January 2022

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See If You’re Eligible with the CWF Benefits Launch Express Tool

Everyone can benefit from a boost every so often. The past two years have made it clear how vulnerable everyone is to life’s events. Whether the pandemic caused job losses, pay cuts, illness, or forced you to dip in your savings, there are safety measures available to ensure that you can get the assistance you need.

What benefits are available?

There are over 20 public benefits available depending on your needs, including:

Food

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is a federal nutrition program that can help with the cost of food. How SNAP works: The state where you live will issue a plastic electronic benefits transfer card – called an EBT card, which looks like a credit/debit card. Each month, you will find your eligible deposit on the card. You can use that card to buy food items from authorized SNAP grocery stores and participating farmers’ markets. In addition, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) lists foods and products you can buy using SNAP benefits.

Healthcare

Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) are programs that can help you and your family get healthcare services. Medicaid provides free or low-cost medical benefits to eligible adults with a low income, children, pregnant women, people 65 and over, and people with disabilities. Even if you make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, you may still be eligible for CHIP. The program covers medical and dental care for children and teens up to 19.

Cash Assistance

TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) is a federally-funded, state-run benefits program that helps families get back on their feet after a setback. Your state may call it by another name.

Child Care

The Child Care Works Subsidized Child Care Program helps low-income families pay the cost of reliable child care.

Unemployment

Unemployment Insurance can help if you lose your job through no fault of yours. Each state runs its own program and has different qualifications.

Heating Assistance

LIHEAP (The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) can help keep you and your family warm this winter. Paying for heat can be a big expense, but low-income families can get help to pay their heating bills in the form of a cash grant. If your household is in immediate need of assistance, you may also qualify for a crisis grant.

Other

There are also benefits for people with disabilities and military veterans and their families.

How can I find out if I qualify?

Use the tool–start here!

It’s easy to find out if you qualify for benefits. All you have to do is take a few minutes to answer a few simple questions about your income and household using a tool called Benefits Launch Express. Developed by the Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization Benefits Data Trust (BDT), Benefits Launch Express connects people to the assistance they may not know they’re eligible to receive. Once you complete the questions, you can connect with a Campaign for Working Families Benefits Expert to help you access the benefits you need. Besides being easy to use, it’s also entirely FREE!

If I have a job, do I qualify for benefits?
Yes! Some people are eligible for benefits even if they have a job, especially if they are employed part-time or have had their hours reduced.

How do I get benefits if I qualify?
Each benefit program has a different application process. Using Benefits Launch Express will allow you to apply online or by phone, and someone will be with you every step of the way!

CWF can help you get the benefits you’re eligible to receive and make sure you get them—for no charge!

Help is available! Let CWF and BDT help you get the benefits you need. Over the past 12 years, BDT has helped more than 110,000 Philadelphians heat their homes, feed their families, and pay for healthcare. In addition, CWF has filed over 250,000 returns, finding millions in refunds for families and individuals in Philadelphia. Let us know if we can help you!

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Good news for working families! If you pay out-of-pocket expenses for childcare, you can get up to $4,000 back for 1 child and up to $8,000 back for 2+ children. The expanded Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit can lower your tax bill and makes the credit fully refundable to ensure the lowest income households can benefit. It’s an important new tax break that helps you make up some of the costs of caring for children or dependents with disabilities.

Note: This tax credit is in addition to the Child Tax Credit. Learn the difference here >

Do I Qualify?

To qualify, you must have paid an eligible care provider for one or more of the following:

• Children age 12 and under you claim as a dependent on your tax return
• Your spouse (if that person is unable to take care of themselves and has lived in your home for at least half the year)
• Any additional person claimed as a dependent on your return, such as an elderly or disabled parent, who can’t take care of themselves and has lived in your home at least half the year

Who Can Claim the Credit

You may claim the credit if you (or you and your spouse if filing a joint tax return) pay a provider to care for one or more people who qualify so that you can work, look for work, or attend school, and your income level is within the income limits set for the credit. However, the credit amount decreases when the individual or household income reaches a certain income level.

Like most taxes, understanding eligibility and calculating the credit amount you are entitled to can be confusing. However, working families and individuals in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey who need it most can avoid the confusion and get free professional help from an IRS-certified Campaign for Working Families (CWF) tax preparer.

Changes for the tax year 2021 (taxes you file in 2022):

• The amount of qualifying expenses increases from $3,000 to $8,000 for one qualifying person and from $6,000 to $16,000 for two or more qualifying individuals
• The percentage of qualifying expenses eligible for the credit increases from 35% to 50%. That means if you spent $8,000 in eligible child care expenses, you could receive up to $4,000 (50%) as a refundable credit.
• The beginning of the reduction of the credit increased from $15,000 to $125,000 of adjusted gross income (AGI)
• The maximum amount you can contribute to a dependent care flexible spending account and the amount of tax-free employer-provided dependent care benefits is increased from $5,000 to $10,500

The Child and Dependent Care Credit is a tax credit rather than a tax deduction (see the differences here). This tax credit directly lowers your taxes, dollar for dollar, reducing the amount of taxes you owe right from the beginning. For example, a $1,000 tax credit cuts your tax bill by $1,000. And, new for this year, you can receive up to 50% of your expenses back in the form of a refund.

Restrictions on Who Can Provide Care

You can claim the credit for the money you paid for care if the person you paid is not one of the following people:

• Your spouse
• A parent of the child receiving care. For example, you can’t claim the credit if you pay your ex-husband or ex-wife to care for a child you have together
• Any person listed as a dependent on your tax return
• Your child, 18 or younger, regardless of whether they are listed as a dependent on your tax return. For example, you couldn’t pay your 17-year-old child to care for their eight-year-old sibling and then claim the credit.

CWF Can Help You Benefit from the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit!

Get FREE, professional help from an IRS-certified tax professional at CWF to take advantage of this opportunity to lower your tax bill and increase your refund! Child care and dependent care have been especially difficult for families over the past couple of years, and this is a great way to help you recoup some of your hard-earned money.

Thanks to the efforts of President Biden and Congress, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (enacted March 11) included this credit which is significantly more generous than in the past and potentially refundable so you might not have to owe taxes to claim the credit. You only need to meet the requirements. Join the nearly 50,000 individuals who depended on CWF last year to help receive tax benefits.

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