Pathways to reduce child poverty: Impacts of federal tax credits

Thursday, February 5, 2026, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Location: The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

Federal tax credits are among the nation’s most powerful tools for reducing child poverty. Temporary expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 demonstrated the scale of impact these policies can have, lifting more than 2 million children above the poverty line and showing that alternative designs could reduce child poverty even further.

A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, “Pathways to Reduce Child Poverty: Impacts of Federal Tax Credits,” provides an in-depth assessment of how these credits worked in 2021, what effects they had across different groups of children, and the potential trade-offs of long-term policy options. Developed by a committee of experts, the report offers evidence-based insights for policymakers, funders, researchers, and advocates. It highlights how different credit designs could shape children’s well-being, employment incentives, and fiscal costs, and points to opportunities for future research to strengthen policy decisions.

On Thursday, February 5, the Brookings Center for Economic Security and Opportunity will convene a briefing highlighting key findings from the report. Presenters will examine how the EITC and CTC functioned in 2021, their impacts across different groups of children, and what alternative policy designs could mean for reducing child poverty in the years ahead.

Attendees are invited to stay after the program for a reception from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.