The Earned Income Tax Credit (or “EITC”) is a federal program that lets employees who work for low wages get a larger tax refund. The amount of money you can get back through EITC is based on your annual taxable income and the number of children in your household.

Here are the annual earnings maximums for Tax Year 2009:

• Individuals: $13,440
• Individual with one child: $35,463
• Individual with two children: $40,295
• Individual with three or more children: $43,279
• Married couple filing jointly: $18,440
• Married couple filing jointly with one child:; $40,463
• Married couple filing jointly with two children: $45,295
• Married couple filing jointly with three or more children: $48,279

Do I need to hire someone to figure this out and fill out all the forms?

No!  A "Volunteer Income Tax Assistance" (or VITA) program exists to do this. With VITA, certified volunteers prepare returns at no cost for taxpayers of low to moderate income.  To find a VITA site near you, call the 211.