Language

English (en)

Publication Date

1-28-2026

Summary

Through the Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility project, the Center for Social Development has explored how the design of the U.S. public benefits system creates barriers to the economic stability and mobility of low-wage workers. The first of these barriers is the administrative burdens embedded in public benefits, which refers to the difficulties and stresses potential beneficiaries experience learning about a program, complying with program rules, or interacting with program staff. The second of these barriers is the work and savings disincentives many public benefits programs create through their eligibility rules, which can punish beneficiaries for earning or saving more money. This brief examines how administrative burdens and work/savings disincentives interact in public benefits programs. Specifically, we investigate how many workers who experience administrative burdens in SNAP and Medicaid are also pressured to forgo increased income and savings to maintain their public benefits. To do so, we draw on data from the Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility Survey, a nationally-representative survey of low-wage workers in the United States.

Document Type

Research Brief

Category

Financial Inclusion

Subarea

Income Policy

Original Citation

Roll, S., Zhang, G., & Despard, M. (2026). Barriers to entry, barriers to exit: Exploring the relationship between administrative burdens and work disincentives in public benefits programs (CSD Research Brief No. 26-07). Washington University, Center for Social Development.

Project

Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility (WEIM)

Keywords

Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility; United States;

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