Tax filing and take-up: Experimental evidence on tax preparation outreach and benefit claiming

•Many safety-net programs are administered through the tax code.•A large share of individuals who are eligible for, but do not claim, these benefits do not file a tax return.•In a field experiment, we find that IRS outreach to 55,000 non-filers about free tax preparation methods increased filing and use of such methods.•A large share of the new filers claimed tax benefits like the EITC.•Policies that increase tax filing can be an effective way to indirectly increase take-up of tax-administered benefits.