Tax Day is tomorrow (April 15th) and millions of moms around the country won't be complaining about filing their taxes, but thanking our government for the money they receive through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC helps struggling families pay for things like medical bills, household good, car repairs, and helps them save for a house or pay off debts. In fact, in 2013 alone the EITC helped 6.2 million working families, including 3.2 million children, be lifted out of poverty.

But in June 2014, North Carolina became the first state in thirty years to allow the state EITC to expire. 900,000 North Carolina families lost access to the state EITC, representing a lostt of $108 million to local economies. This is all the more reason why we need to make sure the federal EITC is strengthened and protected. Unless the U.S. Congress acts soon, key provisions of the federal EITC will expire, pushing nearly 16 million people—including 8 million children and many military families—into poverty and making it harder for tens of millions more families to pay their bills.

In honor of Tax Day, we hope you will listen to the stories of the three moms below on why it is important to protect the EITC and then write your members of Congress and tell them to take action ASAP on the EITC.

"Over the long term [the EITC] put me in a place where I could be self-sufficient and could take care of myself and my family on my own."-Kara

"I live paycheck-to-paycheck, so I get behind on stuff. The EITC helps me catch myself back up on my bills and things my kids need. It helps me get back to where I need to be-where I'm not owing anything to anybody."-Heather

"There are a lot of people out there who are in need of the EITC-who have kids with disabilities, or single mothers, people who have family in different countries and have nobody here."-Sheila