Why was I not allowed to take daycare credit?

[charjean471]

Married filing separately.  I received the following message:  You don't qualify because you did not receive any employer-provided dependent care on your w/2.  What does my employer have anything to do with this?  I am going through a divorce and paid daycare to take care of my son>

[Coleen3 · Accepted solution]

If you use the married filing separately status, the child care credit is not allowed. Check to see if you qualify for the Head of Household status. The program references your W-2, because if you had had a cafeteria plan for child care, it would have forced the Form 2441.

You may be able to file as head of household if you meet all the following requirements.

1. You are unmarried or considered unmarried on the last day of the year. See Marital Status , earlier, and Considered Unmarried , later.
2. You paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home for the year.
3. A qualifying person lived with you in the home for more than half the year (except for temporary absences, such as school). However, if the qualifying person is your dependent parent, he or she doesn't have to live with you. See Special rule for parent , later, under Qualifying Person.

[charjean471]

Great explanation.  Thank you.