This is not user input error. I actually went back into my return to attempt to fix the form manually, and it will not allow you to.
I understand the limit, but the program is prompting you to enter the TOTAL dollar value for eligible payments for the year. In my case, my wife had made around $3900 in ELIGIBLE payments. The credit is maxed at $2500 if you took the $3500 in previous years.
What the program SHOULD be doing is looking at last years data, seeing that $3500 was taken, and place $2500 on the form. You then take the lesser of your eligible payments and maximum credit, and that is what you are refunded. This is 100% a programming issue. The only way to get it to fill the form out correctly is if I told it she only made $2500 in eligible payments, which would be false.
