A refundable tax credit is treated as a payment from the taxpayer, such as federal income tax withheld or quarterly estimated taxes paid. Current refundable tax credits for individuals include the additional child credit, the earned income credit, the health coverage credit, and the American opportunity credit. If the tax credit "payment" is more than the tax owed, the taxpayer receives a net payment from the government--a refund of money he never paid in. Refundable tax credits are the ultimate form of welfare because they are payments made in cash instead of payments made to third parties, as in Medicaid, or an amount deposited on an Electronic Benefit Card (EBC), as in the food-stamp program. And no amount received as a tax refund is counted as income when determining eligibility for federally funded welfare programs such as TANF. SSI, or SNAP.