FAQ

The Washington Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) is a new annual tax credit for Washington residents with low to moderate income, including undocumented people and mixed status families. 
The amount you can receive ranges from $50-$1,255, depending on your family size and income level.  
People can check their eligibility and apply now through the Washington State Department of Revenue Working Families Tax Credit website.

To be eligible, you must: 
1. Have earned at least $1 in income in the tax year you are applying for (when applying in 2023, this means in 2022). What counts as earned income?
2. Have lived in Washington
You must have been resident in Washington for 183 days (6 months) in the tax year you are applying for (for applications submitted in 2023, this means for 2022).  
3. Be between 25 and 65 years old, OR have at least one qualifying child
Individuals without children must be between the ages of 25 and 65. If you have qualifying children, there is no age restriction. 

1. Your tax documents
2. Your Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). If you don’t have a current ITIN or are renewing your ITIN, you will need to include your application for an ITIN (IRS form W7) with your tax documents.
Optional:
Your driver’s license or state or tribal government issued ID.

There are several ways to apply for the Working Families Tax Credit:
1. Apply when you do your taxes, for free at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site
2. Apply when you do your taxes, through a paid third party tax preparer (who may charge fees)
3. Apply after you do your taxes using the Department of Revenue’s application (either online or using their paper application). This is free.
 
Apply when you do your taxes for free at a VITA Site 
If you do your taxes for free at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site, they will assist you in completing your Working Families Tax Credit application at the same time as you do your taxes. See a list of VITA sites and resources on our Free Tax Prep page.

Use a third party tax preparation service 
Some third party tax preparation software, but not all, will integrate the Working Families Tax Credit application into their service. Third party tax preparers may charge applicants a fee to complete their WFTC application, or they may direct you to apply on your own through the Department of Revenue.  For 2023, TurboTax will not be integrating the Working Families Tax Credit application in their service. Find a list of tax preparation software that will integrate the Working Families Tax Credit on the Department of Revenue website.

Apply after you do your taxes 
If you didn’t apply through a VITA site or third party tax preparer, you will still be able to apply through the Department of Revenue. This is always free. There are two ways to apply: 

 Apply online: You can apply online, through the Department of Revenue portal, in English or Spanish. You will need to make a Secure Access Washington (SAW)  account, or you can use a pre-existing SAW account. Find their website here:  https://workingfamiliescredit.wa.gov/. 

 Use a paper application: You can use the paper application to apply. The paper application is available to download off of the Department of Revenue Working Families Tax Credit website, or you can pick one up from one of their field offices. The application is available in 12 languages. 

The amount you will receive ranges from $50 to $1,255 depending on the number of qualifying children in your household and your income level (see table below). The minimum credit amount is $50, regardless of the number of qualifying children you have. See the table below.

The income limits for the WFTC are the same as the income limits for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. The income limits increase slightly each year. You can check the current limits on the Department of Revenue website under “What are the income requirements?”).

Yes. If you are filing as a single adult with no children, you are still eligible  for the WFTC, but you must be between the ages of 25 and 65. 

A qualifying child is usually a child under 19 who lives with you most of the year, or a child under 24 who is enrolled in school full time at least 5 months of the year. A child of any age who is permanently or temporarily disabled also meets the requirements. 

To be a qualifying child, your child must be your:
– Son, daughter, stepchild, adopted child or foster child
– Brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, stepsister or stepbrother
– Grandchild, niece or nephew

Your child must have a SSN OR an ITIN in order for you to claim them on your tax return. You can apply for an ITIN for your child using form W7 when you file your taxes. 
Learn more about qualifying children here on the IRS website.

In 2023, some people waited up to 90 days to receive their credit. The Department of Revenue has said that they are making efforts to reduce waiting times in future years. DOR will send you a mailed letter to let

To see your credit’s status, check the “Where’s my Refund” tool on their website, or call their call center at 360-763-7300.

You can receive your credit as either a direct deposit, pre-paid debit card, or check, which will be mailed to the mailing address you include in your application.

No. This is not a loan. You do not have to pay it back, and you won’t be taxed on it. 

Visit our resource list here. The Department of Revenue also has a list of organizations on their website who have received funding to do outreach and assist with applications.

You must have been resident in Washington for 183 days in the tax year you are applying for in order to be eligible for the credit. This is about six months. For example, in order to apply for the Working Families Tax Credit in 2023, you need to have lived in Washington for six months in 2022. This does not need to be all at once – for instance, you could have lived here for three months, moved away, and then moved back for three months.

Yes, because you will need to file your taxes for the current year in order to apply for the Working Families Tax Credit.  

Yes. A conviction history does not impact your ability to claim the Working Families Tax Credit. 

No. Tax Credits do not count as income, and cannot affect your eligibility for benefits like TANF or SNAP. 

If you have a question not answered here, you can call the Department of Revenue call center. Their number is (360) 763-7300. You will be able to select assistance in Spanish and Vietnamese. If you need assistance in another language, select “other”, and the call center will connect you to an interpreter. 

No you do not. You will need an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), which is an alternative to a Social Security Number used only for filing taxes, in order to claim the Working Families Tax Credit. 

An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number is a tax processing number issued by the IRS. People who are not eligible for a Social Security Number can use an ITIN to file their US Taxes. People who use an ITIN to file their taxes include undocumented immigrants, some survivors of domestic violence, certain student visa holders, and some spouses and children of people on employment visas.  An ITIN is used only for filing taxes or opening an interest bearing U.S. bank account. Learn more about ITINS from the IRS, or visit our ITIN filer resource page.

Visit our ITIN filer resources page for more information on applying for an ITIN.

If your ITIN is current, and you don’t need to apply for or renew your ITIN, the application process is exactly the same.
If you need to renew or apply for an ITIN, you will need to notify the Washington State Department of Revenue when your ITIN is renewed  in order to receive your WFTC payment. 
Learn more about renewing ITINs through the IRS website.

You can apply. However, if you are going to file married filing jointly, in order to claim the Working Families Tax Credit, your spouse will need to apply for an ITIN when you file your Federal Tax Return. Learn more about applying for or renewing an ITIN on our ITIN filer resources page.

Under Washington State law, your information and that of your children will not be shared with any other state or federal agencies, including ICE. 
The ITIN is not an immigration-enforcement tool. The application process is designed to facilitate tax payment, and the fact that the IRS does not share applicants’ private information with immigration enforcement agencies is key to tax compliance. Taxpayer privacy is an important cornerstone of the U.S. tax system. Because applicants provide the IRS with a great amount of personal information, privacy is critical to the success of the program. IRS privacy rules are very strict, and mean that ITIN filer information is extremely safe.

No. Tax credits do not qualify as public benefits and receiving the WFTC cannot disqualify you from receiving a visa or green card under the public charge rule. 

If you participate in DACA and have a Social Security Number that allows you to work, you can use that number when claiming the WFTC.  You do not need to apply for an ITIN. 

Check the Department of Revenue’s “Where’s my Refund” tool, or call their help line at 360-763-7300. Sending multiple applications can delay your credit!