Bill Would Extend EITC to Young, Older Workers

Representatives Gwen Moore and Judy Chu reintroduced the EITC Age Parity Act to end an age-based barrier to the federal credit for childless workers.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Taxes

Bill Would Extend EITC to Young, Older Workers

Live Poll

Should childless workers under 25 and over 65 be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit?

Representatives Gwen Moore and Judy Chu introduced the EITC Age Parity Act, which would make workers under 25 and over 65 without children eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Under current law those workers are excluded from the credit.

Why it matters

The bill would remove an age-based eligibility barrier that currently keeps some younger and older workers without children from a federal tax credit. The temporary expansion under the American Rescue Plan Act has already expired, leaving the restriction in place.

Last year 24 million workers and families received the Earned Income Tax Credit, the benchmark against which eligibility changes are measured. The number of younger and older childless workers who would gain eligibility under the bill has not been specified.

The players

Gwen Moore

Gwen Moore is a Democratic U.S. Representative from Wisconsin who has sponsored legislation expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and introduced the Worker Relief and Credit Reform Act.

Judy Chu

Judy Chu is a Democratic U.S. Representative from California and a longtime advocate for expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit to low-income workers.

The details

The EITC Age Parity Act would eliminate the rule excluding workers under 25 and over 65 without children from the Earned Income Tax Credit. A separate measure, the Worker Relief and Credit Reform Act, introduced by Rep. Moore would raise the maximum credit for all filers and extend eligibility to low-income students and certain unpaid caregivers.

Last year: 24 million workers and families received the Earned Income Tax Credit.
November 5, 2026: Moore and Chu reintroduced the EITC Age Parity Act.

Policy Context

The American Rescue Plan Act temporarily allowed younger and older adults without children to claim the EITC before those changes expired. The EITC Age Parity Act would make that expanded eligibility permanent rather than leaving it to lapse.

If the bill passes, workers under 25 and over 65 without children could claim the Earned Income Tax Credit they are currently barred from receiving. Eligibility would depend on income, and the bill's effective date has not been specified in the source.

The takeaway

Workers without children who are under 25 or over 65 should not assume they are shut out of the EITC, since proposals to change the rule are pending. Check current eligibility rules before filing, as the credit's terms have shifted repeatedly in recent years.