Philadelphia's Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity quietly flipped the switch on tax season in early February, relaunching its annual Claim Your Money PHL campaign to help residents grab every dollar they are owed. The city-backed effort offers free, multilingual tax preparation and outreach so people can claim federal and state tax credits, with a particular push around the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), and the new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit (WPTC). City officials say more than a dozen in-person locations plus virtual support are open so eligible households can file or amend returns before the April 15 deadline.
The latest campaign rollout came at a Feb. 5 City Hall event, where Mayor Cherelle L. Parker reminded residents that "the money belongs to our residents" and publicly thanked neighborhood partners providing the free tax prep, according to The Philadelphia Sunday Sun. Orlando Rendon, executive director of the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, emphasized that the program connects Philadelphians with culturally informed, multilingual assistance in communities across the city. In its official rollout, the agency also stressed that no one needs to pay to claim the EITC, CTC or WPTC, a point reiterated in the City of Philadelphia announcement.
Who qualifies and how much
Eligibility for these credits hinges on income, filing status and number of dependents. For the 2025 tax year, the federal EITC can reach up to $8,046, with phaseout thresholds that change depending on family size and filing status, according to NerdWallet. Pennsylvania's new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit is pegged directly to that federal benefit, equaling 10 percent of a filer’s federal EITC and topping out at $805, per the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. The federal Child Tax Credit was raised to $2,200 per qualifying child for 2025 returns, and rules around Social Security numbers and age requirements are laid out by tax analysts at Kiplinger.
Where to get help
To actually get this money in the door, the city leans on a network of nonprofit partners that handle free filing and one-on-one guidance. Among them are the Campaign for Working Families, Ceiba, the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation and Universal Financial Solutions. More than a dozen in-person sites are operating across the city, and virtual help is available for residents who would rather file from home. The full site list, multilingual fact sheets and downloadable materials are posted at ClaimYourMoneyPHL.com.
Local impact and what to expect
Last tax season, the campaign helped bring roughly $11 million back to Philadelphia working families, a benchmark organizers hope to beat this year, as reported by PHILADELPHIA.Today. City officials also point out that these are refundable tax credits, not wages, so they do not count as income and generally will not affect eligibility for SNAP, Medicaid or similar benefits, according to the City of Philadelphia.
Deadlines and next steps
Philadelphians who think they were eligible in past years still have time to catch up: residents can file or amend returns for 2022, 2023 and 2024 to claim credits they missed the first time around. Officials are urging people to get moving early to dodge last-minute bottlenecks. For current site locations, contact information for partner organizations and language-specific materials, residents can head to ClaimYourMoneyPHL.com and follow up with the groups listed there.
