Form 2441 has several functions:
1. to validate the amount in box 10 on your W-2
2. to calculate the amount of child and dependent care credit you should get
3. to report on who was being paid (if anyone) for the child care
As noted above, the amount in box 10 is dollars withheld from your Wages (boxes 1, 3, and 5) spent by your employer for child care and committed by you to your FSA. However, you cannot exclude this box 10 amount, unless you document it how you used it. You document it by telling TurboTax if your employer had on-site day care and by telling TurboTax how much you spent on day care, and who you paid.
If you don't document these things, then the box 10 amount will be added back to line 1 on your 1040 with the code of DCB (i.e. taxed).
So, to answer your question above - yes, if you have an amount in box 10 on your W-2, you have to complete the Child and Dependent Care section (2441).
Second, you are correct that if you spend less money on child dare than what you had in your dependent care FSA, then you are not eligible for the credit...but you still have to complete the section for the child and dependent care credit anyway.
Third, the IRS likes to know from more than one source who is getting what money. They may use this in an audit of the child care place to double-check their income, or they may use it in an audit of you to make sure that you didn't just make the child care place up.
Usually, this would happen in a "letter audit" in which the IRS would write you a letter out of curiosity asking you to verify these child care expenses. Since, you, of course, keep good records of all things affecting your tax return for at least three years, if you tell the truth on the return, all you have to do is make some photocopies and send them to the IRS in response to their letter.
It's really not a big deal. Just answer the questions and you'll be OK.
I am a bit concerned about your statement, "I'm used to TurboTax prompting me to need to enter everything I need to enter", because, in this case, TurboTax certainly does. Please go through your return again in TurboTax and make sure that you indicate that you spent X dollars on your kid(s). That should force the TurboTax screens asking who you gave it to.
If this doesn't work, please come back and tell us.
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