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The Ins and Outs of the Child and Dependent Care Credit

Written by a TurboTax Expert • Reviewed by a TurboTax CPAUpdated for Tax Year 2024 • October 16, 2024 1:55 AM
OVERVIEW

If you are paying someone to take care of your children or another person in your household while you work, you might be eligible for the child and dependent care credit. This credit "gives back" a portion of the money you spend on care, and can reduce your tax bill by hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Key Takeaways

  • If you paid someone to care for a child who was under age 13 when the care was provided and whom you claim as a dependent on your tax return, you may qualify for the Child and Dependent Care Credit.
  • You also may qualify for the credit if you paid someone to care for your spouse or any other person claimed as a dependent on your return, if that person can't take care of himself or herself and has lived in your home at least half the year.
  • To claim the credit, you (and your spouse, if you're married) must have income earned from a job and you must have paid for the care so that you could work or look for work.
  • You can claim from 20% to 35% of your care expenses up to a maximum of $3,000 for one person, or $6,000 for two or more people (tax year 2024).

Benefits of the tax credit

The Child and Dependent Care Credit is a tax break specifically for working people to help offset the costs associated with caring for a child or dependent with disabilities.

There are two major benefits of the credit:

  1. This is a tax credit, rather than a tax deduction. A tax deduction simply reduces the amount of income that you must pay tax on. A $1,000 deduction, for example, might reduce your tax bill by only $150 or $200 depending on your tax bracket. A tax credit, however, directly reduces your taxes, dollar for dollar. A $1,000 tax credit cuts your tax bill by $1,000.
  2. A lot of tax breaks have income limits and are not available at all to people with incomes above those limits. In most years you can claim the credit regardless of your income. The Child and Dependent Care Credit does get smaller at higher incomes, but it doesn't disappear - except for 2021. In 2021, the credit is unavailable for any taxpayer with adjusted gross income over $438,000.

Care you can claim

To qualify for the child and dependent care credit, you must have paid someone, such as a daycare provider, to care for one or more of the following people:

  • a child under age 13 when the care was provided whom you claim as a dependent on your tax return
  • your spouse, if that person is unable to take care of himself or herself and has lived in your home for at least half the year
  • any other person claimed as a dependent on your return, if that person can't take care of himself or herself and has lived in your home at least half the year

Limits on who can provide care

You can claim the credit for money you paid for care as long as the person you paid was not one of the following people:

  • your spouse
  • a parent of the child being cared for—for example, you couldn't claim the credit if you pay your ex-spouse to care for the children you have together
  • anyone listed as a dependent on your tax return
  • your own child age 18 or younger, regardless of whether they are a dependent on your tax return—for example, you couldn't pay your 17-year-old child to look after an 8-year-old sibling and then claim the credit

 

TurboTax Tip:

TurboTax Tip: If your employer provides a flexible spending account or similar account to pay for childcare with "pre-tax" dollars, your tax savings may be greater than the amount you get with the credit.

 

Other requirements

There are several other tests you must meet to claim the credit:

  • You (and your spouse, if you're married) must have "earned income," meaning money earned from a job. Non-work income, such as investment profits, doesn't count.
  • You must have paid for the care so that you could work or look for work. Being a full-time student or a parent unable to care for themselves does count as "working" for the purposes of the credit, even if you don’t receive any income for it.
  • If you are married, you must file a joint tax return.
  • You must provide the name, address and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) of the person who provided the care. The taxpayer ID number is either a Social Security number (SSN) or an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Ask your care provider for the number.

Figuring the credit

The size of your credit is based on how much you spend for child and dependent care, as well as your income. TurboTax guides you through the process of figuring your credit and fills in the proper form for you, but in general, it works like this:

  • Add up the total amount of your care expenses that qualify for the credit.
  • If your employer gives you money to pay childcare expenses, or if you have money withheld from your pay on a pre-tax basis, you must subtract this money from your allowable expenses.
  • Compare your claimed expenses with your earned income and, if you're married, your spouse's earned income. Take the smallest of all these amounts. These are your "allowable expenses." Your credit is a percentage of your allowable expenses.
  • The higher your income, the smaller your percentage, and therefore the smaller your credit. There is no upper limit on income for claiming the credit for tax years except for 2021.

For tax year 2024, the maximum amount of care expenses you're allowed to claim is $3,000 for one person, or $6,000 for two or more people. The percentage of your qualified expenses that you can claim ranges from 20% to 35%.

The American Rescue Plan brings significant changes to the amount and way that the Child and Dependent Care Credit can be claimed for 2021. The plan increases the amount of expense eligible for the credit, relaxes the credit reduction due to income levels, and also makes it fully refundable. This means that, unlike in other years, you can still get the credit even if you don’t owe taxes.

For tax year 2021 (the taxes you file in 2022):

  • The amount of qualifying expenses increases from $3,000 to $8,000 for one qualifying person and from $6,000 to $16,000 for two or more qualifying individuals
  • The percentage of qualifying expenses eligible for the credit increases from 35% to 50%
  • The beginning of the reduction of the credit is increased from $15,000 to $125,000 of adjusted gross income (AGI).
  • The credit is unavailable for any taxpayer with 2021 adjusted gross income over $438,000.

Also, for tax year 2021, the maximum amount that can be contributed to a dependent care flexible spending account and the amount of tax-free employer-provided dependent care benefits is increased from $5,000 to $10,500 ($5,250 for married filing separately).

Considering alternatives

While the child and dependent care credit is attractive, you may save even more money with other options. For example, if your employer provides a way to pay for childcare with "pre-tax" dollars—that is, money that's taken out of your paycheck before taxes are calculated—the amount you save in taxes may be greater than what you get with the credit.

  • This may be possible with a Flexible Spending Account or similar account.
  • Consider checking with your employer's human resources department to explore your options.

And while you're at it, take time to learn about other tax breaks available to parents.

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  • Average Refund Amount: $3,207 is the average refund amount American taxpayers received in the 2024 filing season based upon IRS data as of February 16, 2024 and may not reflect actual refund amount received. Each taxpayer's refund will vary based on their tax situation.

  • More self-employed deductions: based on the median amount of expenses found by TurboTax Premium (formerly Self Employed) customers who synced accounts, imported and categorized transactions compared to manual entry. Individual results may vary.

  • TurboTax Online Business Products: For TurboTax Live Assisted Business and TurboTax Full Service Business, we currently don't support the following tax situations: C-Corps (Form 1120) and entities electing to be treated as a C-Corp, Trust/Estates (Form 1041), Tax Exempt Entities/Non-Profits, returns that require more than 5 state filings, and other issues unrelated to the preparation of a tax return or unrelated to business income/franchise taxes. TurboTax Live Assisted Business is currently available only in AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, KS, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NV, NY, OH, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, and WY.

  • Audit Defense: Audit Defense is a third-party add-on service provided, for an additional fee, by TaxResources, Inc., dba Tax Audit. Audit Defense is included at no added cost with business returns filed with TurboTax Live Business (excluding Sole Proprietor). See Membership Agreements at https://www.intuit.com/legal/terms/ for service terms and conditions.

TURBOTAX DESKTOP GUARANTEES

TurboTax Desktop Individual Returns:

  • 100% Accurate Calculations Guarantee - Individual Returns: If you pay an IRS or state penalty or interest because of a TurboTax calculation error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. Excludes payment plans. This guarantee is good for the lifetime of your personal, individual tax return, which Intuit defines as seven years from the date you filed it with TurboTax Desktop. Excludes TurboTax Desktop Business returns. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.

  • Maximum Refund Guarantee / Maximum Tax Savings Guarantee - or Your Money Back - Individual Returns: If you get a larger refund or smaller tax due from another tax preparation method by filing an amended return, we'll refund the applicable TurboTax federal and/or state software license purchase price you paid. This guarantee is good for the lifetime of your personal, individual tax return, which Intuit defines as seven years from the date you filed it with TurboTax Desktop. Excludes TurboTax Desktop Business returns. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement for details.

  • Audit Support Guarantee - Individual Returns: If you receive an audit letter from the IRS or State Department of Revenue based on your 2024 TurboTax individual tax return, we will provide one-on-one question-and-answer support with a tax professional, if requested through our Audit Support Center, for audited individual returns filed with TurboTax Desktop for the current 2024 tax year and, for individual, non-business returns, for the past two tax years (2022, 2023). Audit support is informational only. We will not represent you before the IRS or state tax authority or provide legal advice. If we are not able to connect you to one of our tax professionals, we will refund the applicable TurboTax federal and/or state license purchase price you paid. This guarantee is good for the lifetime of your personal, individual tax return, which Intuit defines as seven years from the date you filed it with TurboTax Desktop. Excludes TurboTax Desktop Business returns. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement  for details.

  • Satisfaction Guarantee/ 60-Day Money Back Guarantee: If you're not completely satisfied with TurboTax Desktop software, go to refundrequest.intuit.com within 60 days of purchase and follow the process listed to submit a refund request. You must return this product using your license code or order number and dated receipt. Desktop add-on products and services purchased are non-refundable.

TurboTax Desktop Business Returns:

  • 100% Accurate Calculations Guarantee - Business Returns: If you pay an IRS or state penalty or interest because of a TurboTax calculation error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest. Excludes payment plans. You are responsible for paying any additional tax liability you may owe. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement  for details.

  • Maximum Tax Savings Guarantee - Business Returns: If you get a smaller tax due (or larger business tax refund) from another tax preparation method using the same data, TurboTax will refund the applicable TurboTax Business Desktop license purchase price you paid. Additional terms and limitations apply. See License Agreement  for details.

  • Satisfaction Guarantee/ 60-Day Money Back Guarantee: If you're not completely satisfied with TurboTax Desktop software, go to refundrequest.intuit.com within 60 days of purchase and follow the process listed to submit a refund request. You must return this product using your license code or order number and dated receipt. Desktop add-on products and services purchased are non-refundable.

TURBOTAX DESKTOP DISCLAIMERS

  • Installation Requirements: Product download, installation and activation requires an Intuit Account and internet connection. Product limited to one account per license code. You must accept the TurboTax License Agreement to use this product. Not for use by paid preparers.

  • TurboTax Desktop Products: Price includes tax preparation and printing of federal tax returns and free federal e-file of up to 5 federal tax returns. Additional fees apply for e-filing state returns. E-file fees may not apply in certain states, check here for details. Savings and price comparison based on anticipated price increase. Software updates and optional online features require internet connection. Desktop add-on products and services purchased are non-refundable.

  • Fastest Refund Possible: Get your tax refund from the IRS as fast as possible by e-filing and choosing to receive your refund by direct deposit. Tax refund time frames will vary. The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days.

  • Average Refund Amount: $3,207 is the average refund amount American taxpayers received in the 2024 filing season based upon IRS data as of February 16, 2024 and may not reflect actual refund amount received.

  • TurboTax Technical Support: Customer service and technical support hours and options vary by time of year.

  • Deduct From Your Federal Refund: Individual taxes only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Additional terms apply. A $40 Refund Processing Service fee applies to this payment. method. Prices are subject to change without notice.

  • Data Import: Imports financial data from participating companies; Requires Intuit Account. Quicken and QuickBooks import not available with TurboTax installed on a Mac. Imports from Quicken (2022 and higher) and QuickBooks Desktop (2023 and higher); both Windows only. Quicken import not available for TurboTax Desktop Business. Quicken products provided by Quicken Inc., Quicken import subject to change.

  • Live Tax Advice: Access to tax experts to obtain answers to tax questions and to assist with tax year 2024 return(s) prepared with TurboTax Desktop software. Additional fees apply. Must be purchased and used by October 31, 2025. Excludes TurboTax Desktop Business. See License Agreement for details.

  • Audit Defense: Audit Defense is a third-party add-on service provided, for a fee, by TaxResources, Inc., dba Tax Audit. See Membership Agreements at https://turbotax.intuit.com/corp/softwarelicense/ for service terms and conditions.

All features, services, support, prices, offers, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.

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