Disincentives to Earn
Full name: Disincentives to Earn: An Analysis of Effective Tax Rates on Low Income Minnesota Households, April 2007
Summary:Low income families may have access to a number of different types of federal and state
programs designed to improve their economic welfare and security. These include both federal
and state tax credits as well as a wide variety of direct assistance programs targeting basic
household needs like health care, child care, food, and shelter. These programs are in place to
help many households escape poverty and improve their overall economic circumstances.
However their design also creates a potential unintended consequence. As families move from
welfare to entry level work to higher paying jobs, their earnings and taxes increase. The
combination of rising income tax rates and reduced eligibility for means-tested programs can
create situations in which a dollar of additional earned income is partially, totally, or even more
than offset by taxes and benefit losses.
To explore the potential severity of this problem in Minnesota, the Minnesota Center for Public Finance Research developed a spreadsheet based model (the Minnesota Family Assistance Model) that examines the interactive effects of 16 different state and federal programs providing cash and non cash assistance to households at earned incomes up to $52,000. The model calculates the value of tax credits, other cash assistance, and value of non-cash benefits for which households are eligible. Model calculations take into account all income offsets, co-payments, phase-out ranges, and other eligibility considerations. The sum of the credits, benefits, and after tax household income constitutes “total income and wage assistance.” Average effective marginal tax rates (MTRs) – a measure of the severity of the disincentives to earn problem -- are calculated by comparing the two resulting totals for a given household at different earned income levels.