IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jfamec/v40y2019i3d10.1007_s10834-019-09618-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Periodic Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Payment, Financial Stress and Wellbeing: A Longitudinal Study

Author

Listed:
  • Karen Z. Kramer

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Flávia Cristina Drumond Andrade

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Andrew J. Greenlee

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Ruby Mendenhall

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Dylan Bellisle

    (University of Chicago)

  • Renee Lemons Blanks

    (Chicago Public Schools)

Abstract

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) addresses the economic needs of low-income families, but its annual distribution in one lump-sum limits recipients’ ability to handle financial emergencies that arise throughout the year. We examine the relationship between an advanced periodic payment of the EITC and recipients’ wellbeing. We compare the perceived financial stress of recipients receiving a traditional lump-sum payment to a group that received four advanced payments spread throughout the year. Periodic payment recipients experienced significantly lower levels of perceived financial stress. This relationship was partly mediated by less need to borrow money, lower levels of food insecurity, and fewer unpaid bills. Therefore, periodic payments may enhance the positive association between the EITC and the financial wellbeing of families.

Suggested Citation

  • Karen Z. Kramer & Flávia Cristina Drumond Andrade & Andrew J. Greenlee & Ruby Mendenhall & Dylan Bellisle & Renee Lemons Blanks, 2019. "Periodic Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Payment, Financial Stress and Wellbeing: A Longitudinal Study," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 511-523, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:40:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s10834-019-09618-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-019-09618-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10834-019-09618-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10834-019-09618-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Timothy M. Smeeding & Katherin Ross Phillips & Michael O'Connor, 2000. "The EITC: Expectation, Knowledge, Use and Economic and Social Mobility," JCPR Working Papers 139, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    2. Lauren E. Jones & Katherine Michelmore, 2018. "The Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Household Finances," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(3), pages 521-545, June.
    3. Romich, Jennifer L. & Weisner, Thomas, 2000. "How Families View and Use the EITC: Advance Payment Versus Lump Sum Delivery," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 53(4), pages 1245-1266, December.
    4. Gottschalk, Peter & Smeeding, Timothy M., 2000. "Empirical evidence on income inequality in industrialized countries," Handbook of Income Distribution, in: A.B. Atkinson & F. Bourguignon (ed.), Handbook of Income Distribution, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 5, pages 261-307, Elsevier.
    5. Saurabh Bhargava & Dayanand Manoli, 2015. "Psychological Frictions and the Incomplete Take-Up of Social Benefits: Evidence from an IRS Field Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(11), pages 3489-3529, November.
    6. Steven Lee & Yazmin Osaki & Sherrie L. W. Rhine & Sabrina Su, 2005. "Householder response to the earned income tax credit: path of sustenance or road to asset building," Proceedings 957, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    7. Smeeding, Timothy M. & Phillips, Katherin Ross & O’Connor, Michael, 2000. "The EITC: Expectation, Knowledge, Use, and Economic and Social Mobility," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 53(n. 4), pages 1187-210, December.
    8. Jennifer L. Romich & Thomas Weisner, 2000. "How Families View and Use the EITC: Advanced Payment versus Lump-sum Delivery," JCPR Working Papers 138, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    9. Lisa A. Gennetian & Eldar Shafir, 2015. "The Persistence Of Poverty In The Context Of Financial Instability: A Behavioral Perspective," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(4), pages 904-936, September.
    10. Raj Chetty & Emmanuel Saez, 2013. "Teaching the Tax Code: Earnings Responses to an Experiment with EITC Recipients," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 1-31, January.
    11. Damon Jones, 2010. "Information, Preferences, and Public Benefit Participation: Experimental Evidence from the Advance EITC and 401(k) Savings," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(2), pages 147-163, April.
    12. repec:mpr:mprres:2415 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Amanda Moore & Sondra Beverly & Michael Sherraden & Margaret Sherraden & Lissa Johnson & Mark Schreiner, 2001. "Saving and Asset-Accumulation Strategies Used by Low-Income Individuals," GE, Growth, Math methods 0108001, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 27 Dec 2001.
    14. Aimee Prawitz & Julie Kalkowski & Judith Cohart, 2013. "Responses to Economic Pressure by Low-Income Families: Financial Distress and Hopefulness," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 29-40, March.
    15. Ruby Mendenhall & Karen Z. Kramer & Ilana R. Akresh, 2014. "Asset Accumulation and Housing Cost Burden: Pathways to (Not) Saving," Housing Policy Debate, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 387-414, April.
    16. Romich, Jennifer L. & Weisner, Thomas, 2000. "How Families View and Use the EITC: Advance Payment versus Lump Sum Delivery," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 53(n. 4), pages 1245-66, December.
    17. Paul Gerrans & Craig Speelman & Guillermo Campitelli, 2014. "The Relationship Between Personal Financial Wellness and Financial Wellbeing: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 145-160, June.
    18. Michael Gutter & Zeynep Copur, 2011. "Financial Behaviors and Financial Well-Being of College Students: Evidence from a National Survey," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 699-714, December.
    19. Smeeding, Timothy M. & Phillips, Katherin Ross & O’Connor, Michael, 2000. "The EITC: Expectation, Knowledge, Use, and Economic and Social Mobility," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 53(4), pages 1187-1210, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yoshie Sano & Sheila Mammen & Myah Houghten, 2021. "Well-Being and Stability among Low-income Families: A 10-Year Review of Research," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 107-117, July.
    2. J. Michael Collins & Amrita Kulka, 2023. "Saving by buying ahead: stockpiling in response to lump‐sum payments," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 451-484, December.
    3. Terri Friedline & Zibei Chen & So’Phelia Morrow, 2021. "Families’ Financial Stress & Well-Being: The Importance of the Economy and Economic Environments," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 34-51, July.
    4. Angela Sorgente & Michela Zambelli & Margherita Lanz, 2023. "Are Financial Well-Being and Financial Stress the Same Construct? Insights from an Intensive Longitudinal Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 553-573, September.
    5. Jorge González-Chapela & Raquel Ortega-Lapiedra, 2021. "Reform of the Personal Income Tax in Spain: Effects on Internal Mobility of the Unemployed," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 166-181, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jonathan Fisher & David H. Rehkopf, 2022. "The Earned Income Tax Credit as supplementary food benefits and savings for durable goods," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(3), pages 439-455, July.
    2. Nicole Simpson & Devin Reilly & Kartik Athreya, 2010. "The Earned Income Tax Credit: Insurance Without Disincentives?," 2010 Meeting Papers 1103, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    3. Jonathan Fisher & Bradley L. Hardy, 2023. "Money matters: consumption variability across the income distribution," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(3), pages 275-298, September.
    4. Nicole Simpson & Jill Tiefenthaler & Jameson Hyde, 2010. "The Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Economic Well-Being: A Comparison Across Household Types," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 29(6), pages 843-864, December.
    5. Katie Fitzpatrick, 2015. "Does “Banking the Unbanked” Help Families to Save? Evidence from the United Kingdom," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 223-249, March.
    6. Nada Eissa & Hilary W. Hoynes, 2006. "Behavioral Responses to Taxes: Lessons from the EITC and Labor Supply," NBER Chapters, in: Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 20, pages 73-110, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Aida Farmand & Owen Davis, 2021. "Who Does the Earned Income Tax Credit Benefit? A Monopsony View," SCEPA working paper series. 2021-02, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School.
    8. Nada Eissa & Hilary W. Hoynes, 2006. "Behavioral Responses to Taxes: Lessons from the EITC and Labor Supply," NBER Chapters,in: Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 20, pages 73-110 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Dayanand S. Manoli & Nicholas Turner, 2014. "Nudges and Learning: Evidence from Informational Interventions for Low-Income Taxpayers," NBER Working Papers 20718, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Elliott Isaac, 2020. "Marriage, Divorce, and Social Safety Net Policy," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(4), pages 1576-1612, April.
    11. Elliott Isaac, 2018. "Marriage, Divorce, and Tax and Transfer Policy," Working Papers 1810, Tulane University, Department of Economics.
    12. H. Shaefer & Xiaoqing Song & Trina Williams Shanks, 2013. "Do single mothers in the United States use the Earned Income Tax Credit to reduce unsecured debt?," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 659-680, December.
    13. Sydnee Caldwell & Scott Nelson & Daniel C. Waldinger, 2021. "Tax Refund Uncertainty: Evidence and Welfare Implications," Working Papers 2021-18, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    14. Mathieu Despard & Stephen Roll & Michal Grinstein‐Weiss & Bradley Hardy & Jane Oliphant, 2023. "Can behavioral nudges and incentives help lower‐income households build emergency savings with tax refunds? Evidence from field and survey experiments," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 245-263, January.
    15. Congdon, William J. & Kling, Jeffrey R. & Mullainathan, Sendhil, 2009. "Behavioral Economics and Tax Policy," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 62(3), pages 375-386, September.
    16. Jeehoon Han & Bruce D. Meyer & James X. Sullivan, 2022. "Real-Time Poverty, Material Well-Being, and the Child Tax Credit," National Tax Journal, University of Chicago Press, vol. 75(4), pages 817-846.
    17. Gunter, Samara, 2013. "State Earned Income Tax Credits and Participation in Regular and Informal Work," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 66(1), pages 33-62, March.
    18. Alex Rees-Jones & Dmitry Taubinsky, 2020. "Measuring “Schmeduling”," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 87(5), pages 2399-2438.
    19. Damon Jones, 2010. "Information, Preferences, and Public Benefit Participation: Experimental Evidence from the Advance EITC and 401(k) Savings," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(2), pages 147-163, April.
    20. Lisa A. Gennetian & Greg Duncan & Nathan A. Fox & Katherine Magnuson & Sarah Halpern-Meekin & Kimberly G. Noble & Hirokazu Yoshikawa, 2022. "Unconditional Cash and Family Investments in Infants: Evidence from a Large-Scale Cash Transfer Experiment in the U.S," NBER Working Papers 30379, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:40:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s10834-019-09618-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.