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Insight into the Earned Income Tax Credit and Tax-Advantaged Retirement Savings
General Information
Title
Insight into the Earned Income Tax Credit and Tax-Advantaged Retirement Savings
Author
David Rogofsky, Richard E. Chard, and Joanne Yoong
Publication Type
Journal paper
Outlet
Social Security Bulletin
Year
2018
Abstract
Saving for retirement has traditionally been compared to a three-legged stool supported by Social Security benefits, workplace pensions, and household savings. As the prevalence of defined benefit pensions has diminished in recent decades, the importance of household savings has grown. To enable and encourage saving among lower-income Americans, policymakers have established several types of tax incentives. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides an immediate reduction in income tax liability (or a larger refund) for eligible households. Additionally, certain types of retirement saving accounts and defined contribution saving plans lower current tax liability by deferring taxation of the amounts contributed until the funds are withdrawn in retirement. Using data from the Understanding America Study, this article compares the retirement-related financial behavior and preparedness of EITC-eligible and ineligible households and examines whether EITC eligibility affects the use of tax-advantaged retirement saving plans