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EITC Support Interventions for Well-being (TAKE-UP Trial)

N/A

Recruiting

Led By Wendi Gosliner, DrPH

Research Sponsored by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

At least one dependent under 18 years

Be between 18 and 65 years old

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up 0-12 months after intervention

Awards & highlights

TAKE-UP Trial Summary

This trial will assess how to best help working families get the EITC they are eligible for, which can provide up to $6,600 to reduce poverty and improve health.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for individuals in California who are eligible for the EITC but didn't claim it last year, enrolled in WIC with at least one child under 18, have earned income within EITC limits, and can speak English or Spanish. They must be willing to share tax info, stay in California for a year, meet immigration requirements for EITC, have text-capable phones, and agree to random assignment.Check my eligibility

What is being tested?

The TAKE-UP Study tests ways to increase EITC claims among those eligible. Interventions include personal tax support and financial advice; information on free tax services; and low-touch texting reminders. It's a pilot randomized controlled trial focusing on culturally tailored methods.See study design

What are the potential side effects?

Since this study involves social interventions rather than medical treatments, traditional side effects aren't expected. However, participants may experience increased stress or disappointment if interventions don't lead to anticipated financial benefits.

TAKE-UP Trial Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

Select...

I have at least one child under 18.

TAKE-UP Trial Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ 0-12 months after intervention

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~0-12 months after intervention

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and 0-12 months after intervention for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary outcome measures

Number of participants who filed taxes

Number of participants who received the EITC

Secondary outcome measures

Amount of money spent on tax filing

Number of hours spent tax filing

Number of participants living with anxiety/perceived stress. Survey Instrument: General Anxiety Disorder-7

+3 more

TAKE-UP Trial Design

4Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: Personal tax filing supportExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

Participants randomized to this intervention will be connected with a human assistor who will work with them to ensure they access resources to help them file taxes and apply for the EITC. The English- and Spanish-speaking assistors will be study team staff trained to provide personalized support to help families access resources for which they are eligible. The assistor will be available by text or phone to talk with people if they encounter barriers and will call to follow-up on a mutually agreed upon schedule.

Group II: Low-touch text messagingExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

To address families' lack of awareness of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the ways they may benefit from filing taxes, one study arm will receive low-touch text messages. These act in part by increasing awareness of programs and eligibility rules and in part as reminders to overcome limited attention to filing. Study participants receiving this intervention will receive behavioral science-informed text messages in English or Spanish from WIC that inform them about the EITC throughout tax season (i.e., January-April) 2024. We will personalize message contents (e.g., EITC benefit size mentioned in message based on participant income, marital status, and number of dependents) due to suggestive evidence that a tailored, individualized text message has the potential to be effective

Group III: Financial assistanceExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

Participants randomized to this intervention will receive a $100 cash incentive for tax filing, designed to offset the time, hassle, and resources spent on tax preparation and filing, as well as psychological frictions like inattention that prevent some people from filing. This will be provided to recipients as soon as they show proof of tax filing, to provide a more immediate reward relative to the delays in receiving a federal tax refund. We will test the feasibility of delivering this via gift card, check, or other modalities, in addition to evaluating the framing and incentive amount.

Group IV: Information about free tax-filing supportActive Control1 Intervention

Basic information about where to find free tax filing support in their community will be provided to all participants by email once upon enrollment.

0 / 1Eligibility criteria met

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Who is running the clinical trial?

Blue Shield of California FoundationUNKNOWN

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)Lead Sponsor

272 Previous Clinical Trials

16,304,825 Total Patients Enrolled

Boston UniversityOTHER

455 Previous Clinical Trials

9,941,425 Total Patients Enrolled

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.

Is this trial seeking out participants who are at least 35 years of age?

"This research project's eligibility parameters state that the youngest participants must be 18 years old and the oldest have to be 64."

Answered by AI

What are the eligibility requirements for participation in this clinical trial?

"In order to be eligible for this research, prospective patients must demonstrate food security and fall between the ages of 18-64. Approximately 200 individuals will gain admittance into this trial."

Answered by AI

Are there any vacancies left for potential participants in this experimentation?

"This clinical trial, which was posted on the 1st of January 2024 and last updated November 21st 2023, is no longer seeking participants. Fortunately, there are 81 other trials that require individuals to join their studies at this present moment."

Answered by AI

What is the ultimate purpose of this research project?

"The primary objective of this research, to be tracked over the course of 0-12 months post-intervention, is to ascertain how many participants received Economic Impact Payments. Secondary goals include quantifying tax filing costs in terms of both money and time spent, assessing general anxiety levels with a 5 point scale measuring frequency (ranging from none at all to always), as well as ascertaining material hardship through an Housing Insecurity/Instability/Homelessness Questions survey developed by SIREN at UCSF."

Answered by AI

Recent research and studies

clinicaltrials.govStudy

Targeting Access and Knowledge of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Utilization and Policies

Rita Hamad 2024. "Targeting Access and Knowledge of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Utilization and Policies". ClinicalTrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT06146621.