The net result is an almost complete shift in the US safety net for low-income families with children from out-of-work assistance to in-work assistance. In the midst of the slow recovery from the Great Recession, the EITC is now the largest cash transfer program for low-income families with children. The EITC cost roughly $59 billion in 2009, as compared with the $9 billion in Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) cash payments from the program that replaced AFDC. Because the EITC now plays a central role in the functioning of the modern safety net, it is important to assess how it affects the work, income, poverty, and well-being of children and families in the United States. The remainder of this article addresses each of these issues in turn.