The wonderful group of volunteers at Northland Free Tax Assistance will help ensure that eligible families and individuals receive this critical refundable credit. (A refundable credit means those eligible may get a refund from the IRS even if they owe no tax.) In 2017, almost 27 million taxpayers received over $65 billion in EITC. The average amount of EITC received was $2,445.
Please note that by law the IRS cannot issue refunds before mid-February for tax returns that claim the EITC or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). The IRS must hold the entire refund — even the portion not associated with EITC or ACTC. This change helps ensure taxpayers receive the refund they deserve and gives the agency more time to detect and prevent errors and fraud.
The IRS expects the earliest EITC/ACTC related refunds to be in taxpayer bank accounts or debit cards starting Feb. 27, 2018, if they chose direct deposit and there are no issues with the tax return.
Remember that although the volunteers at Northland are eager to help you complete your taxes, each taxpayer is responsible for the accuracy of their tax return.