Tech issue: form 2441 won't delete, can't file

[dgran]

I have searched through the forums and followed the advice in this article, but I'm still stuck:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/accessing/help/how-do-i-delete-form-2441-in-turbotax-online/00/264...

No matter what I do, each time I come to the federal review the form 2441 comes back.  We don't have dependent care expenses to declare.  I tried just entering zero for the amounts to make it go away, but it won't allow that either.  Is there any suggestion to remedy this short of resetting and starting over?

[JamesG1]

You may have partially created an IRS Form 2441 that needs to be deleted through the step-by-step process.  Consider these steps.

• Go to Federal / Deductions & Credits / Dependent Care Credit.
• Click Edit / Add to the right.
• At the screen Child and Dependent Care Credit, click Yes.
• At the screen Tell us a little about you, click Yes.
• At the screen Here's what we have so far, is there an entry listed that may have been created accidently?
• If there is an entry, click the trashcan Delete icon.  Continue.
• Scroll down to the bottom and click on Wrap up tax breaks.
• Run through Federal Review to see if the error has been cleared.

[dgran]

In my experience, the only way to get to this screen is by searching "child care credit" in the search box, but after I select "yes" it doesn't say "here is what we have so far", it says "tell us about your spouse".  It is asking if we lived in US in our principle residence for over half the year, which we have.  So I select "yes".

The following screen asks for information about us being either both earning income or being students or disabled.  That is neither for us both, so I select and continue.  Afterwards it just sends me back to the Federal section on Deductions and Credits.  I never find some place where I can back out delete.

Any other suggestions are most welcome.

[JulieS]

First, please check your W-2 forms, box 10. If there is a number there, you won't be able to delete. The reason is that box 10 (dependent care benefits) requires a Form 2441, whether or not your are eligible to get the credit.

If you have no number in box 10, and you don't need the Form 2441, here is how to delete it. If you are using TurboTax Online:

1. From inside the return, scroll down to Tax Tools on the bottom of the left side menu.
2. Select Tools.
3. Click on Delete a form (third on the list at the bottom of the screen).
4. Find Form 2441on the list of forms.
5. Click Delete to the right.
6. Confirm your Delete.
7. If you are filing a state tax return, scroll down and find the state childcare credit form as well.
8. Click Delete to the right.
9. Confirm your Delete.
10. Click Continue in the lower right. 
11. Click Continue with my return.

If you are the Desktop version (disc or download):

1. Click Forms toward the upper right corner. 
2. Find Form 2441 on the list on the left.
3. Highlight it, then click Delete in the lower left corner of the reading pane.
4. If you are filing a state tax return, scroll down and find the state childcare credit form as well.
5. Highlight it, then click Delete in the lower left corner of the reading pane.
6. Click on Step by Step in the upper right corner to return to the interview.

You should be able to e-file once those forms are cleared out.

[dgran]

Thank you, I confirm that box 10 on my W2 is blank or shows zero.  I have two W2 forms.

Unfortunately, I have tried deleting the form multiple times.  It comes back each time I go to the federal review.  Is there some form of support from Intuit to fix this on my behalf?  I'm really stuck here.

[JamesG1]

'The following screen asks for information about us being either both earning income or being students or disabled.  That is neither for us both, so I select and continue.'  

Neither of you earn income?  Or neither of you are student?  Or neither of you are disabled?  I think that you mean neither of you are a student and neither of you are disabled.

In any case, these are questions that precede the screen Here's what we have so far where you may have an entry listed that may have been created accidently.

@dgran

[dgran]

Sorry if I wasn't clear.  I earn w-2 income, my wife does not.  Neither of us are students or disabled, hence I selected none of the above for both of us on that screen.

[BillM223]

dgran, does your spouse have any earned income? If your spouse does not and you indicated that your spouse is neither disabled nor a student, then TurboTax takes you right out of the Child and Dependent Care Credit interview, because you two are not eligible (you both have to have earned income, unless the non-working spouse if a full-time student or disabled). This explains what you are seeing (or not seeing) in the interview.

Are you using TurboTax Online? I ask because the instructions at that link are only for the Online product, and they are different for the CD/download version of the product.

If you are using the CD/download version of the product, please click on Forms mode (upper right), then on the left, navigate to and click on 2441. At the bottom of the 2441 screen you will see a Delete Form button.

@dgran

[dgran · Accepted solution]

I found a resolution to this in case it helps others.  At some point my wife may have mistakenly proceeded to enter in some info for one of our dependents in this area, which means she listed one of us as disabled or as a student just to see.  It wasn't fully filled out, and hence why the form 2441 issue kept coming up.  The bug, as I see it from the view of a professional software developer, is that re-visiting the dependent care section and answering "no" doesn't clear this out.  I had to answer "yes" and go back in selecting the some bogus answer (6 months of student life) so that I could then delete the dependent.

After doing this I was in the clear.  I hope this helps someone else if they get stuck.  Taxes are filed.  Uncle Sam is happy.

[Ausbrowning89]

Dgran, That actually worked thank you! I was so tired of the same answer from the "experts"

[leulgeta0]

Thanks a lot ...worked for me

[drpnw]

@dgran thanks for this. I ran into a similar issue. I deleted Form 2441 repeatedly but it would auto populate.  I spent over an hour on screen shares with support running in the same delete form 2441 loop and having it  magically appear again. There is a bug here in turbotax