Government support, such as earned income tax credits and child care assistance, can help close the gap between low earnings and the cost of basic expenses. However, these benefits often terminate abruptly when a family’s income exceeds eligibility limits. This can happen suddenly and even with a small increase in earnings. This cliff effect can prevent workers from advancing in their careers or choosing better-paying jobs.

Due to the loss of support programs, career advancement opportunities can result in families being financially impacted.

The CLIFF Dashboard, which reflects the Arizona landscape, is an interactive tool that depicts wages along select career pathways to indicate barriers presented by benefits cliffs. The CLIFF Dashboard also calculates the net returns to the taxpayer from career advancement. The tool has been customized to reflect local wages for selected in-demand jobs, local county-level expense data for various family formations in Arizona, and application of state-specific public benefits.

The Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona is working to increase awareness of and create solutions for the benefits cliff. In collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, WFSA launched the benefits cliff dashboard intended for workers, service providers, and policymakers to locate and navigate benefits cliffs.

The CLIFF Dashboard and the associated research are meant to be coaching tools to move individuals toward career planning and economic self-sufficiency.