National Outreach Campaign for Tax Benefits

Help Families Get Their Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit

Families are eligible for thousands of dollars from the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and other tax benefits this year. A family of four with low income who didn’t file last year could get over $20,000 in tax benefits—but only if they file a return.

Illustration of an adult helping a child with homework at the kitchen table

Agencies in over 30 states joined the 2022 National Tax Benefits Outreach Campaign to connect their clients who do not usually file taxes with tax benefits through GetCTC.org. This outreach prompted at least 30,000 households to submit returns through GetCTC—successfully claiming at least $42 million. Thank you to all who participated! 

The 2022 campaign has now closed. Questions about future outreach opportunities? Email outreach@getyourrefund.org

Research shows that state and local benefits agencies are the best messengers to reach out to families who don’t usually file tax returns. An estimated 4 million children are at risk of missing out. 

A single text message to SNAP beneficiaries in a medium-sized state could get over 1,000 families to claim millions of dollars in benefits.

Start your outreach

At Code for America, we believe that all families deserve access to free, trustworthy tax services. We created GetCTC.org, a simple, mobile-accessible tool to help people with low or no income file a simplified tax return in English and Spanish. Most clients finish the process in 15 minutes, and many can now claim the Earned Income Tax Credit through our streamlined service.

Hi [first-name], this is [sender-first-name] from [agency]. If you didn’t file taxes this year, you may be eligible for thousands of dollars in federal benefits. It’s easy to claim your money. This money does not count for [SNAP] benefits. Visit childtaxcredit.gov/[state].

Top recommended text message, based on messaging performance in 2021 and early 2022
Track which states are conducting tax benefits outreach 

Our goal is for every benefits agency in the country to send tax benefits outreach to its beneficiaries. Join the long list of states, cities, and counties already committed to doing this outreach.

Need support? Email us, join our office hours, or sign up for a consultation

See how many kids could be missing out on the Child Tax Credit in your area

Percent of children under 18 at risk of missing out on Child Tax Credit, identified based on health insurance data. The numbers in this chart are likely an underestimate; children without CTC and without health insurance are missing entirely. Data from tax year 2019.

We have a team of organizations ready to support you to do this work

For more information, read our 2022 Outreach Partnership guide.

Learn more about tax benefits and outreach.
Read: Lessons from Simplified Filing in 2021 (PDF)

Interested in partnering with us? Get in touch at outreach@getyourrefund.org

Many thanks to Code for the Carolinas for their support developing this campaign website. Learn more about volunteer opportunities