Child Care Tax Deduction 101

For parents of children 12 and under, the child care tax deduction can be a life saver to working parents. Parents should become familiar with the tax information regarding the child care tax deduction. If they aren't sure what to do, there are many tax professionals which can offer tax advice on how to claim this deduction. All of this can help them when it comes time to file taxes online.

The first thing a parent has to know is the criteria for the child care deduction. The criteria are as follows:

-- The child must be 12 years old or younger. If the child is 13 or older, you must show that the child is either physically and/or mentally unable to care for themselves. If the child is 13 and up and is mentally or physically disabled, you may also deduct adult daycare expenses.

--You must provide a home for the child or adult dependent by paying over half the expenses for the maintenance of the home for the dependent. You can not deduct child care or dependent care for a person that does not live with you. The childcare provider you employ can not be another dependent. This means that if your older children watch your younger children, this can be not be used for the child care deduction unless they are 19 years old or over and no longer qualify as a dependent.

--Your child care provider has to give you their name or business name if there is one, an address, and a Social Security or Employer Identification Number. This information will be reported on your 2441 form so that you can claim the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit.

Parents have other deductions that they can claim on their taxes online or on paper. There is the Child Tax Credit, which can be up to $1,000 per qualified child. A child qualifies if the child's living expenses are paid by the parent for more then one half of the year and the child is not being claimed by anyone else. The child must also be 16 or younger by the end of the year to qualify as a dependent.

Another deduction for parents is the Earned Income Tax Credit. It was designed to help lower income families with their day to day expenses. If you need tax advice on how to claim this credit, you can check out the IRS website or contact a tax professional.

Checking yearly for changes in tax laws is always a good thing to start with, as there may be new deductions to help struggling families with their taxes.

Many people opt to buy tax preparation software to help them file their taxes. The programs walk the taxpayer through the filing process, asking them questions and using their answers to determine what they qualify for. If you are unfamiliar with how best to fill out your taxes, it might be worth buying one of these programs. They typically come with an option that all you to file taxes online right through the program. This can make the tax process much easier and can provide the taxpayer with additional savings.

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