Form 2441 asking for Provider amount paid-3 must be entered I do not understand the question

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
June 7, 2019
4 replies
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TurboTax Premier Online

CherylW

Level 11

Turbo Tax is asking for the amount that you paid to your child's care provider.

You can usually find this amount on your bank statement if you paid them by check or debit card.

salinanguyen

Level 2

What if i didn’t pay my provider? Because it was free and provided by the school. It is not allowing me to e-file or go any further because i entered 0.00

JamesG1

Level 15

To qualify for the Child and Dependent Care credit, you must have paid such expenses.

The IRS form 2441 instructions, under Purpose of Form, reads:

“If you paid someone to care for your child or other qualifying person so you (and your spouse if filing jointly) could work or look for work in 2019, you may be able to take the credit for child and dependent care expenses.”

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Rharris2

Level 2

If I am filing single why does it keep saying married filing separate? And I also didn’t pay a provider. His school is free

BillM223

Level 15

"And I also didn’t pay a provider. His school is free "

To repeat what everyone has said above, you must PAY the provider to get the Child and Dependent Care Credit.

Because you did not pay a provider, you are not eligible for the credit, and so should delete all your entries about it.

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paulleland

Level 2

I am also having this issue ($0.00 paid to child care in 2019), but I cannot simply remove entries about it because this deduction was added automatically by TurboTax. When I try to edit the line to remove it, it just automatically re-applies. Basically the software is keeping itself in a loop...adding the deductible automatically but also complaining about the $0.00 entry. I don't really want to pay an extra $90 to talk to support about this, so I'm hoping someone can help out here. Is there a way to manually remove this deductible or fix this issue? Any direction is appreciated.

Chanly

Level 2

What do I put in the provider paid amount box. It is saying what I put is too low

xmasbaby0

Level 15

@Chanly Not sure why it would be saying the amount you paid for childcare is too low. But we cannot see your screen or your tax return so we do not know what you entered.

CHILD AND DEPENDENT CARE CREDIT

You will not get the childcare credit until (unless) you enter income earned from working. The credit does not work unless you enter your income first. If you are filing a joint return you must show income for both spouses, or show that one or both of you was a student or disabled. If you have self-employment income and show a loss you will not get the childcare credit. You will not get the credit if you are filing married filing separately.

If you have entered all of your income and you have entered your dependent(s) then work on the childcare credit by entering the Tax ID or Social Security number of your childcare provider and enter the amount you paid for the childcare.

One of the most common mistakes that messes up the childcare credit for people is listing all of the earned income under only one name on a joint return. Make very sure that your incomes are listed under each of your names. It’s pretty easy to check. Go to the Income section, and click “update” on Wages and Salary. That will take you to the W-2 Summary. Do you see income listed under both of your names?

The person receiving the care had to be 12 or under or qualified as mentally or physically disabled. To claim the childcare credit you need to be filing as Head of Household or Married Filing Jointly. (NOT married filing separately)

If your child was born in 2022 make sure you say the child lived with you all year. The credit is a percentage of your expenses based on your AGI (the higher the income, the lower the percentage) You must provide the Social Security number for each child you are claiming, and the Social Security number or Tax ID for each care provider.

In the case of divorced or never-married parents—only the custodial parent can use the childcare credit.

And remember that the childcare credit is a NON-refundable credit. It can reduce your tax owed down to zero, but it is not added to your refund.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900643-what-is-the-child-and-dependent-care-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.**