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Claim your 2014 Earned Income Tax Credit

tax help

 

What is EITC?

EITC is a federal and state tax benefit for individuals and families who earn low-to-moderate incomes in NJ. It is a tax credit that may reduce the amount of taxes you owe, or provide you with a refund, even if you don’t owe any taxes.

To get the NJ state EITC, you must file a federal tax form, be eligible for the federal EITC and file a state income tax return. (If you are married but file separately, you may not claim the EITC.)

Am I Eligible?

Depending on your income and family size, you could receive a federal credit of as much as $496 to $6,143, and a state credit of as much as $99 to $1,228.

To qualify, your earned income and adjusted gross income (AGI) must be less than:

  • $46,997 ($52,427 if married and filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children;
  • $43,756 ($49,186 if married and filing jointly) with two qualifying children;
  • $38,511 ($43,941 if married and filing jointly) with one qualifying child;
  • $14,590 ($20,020 if married and filing jointly) with no qualifying children.

Get FREE tax help.

Free tax preparation is available at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites. For the nearest locationon, call NJ’s resource hotline, 2-1-1 or visit www.nj211.org

To obtain more information on New Jersey’s EITC, call toll-free 1-888-895-9179 or visit www.njeitc.org. For more information on federal EITC, call the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) toll-free at 1-800-829-1040 or visit www.irs.gov/eitc.

EITC and Other Benefits

EITC refunds won’t count as income when you apply for or renew benefits like SNAP, SSI, Medicaid, cash assistance, or public housing. If you save your tax refund, it will not count against the resource/asset limits of these federally-funded programs for 12 months after the refund is received.