We illustrate the universally available tax and transfer benefits available to a single
head of household with two children in 2011 as household earnings increase (Figure
1). By universal programs, we mean those for which all people are eligible as long as their earnings are at the appropriate level and they apply to the program. Other programs
such as TANF, housing subsidies, and supplemental nutrition for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC), are limited or queued in such a way that a family that meets eligibility
requirements could still be denied benefits. Thus, they are not universally available to
all who meet the eligibility criteria.