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Level 2
April 7, 2026
Question

Why do I not qualify for dependent care credit? I paid $16,364 in childcare expenses in 2025 and had $5000 FSA contributions.

  • April 7, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 67 views
Filing as Married Filing Jointly

1 reply

Level 15
April 7, 2026

How many children were in daycare?   You can get a $3000 credit for one child; $6000 for two children.   You already got $5000 of pre-tax money by using the funds from your FSA, leaving a possible $1000  of childcare if you had two children in daycare.   If you only had one child in daycare, you cannot get any more childcare credit.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
Level 2
April 7, 2026

Thank you! I only had one kid with childcare expenses so this makes sense now.