use of direct deposit for faster refunds.
The IRS expects most of the early EITC or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) refunds to be “available in taxpayer bank accounts or debit card by March 2, 2026, if they choose direct deposit and there are no other issues with the return. Some taxpayers may have access to their refunds sooner, depending on their financial institution’s process.”
The IRS’s “Where’s My Refund?” tool, which allows taxpayers to check their refund status, “will be updated with projected deposit dates for most early EITC/ACTC refund filers by Feb. 21, 2026,” the agency said.
