I am a lawyer and bringing my kids in to work disrupts me and my colleagues. Public schools only offer 1 day per week in person. A hired nanny is not a school teacher. I know traditionally private school tuition is not allowed to be deducted for kinder and older, but this may be different because it actually allows me to work. Is there a good faith exception for this child care deduction?
There is no private school deduction, but hiring the nanny may qualify you for the Child and Dependent Care Credit.
The Child and Dependent Care Credit (not to be confused with the similar-sounding Child Tax Credit) can reduce your tax bill if you paid for a dependent's care so that you could work or look for work.
To qualify for this credit, you must meet all of these criteria:
The credit is worth anywhere from 20% to 35% of your qualified expenses, up to $3,000 (for one qualifying person) and $6,000 (for two or more qualifying persons). Your percentage depends on your AGI, with the higher percentages applying to lower incomes and vice-versa.
TurboTax will determine your eligibility and calculate the maximum credit allowed.
Related Information:
EDUCATION EXPENSES
Education expenses for grades K-12 are not deductible on your Federal return, whether for private, public, or home schooling, nor are the expenses for tutoring, after school lessons or after school activities, such as dance lessons, sports, etc. Some states allow deductions/credits for K-12 education and/or home schooling expenses; if your state has these deductions available, you will be prompted to enter them when you prepare your state return. (As far as I know, the states that offer any sort of K-12 deductions/credits are Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,Louisiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin)