The California Earned Income Tax Credit, commonly known as the CalEITC, is a refundable tax credit that provides economic support to Californians with low incomes and helps individuals and families pay for basic needs like housing, food, and other necessities.
The CalEITC is targeted to families and individuals with the lowest incomes and is available to people who file taxes without regard to immigration status. The CalEITC reaches people with earnings from $1 to $30,000 — equivalent to a full-time, minimum-wage salary.
At the beginning of the 2020 tax year, California expanded access to the California Earned Income Tax Credit to workers who file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). ITIN holders qualify for both the CalEITC and the Young Child Tax Credit.
ITINs are available to tax filers who are not eligible for a Social Security Number — typically immigrants to the US without legal work status — and are used to file federal and state income taxes, to open bank accounts, and in other situations that require an official government identification number.
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