Tax & Benefit Outreach

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Tax Credits & Working Families

2008 National Report
2008 California Report
2007 District of Columbia Report
2008 Mississippi Report
2008 New York Report
2007 Ohio Report
2007 South Carolina Report
2007 Tennessee Report
2008 Texas Report

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Find a VITA Site Near You To locate a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) site near you, call 1-800-829-1040 or the nearest CDF state office.

Home > Programs > Tax and Benefits Outreach

Tax and Benefits Outreach

The Children's Defense Fund gives information and free tax assistance to help poor and near-poor families.  We help them find existing federal and state benefits to improve their living standards, health and opportunities. These benefits include:

• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit: In 2002, the EITC helped 4.9 million people, including 2.7 million children, escape poverty. The credit brought over $36 billion in benefits to more than 20 million low- and moderate-income workers.
• Food Stamps: In 2002, Food Stamps added more than $200 a month to the income of the average poor family with children who received them.
• CHIP/Medicaid: Medicaid and CHIP help families afford medical care.  Nearly all low-income children are eligible for either Medicaid or CHIP, but one in five remains uninsured.

CDF also organizes students and youth to help low-income families get these benefits with the CDF SHOUT^® and CDF SPROUT^® programs.

The CDF national office in Washington, D.C., supports state efforts with materials, research, and tools for outreach and enrollment, and to educate policy makers on the need for services for poor families.

Bridge to Benefits

Bridge to Benefits is a multi-state project by CDF-Minnesota to improve the well-being of families and individuals by linking them to public work support programs and tax credits. A core component of the project is an online screening tool designed to help families and individuals understand if they are eligible for seven public work support programs and two income tax credits.

Minnesota Bridge to Benefits
Montana Bridge to Benefits

Children's Defense Fund
25 E Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
800-CDF-1200
(800-233-1200)
cdfinfo@childrensdefense.org