By deleting the child and adding them back, the movement on the refund was probably due to the Child Tax Credit, which is different than the Child and Dependent Care Credit.
In addition to what the other posters have said about both of you needing earned income and your child must be under 13 to receive the Child and Dependent Care Credit, did either you or your spouse receive Dependent Care Benefits in Box 10 of your W-2? If you did, this can reduce or eliminate the Child and Dependent Care Credit for which you would be eligible.
An easy way to see if you are currently getting the Child and Dependent Care Credit is to preview your Form 1040:
- Open or continue your return.
- Select Tax Tools in the left menu (if you don't see this, select the menu icon in the upper-left corner).
- With the Tax Tools menu open, you can then view your 1040 form: Select Tools. Next, select View Tax Summary in the pop-up, then Preview my 1040 in the left menu
- Scroll down until you see Schedule 3 Line 13g Credit for child and dependent care expenses. If you received anything it would also be on Form 1040, Line 31. If you are not currently receiving the credit, you may not have a Schedule 3 on your return in which case Line 31 of Form 1040 will be blank.
