Corporate Voices for Working Families Releases EITC Toolkit: Employer Guide Provides Companies with the Tools to Help Employees Take Advantage of Tax Credits and Other Federal Benefits

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Corporate Voices for Working Families, a nonprofit business membership organization in Washington, D.C., has released its 2010 Employer Guide: Educate Your Employees About the Benefits They've Earned.  This is the eighth year that Corporate Voices has updated the Employer Guide and EITC toolkit and made it available to companies and other organizations at no cost as a way to help low-wage employees take advantage of a host of federal benefits available to them.  The guide provides detailed information about the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Medicaid and other federal benefits.

"Due to the complexity of the programs and paperwork involved, many employees do not know how to take advantage of the benefits available to them," said Stephen M. Wing, President of Corporate Voices for Working Families. "The EITC toolkit offers companies a chance to build trust with their employees by raising awareness of the tax credits and benefits available to them."

The Employer Guide and EITC toolkit includes the following tools:

• Information on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Financial Literacy, the Child Tax Credit, Medicaid/State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) centers.
• Tips on how employers can talk to employees about tax credits, federal benefits and financial literacy.
• Guidelines to help employees avoid predatory tax-preparation practices.
• Corporate best practices on how to best use the Employer Guide to help employees access these programs.
• Calendar of important dates to remember when filing for these benefits.
• Facts on the "Stored Value Card," often referred to as the pre-paid debit card.
• Paycheck stuffers – available in both English and Spanish.

The Employer Guide is distributed to and used by Corporate Voices for Working Families and its member companies that employ more than four million individuals in all 50 states.  Corporate Voices for Working Families also distributes the Employer Guide through its strategic outreach partners, reaching millions more working families in the private and public sectors and thousands of elected officials around the country.

The Employer Guide also contains a CD that allows companies and organizations to rebrand the toolkit with their logo and images.

The Annie E. Casey and Ford Foundations fund the production of the Employer Guide: Educate Your Employees About the Benefits They've Earned.  

The Employer Guide can be downloaded at www.corporatevoices.org.  To simplify the process of gathering information about programs administered by state agencies, visitors can also link to state and local programs from the Corporate Voices for Working Families website.

About Corporate Voices for Working Families:

Corporate Voices for Working Families is the leading national business membership organization shaping conversations and collaborations on public and corporate policy issues involving working families. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, we create and advance innovative policy solutions that reflect a commonality of interests among the private sector both global and domestic, government and other stakeholders.

We are a unique voice, and we provide leading and best-practice employers a forum to improve the lives of working families, while strengthening our nation's economy and enhancing the vitality of our communities.

Our Web site: www.corporatevoices.org. Our blog: www.corporatevoices.wordpress.com.

Editor's Note:  For a copy of the Employer Guide, contact Nathan Constable at Corporate Voices for Working Families at [email protected].

SOURCE Corporate Voices for Working Families