"Disposable” diapers deducted as child care expense when filing as Head of Household?

[Curious1]

I understand that diapers are not deductible, but I think that applies only to regular cloth diapers that can be cleaned and reused, not the synthetic disposable diapers that are replaced several times a day. It this correct?

[KathrynG3 · Accepted solution]

No. Any type of diaper for child care expense is a personal expense and not deductible. While child care expenses are costly, the IRS considers them as personal living expenses.

[xmasbaby0]

The childcare care credit is a credit you can get if you paid someone to take care of your child so you could work.  it is not a credit for diapers, wipers, or other baby care supplies.

If you paid someone to take care of your child, enter the the childcare provider's Tax ID or Social Security number and the amount you paid them in 2019 in Federal>Deductions and Credits>You and Your Family>Child and Dependent Care Credit

[Curious1]

Thank you for your timely response.

I thought/hoping that since the "disposable" diapers must be replaced several times daily, they wouldn't be considered as regular clothing, as "reusable" diapers would be, instead the "disposables" would be considered as a child support expense.

[xmasbaby0]

Sorry--you were mistaken.  You do not get anything for any type of diapers.

Here are the credits that you can get if you claim a child as a dependent:

There are several child-related credits you *may* get if you have a dependent child and if you have income earned from working.The amount earned by working has a major effect on how much you receive for the child-related credits.

You might be getting the Child Tax Credit--that is not all a refund--it lowers the tax you owe, up to $2000 per child, but if you do not owe tax then you may not get the full amount of CTC.  In some cases, you could qualify for the "Additional Child Tax Credit" which is a refundable credit, and would increase your refund.  If you qualify for this credit, TurboTax calculates and automatically adds it to your refund.

You might be able to claim the child and dependent care credit if you paid someone to take care of your child so you could work. This is not a refundable credit, so it will not be in your refund.  It can lower the tax you owe.

You might qualify for Earned Income Credit, which is a refundable credit if you worked and earned income. The EIC is based on the amount you earned.  If you do qualify for EIC, TurboTax automatically calculates the amount and adds it to your refund.

Look at your 2019 Form 1040 to see the child-related credits you received

PREVIEW 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901539-how-do-i-preview-my-turbotax-online-return-before-filing

Child Tax Credit line 13a

Credit for Other Dependents line 13a

Earned Income Credit line 18a

Additional Child Tax Credit line 18b

Child and Dependent Care Credit line 18d

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900923-what-is-the-child-tax-credit

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-f...

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

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899157-what-are-the-qualifications-for-the-earned-income-credit-e...

https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/use-the-eitc-assistant

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4499708-what-is-the-500-credit-for-other-dependents-family-tax-cre...