ROCKY HILL, CT — Many families in Connecticut are working hard but may not be tapping into all the financial resources they are owed. These low-income taxpayers are eligible for several tax credits, including the Federal Earned Income and Child Tax Credits.
IRS data shows that, in addition to unclaimed Federal Child Tax Credits and other state benefits, there was more than $120 million in unclaimed federal Earned Income Tax Credits in tax year 2019 that would have benefited nearly 45,000 lower-income Connecticut households. Get Your Refund CT is a state-wide outreach campaign aimed at helping these families claim the 2021 enhanced tax benefits they are owed before they expire on April 15, 2025.
The 2021 benefits that are available (the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, the CT Earned Income Tax Credit and the federal Child Tax Credit) could amount to thousands of dollars per eligible family. For example, a family with one parent, a first grader and a baby that earned $20,000 in 2021 could receive more than $14,000 in tax credits, without paying any tax preparation fees: $7,600 in federal and state Earned Income Tax Credits and an additional $6,600 in federal Child Tax Credits. Eligibility criteria and the value of credits vary by tax year. The COVID-era enhanced benefits in tax year 2021, expiring April 15, 2025, offer more people a larger return of their money than in the current year.
“The only way to collect these benefits is by filing taxes,” says Amy Casavina Hall, Senior Vice President of Partnerships, Development and Communications at United Way of Connecticut. “The reason these CT residents haven’t filed is personal to each household, but many times it is connected to concerns about the impact on the government benefits they receive (SNAP, Section 8, TANF, etc.), immigration status, worries about money owed/fines for not filing or a general distrust of government.”
Pat Gentile, CPA and Founding Director of SimplifyCT, shares, “We know there are real concerns for first-time filers. It may help them to know that filing taxes does not affect any of their other government-provided benefits because the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the third stimulus payment are not counted as income and will not affect the other benefits an individual or family receives. It’s also important to note that immigrants can file taxes and that filing taxes is usually seen as an act that can help with immigration procedures. It shows compliance with U.S. tax laws, and it can positively help the legalization process.”
Filers may be eligible for free tax preparation services if they make up to $64,000 per year, have a disability or speak limited English. They can call 860-590-8910 or visit simplifyct.org/contact to check their eligibility.
Get Your Refund CT is a partnership between United Way of Connecticut, SimplifyCT, other VITA partners (CT Association for Human Services (CAHS), The Village for Children and Families, Human Resources Agency (HRA) of New Britain) and United Ways of Central and Northeastern CT, Coastal and Western CT, Greater New Haven and Greater Waterbury, with funding from the CT Office of Early Childhood and The Connecticut Project.
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