An employee who expects to be eligible for the earned income credit (EIC) and expects to have a qualifying child is entitled to receive EIC payments with their pay during the year. To get these payments, the employee must provide the employer a properly completed Form W-5, Earned Income Credit Advance Payment Certificate. Employers are required to make advance EIC payments to employees who give them a completed and signed Form W-5.
Certain employees who do not have a qualifying child may be eligible to claim the EIC on their tax return. However, they cannot get advance EIC payments.
For 2009, the maximum amount of advance payments an employee can receive is a total of $1,826.
