Sign up for our WIC Flash e-Newsletter

Featured Project

wichelp

Our WIC CAN HELP campaign is designed to help the one million California families we serve to survive and protect their children’s health in these tough times. The campaign builds local agency staff capacity to inform and connect WIC families with all possible community assistance programs, from dental care to foreclosure counseling to utility assistance.

WIC CAN HELP identifies lesser-known referral resources, and makes sure the local WIC network can easily share the information with WIC participants using downloadable multi-language flyers or information. Each month, we share a new resource and referral “survival kit” which highlights assistance or program linkages that local WIC staff might suggest to young families in need. WIC CAN HELP is funded by grants from The California Endowment and Kaiser Permanente Community Benefits.

Read more

 
Home›Focus Areas›WIC Can Help

FEBRUARY: Earned Income Tax Credit

In these tough times, federal tax credits mean more for working families than ever before. They may not know that they can get help filing their taxes and that they might be eligible for tax credits worth thousands of dollars – even if they did not earn enough in 2011 to owe income tax!

eitcThe ARRA (2009 stimulus bill) improved and expanded the number and kinds of federal tax credits which can put real money in people’s pockets. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is available to working people and families. The Child Tax Credit and the Making Work Pay credit are also still available. These tax credits have no effect on eligibility for welfare benefits like MediCal, CalWORKS, or food stamps.

Please help deserving WIC households get help filing their taxes from many community-based programs, so that they can take advantage of these resources!

WHAT LOCAL AGENCIES CAN DO:

1. Go to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ comprehensive site for EITC Outreach. You’ll find background info, posters, flyers in every language, fact sheets, and outreach ideas.

2. Download ready-to-use flyers in any of 21 languages. Includes flyers in Spanish and English that you can edit to include local contact information.

3. In February, distribute flyers to WIC participants. Let them know that if they were employed in 2011, they may be eligible even if they did not earn enough to pay income taxes!

4. Tell WIC families about FREE tax filing assistance. To find the closest help site, call 1-800-906-9887, OR direct them to online sites:

5. Use the connector tool at WE Connect to help individuals find out if they may be eligible for EITC or other tax credits. Or refer participants directly to WEb Connector EZ, where they can find out in just a few clicks!