Many taxpayers are eligible, including foster parents, grandparents, and even some individuals without children Information available at PSE&G Customer Service Centers and at local agencies NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PSE&G urges New Jersey's workforce members who are in financial difficulty to see if they are eligible for the 2009 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The special credit reduces the amount of taxes owed by eligible workers and sometimes provides a tax refund as well. Many people who qualify for the credit, offered by New Jersey and by the federal government, are unaware it exists or confused about how to apply for it. Depending on their income, individuals who worked in 2009 may qualify for the credit regardless of whether they are married or have children. New parents, foster parents, and grandparents raising grandchildren all may be eligible. Some families, including those raising children with disabilities and those in the military, often don't know that special rules may make them eligible as well. Each year the EITC puts billions of dollars into the hands of millions of lower- to middle-income workers. Nearly 510,000 families and individuals in New Jersey received more than $1 billion in federal EITC benefits for the 2009 tax year. Approximately 485,000 of those received an additional $223 million in state EITC benefits. New Jersey residents should know that those eligible for the New Jersey EITC must file a state resident income tax return, even if they have no tax liability to New Jersey and do not usually file a state tax form. "An astounding number of eligible workers miss out on the tax credit because they don't apply," said Joe Forline, PSE&G vice president of customer operations. "If you lost your job in 2009 or had your work hours reduced, you might not realize that a downward change in your income now qualifies you for the credit this year." The state of New Jersey has launched a public awareness campaign to promote the tax benefit and urge all eligible residents to take advantage of the program. The New Jersey Department of Human Services-Division of Family Development, PSE&G, the Association for Children of New Jersey, and the Internal Revenue Service are working together to spread the word. PSE&G has printed more than 200,000 flyers and made them available for distribution to social service and community based agencies. Information about the EITC is available on the company's Web site at http://www.pseg.com/eitc and is included in customer bill messages during the first few months of the year. In addition, several of PSE&G's 16 Customer Service Centers display digital EITC messages at the centers. New Jersey individuals and families whose 2009 earnings are lower than $49,000 can get their taxes prepared free of charge. To locate a tax preparation site near you, call the NJ Community Resource Hotline at 211. "Outreach and tax assistance play an important role in connecting New Jersey's low-income workers to greatly needed tax credits," Forline said. "If we increase the number of New Jersey families benefiting from the EITC by just 10 percent, our efforts will have paid off." For information on the Federal EITC, call 1-800-829-1040 or visit http://www.irs.gov/. For information about the New Jersey EITC, call 1-888-895-9179 or visit http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation. Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey's oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state's population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company (http://www.pseg.com/). Want to know what's new at PSEG? Go to http://www.pseg.com/getnews and sign up to have our press releases and weekly environmental commentaries sent right to your inbox. DATASOURCE: Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) CONTACT: Media, Karen Johnson, +1-973-430-7734; or For customers and others, +800-436-7734 Web Site: http://www.pseg.com/

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