Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
We reassess the antipoverty effects of the earned income tax credit (EITC) using unique data linking the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data for the same individuals spanning tax years 2005–2016. We compare EITC benefits from standard simulators to administrative EITC payments and find that the antipoverty estimates of the EITC are countercyclical in terms of number of recipients, with roughly four million people of all ages and 1.9 million children lifted from after-tax poverty in a typical year. We outline how researchers using public data can address discrepancies between survey estimates of the EITC and administrative tax records.