What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to characterize lifetime patterns of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) eligibility and their association with cognitive outcomes later in life.

May 15, 2026Open Access

Lifetime Patterns of Earned Income Tax Credit eligibility and cognition: A sequence analysis approach

Puntos clave

This research aims to characterize lifetime patterns of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) eligibility and their association with cognitive outcomes later in life.
Retrospective cohort study using National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data from 1979-2018
Categorized EITC eligibility from ages 25-45 into three groups for analysis
Used sequence and cluster analysis to identify and group trajectories of EITC eligibility.
Identified 11 clusters of EITC eligibility trajectories among 5,021 individuals
Long-term EITC eligibility was linked to poorer cognitive outcomes (β=-0.38, 95% CI: -0.52, -0.23)
EITC graduate trajectories showed similar cognition to the reference group, while prolonged eligibility led to worse cognition outcomes.

Resumen

INTRODUCTION: The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the United States' largest poverty-alleviation program and has well-documented short-term health benefits. However, little work characterizes long-term EITC eligibility or evaluates associations between lifecourse EITC eligibility and cognition. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (data collected 1979-2018; analyzed 2025), each year of respondents' lives from ages 25-45 was categorized into one of three mutually exclusive categories: EITC eligible; ineligible due to no income; ineligible because above income threshold. EITC eligibility trajectory similarity was calculated using sequence analysis and similar trajectories were grouped using cluster analysis. The association of EITC trajectory groups with cognition around age 48 was examined using linear regressions adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Among 5,021 individuals, 11 clusters of EITC eligibility were identified: "mostly above threshold" (reference group); five "EITC graduates" trajectories (where people were EITC eligible, then became ineligible due to being above threshold); one cluster with long duration of EITC eligibility; one "intermittent, then consistent EITC eligibility" cluster; and three clusters with long periods of ineligibility due to no income. Compared to the reference group, the graduate clusters were associated with similar cognition (e.g., EITC early graduates: β=0.006, 95% CI: -0.12, 0.10). In contrast, participants with prolonged eligibility and intermittent, then consistent eligibility had worse cognition. Clusters with long periods of ineligibility due to no income had the poorest cognition (e.g., mostly no income: β=-0.38, 95% CI: -0.52, -0.23). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the EITC may be helpful as a means of temporarily alleviating poverty in predicting later life cognition, but more support may be needed to alleviate financial adversity for those who are not able to participate in the labor force.

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