I read 596 throughout and could not find specific mention of $0 earned income. Elsewhere, the IRS site states this about EIC:
"To qualify for the EITC, people must have earned income through employment or other sources, so this option may help workers get a larger credit if they earned less in 2021"
Does this imply the taxpayer should actually be a worker and not retired? It also doesn't specify whether the "must have earned income" refers to the current year or simply in the past.
