News

As Tax Day closes out another filing season, United Way of Pennsylvania is celebrating more than completed return. It is marking the first tax season in which eligible workers across the Commonwealth are seeing the direct impact of the new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit.

For years, the United Way network and partners across Pennsylvania advocated for the creation of this state-level refundable tax credit, designed to support working individuals and families with low-to-moderate incomes. Modeled on the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit represents a major policy win for ALICE households.

This year, that policy victory became real at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites throughout Pennsylvania, where families filing their returns began receiving the benefit for the first time.

“Serving as a VITA volunteer at a tax site in Harrisburg, I had the opportunity to see firsthand that the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit is helping ALICE households,” said Kristen Rotz, President of United Way of Pennsylvania. “This included a single mom who owns her own housecleaning business, a dad in the service industry who will receive a little over $600 that he was happy to have to put toward groceries and gas, and a married couple with three children and one wage-earner that received a significant amount to help with household costs over the year.”

These stories reflect the everyday reality behind the policy: families using this credit not for extras, but for essentials like groceries, transportation, utilities, and rent. For many households living paycheck to paycheck, even a few hundred dollars can mean greater stability and less financial stress.

Through advocacy led by UWP and a coalition of partners, the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit became law as part of Pennsylvania’s commitment to strengthening financial security for working households. At the same time, VITA sites continue to play a critical role in ensuring eligible residents can claim every credit available to them, free of charge.

As tax season comes to a close, UWP recognizes the combined power of advocacy and direct service: advancing policies that create lasting change, while ensuring families can access those benefits in real time. The success of this tax season is a reminder that when policy solutions are rooted in the lived experiences of working families, Pennsylvania moves closer to an economy where all households can thrive.

For more information about the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit and UWP’s ongoing advocacy efforts, visit uwp.org/advocacy/wptc/