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Going beyond mere case studies, this paper proposes a “life-size” analysis of the prime pour l’emploi (earned income tax credit) using the SYSIFF98 microsimulation model. The first step is to set the PPE in perspective in relation to other suggested measures (allocation compensatrice de revenu – income support - and rebate on the CSG levy) at comparable budgetary cost. Subsequent evaluations of real marginal tax rates and the financial benefits of a return to work confirm that the incentive effects of the PPE are relatively weak. The 2003 version (with an added incentive for part-time workers) is too mild to make a return to part-time employment truly attractive. In conclusion, we describe the individual effects of the PPE and the possible threshold effects implied by the eligibility ceiling for households.