Impact of the Chicago Earned Income Tax Periodic Payment intervention on food security

This article examines the Earned Income Tax Credit Periodic Payment Pilot and its effectiveness in reducing food insecurity for low-income households. Low-income families in Chicago who were eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit provided data over four waves of data collection between 2014 and 2015. We utilize longitudinal random effects logit models to test the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity. The sample was composed mostly by women with low educational levels. The intervention significantly decreased the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity over time (T2: β = −0.23, p = .581; T3: β = −0.89, p < .10; T4: β = −2.21, p < .01). The Periodic Payment Pilot seems effective at reducing food insecurity in low-income families. Further research should examine how changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit payment distribution could improve the lives of low-income families, specifically concerning food insecurity.