Form 2441, Child and Dependent Care Expenses

You can claim this deduction if all five of the following apply to you:

1. Your filing status is Single, Head of Household, Married filing Jointly, or Qualifying Widow(er) with a dependent child.
2. The care was provided so that you could work or look for work.
3. The care must be provided for a qualifying person (see What is a Qualifying Person? for more information)
4. The person who provided the care is not your spouse, the parent of your dependent, or a person whom you can claim as a dependent.
5.  You report the required information about the care provider on line one and information about the qualifying person on line two.

 A Qualifying Person falls into one of the following categories:

• A qualifying child under the age of 13 whom you can claim as a dependent.
• Your disabled spouse who is not able physically or mentally to care for himself or herself.
• Any disabled person who is not able physically or mentally to care for himeslf or herself that you can claim as a dependent, except:
  • the disabled person had a gross income of $3,800 or more
  • the disabled person filed a joint return
  • you can be claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer's return.

When you use TurboTax to prepare and file your taxes, we will ask you simple questions and fill in form 2441 for you. We’ll also handle all the calculations and tell you exactly how much of the child and dependent care credit you’re eligible to receive.

If you've already gone through the step-by-step interview and want to jump directly to the entry screen for this topic, follow these directions.

1. Select the Federal Taxes tab (the Personal tab in the Home & Business edition).
2. Select the Deductions & Credits subtab.
3. Scroll down the Deductions & Credits screen until you see the You and Your Family group.
4. Click on the Start/Update button to the right of the Child and Dependent Care category.
5. Follow the prompts.

 If you need to correct or change any information you have entered on your 2441, the steps you take depends on if you have already filed your tax return.

• If you have yet to file your return, simply follow the navigation instructions above, and correct or change your information.
• If you have already filed your return, you will need to amend your return. Please click here for instructions.

For questions about printing, please click here.

If you have questions about the availability of form 2441, please click here.