Twenty-eight million working families and individuals rely on public benefits, such as childcare subsidies, SSI, Medicaid, SNAP, free school lunch, EITC, or free pre-K to make ends meet; however, public benefit programs sometimes penalize families as they earn more. Program administrators and policymakers have the power to improve and streamline program rules, but they need up-to-date, comprehensive data tools that show how packages of benefits impact the budgets of working families.
The Family Resource Simulator (FRS) is a publicly available online data tool that puts power in the hands of low-income working families, advocates, and program administrators. The first of its kind when NCCP launched it in 2003, the FRS allows users to assess the impact of federal and state eligibility rules and support levels provided by comprehensive packages of public benefits like childcare subsidies, Medicaid, SNAP, free pre-K, or EITC, on family budgets that are tailored to specific family situations and geographic locations.
This report highlights key state policy successes achieved due to FRS analyses between 2004 – 2017. Please also see the accompanying graphic report, The Family Resource Simulator: Two Decades of Impact.