CliffWatch — PolicyEngine benefit cliff explorer

CliffWatch is a free, open-source tool from PolicyEngine that maps benefit cliffs and marginal tax rates for US households. Enter a household's state, marital status, number of dependents, and starting income to see how net resources change as wages and salaries rise, with cliff zones, dead zones, and program-level contributions (SNAP, TANF, EITC, CTC, Medicaid, CHIP, ACA premium tax credits, WIC, housing assistance, child care subsidies, Head Start, and more) highlighted along the curve.

What CliffWatch shows

• Net household income as wages and salaries rise
• Benefit cliffs where small wage gains cause large net losses
• Marginal tax rates across the income distribution
• Program-level breakdowns for federal and state benefits and taxes
• Side-by-side comparisons across all 50 US states and DC

Programs modeled

SNAP, TANF, EITC, Child Tax Credit, Medicaid, CHIP, ACA premium tax credits, WIC, free school meals, Head Start, Early Head Start, child care subsidies, housing assistance, SSI, and federal and state income taxes including refundable tax credits.