Can Nudges Increase Take-Up of the EITC? Evidence from Multiple Field Experiments

The Earned Income Tax Credit distributes more than $60 billion to over 20 million low-income families annually. Nevertheless, an estimated one-fifth of eligible households do not claim it. We ran six preregistered, large-scale field experiments with 1 observations test whether “nudges” could increase EITC take-up. Despite varying the content, design, messenger, and mode our messages, we find no evidence that they affected households’ likelihood filing a tax return or claiming credit. conclude even most behaviorally informed low-touch outreach efforts cannot overcome barriers faced by who file returns. (JEL C93, D91, H24, I38)