After 40 years as both a CPA and tax attorney in Indiana, I've seen one tactic consistently work: partnering with local employers to insert EITC information directly into W-2 mailings. We worked with three small manufacturers in Jasper who agreed to include a simple one-page flyer explaining EITC eligibility with their January tax documents. The results were immediate because employees already trusted their employer and were actively thinking about taxes when opening that envelope. We saw a 31% increase in EITC claims from those specific workplaces within the first filing season. One single mom who worked at a furniture plant came in after seeing the flyer--she'd been eligible for three years but never knew it existed. The key is timing and trust. People ignore generic government notices, but when their employer includes tax information with their W-2, they actually read it. We kept the flyer dead simple--just income thresholds, number of kids, and our office number to call for free filing assistance.
One outreach tactic that consistently lifted Earned Income Tax Credit claims among eligible non-filers was embedding EITC eligibility checks directly inside free tax-filing software flows. While reviewing tax software, I saw platforms surface a short EITC prompt before account creation using IRS income thresholds and household size. This worked because non-filers already trust tax software to answer eligibility questions, and the prompt removed the psychological barrier of thinking taxes were unnecessary. IRS data shows roughly 20 percent of eligible households miss the EITC each year, often because they do not file at all. Putting eligibility confirmation inside the filing workflow produced quick results by converting passive awareness into immediate action without requiring external outreach. Albert Richer, Founder, WhatAreTheBest.com
As someone who has worked with individuals using low income filing as well as providing outreach using evidence based practices to help ensure that these individuals receive their EITC, I have seen first hand how effective the use of pre-filled tax eligibility postcard mailings tied to free filing events has been. As part of a pilot project in one community, postcards were mailed out with the following information clearly visible: the estimated income eligibility range for the EITC and a list of no-cost local tax filing sites that offered walk-in hours. Many recipients assumed that they were not eligible for a refund because their incomes were low and/or they had no withholdings from their paychecks. After the postcard mailings, the number of people attending filing sites increased significantly, and there were significant increases in EITC claims as a result of eliminating confusion and reducing the amount of time required to file taxes. The reason for the rapid success of the pilot program was that outreach occurred at places e.g., their mailbox where the target audience was already, and by utilizing trusted community locations for mailings, rather than relying solely on the use of digital channels for outreach.
Through my experience of working with outreach to individuals who do not file their taxes, the most effective strategy has been to collaborate with utility providers and SNAP offices to incorporate reminders of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) within their existing benefit communications. For example, in one implementation, we included a simple insert that stated "Filing a Tax Return May Result in a Cash Refund Even If You Do Not Owe Any Taxes" along with a QR code directing people to a free tax preparation option. Almost instantly, the number of claims increased because we were communicating the message through established relationships with public programs that they knew and trusted. By changing the perspective of filing as simply one of many steps to gain access to benefits, rather than a tax requirement, we eliminated doubts people had and prompted them to take action more quickly by using established connections.