Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit

[mom22boyz]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Ohio

I have read and reread so many different website's takes on whether or not Kindergarten tuition is an applicable expense under the Dependent Care Credit. The IRS website states that Kindergarten tuition is NOT covered "if primarily educational in nature" (which is very subjective) and that before and after care IS covered IF you can separate out the expense. However, I have read on so many different other sites that you CAN include full day kindergarten and only must exclude if billed seperately from before & after care.

My stepdaughther just started private Kindergarten at a facility billed as "Childcare Center and Private Elementary School facility". The accredited Kindergarten program goes from 9-3 and the children go to the childcare room before and after school, if necessary. There is one bill for this program and it specifically states "Kindergarten tuition". Can somebody help me out please. Is this, or is this not an eligible expense?

If the full charge is not applicable, could you possibly include the school's charge for before and after care, but subtract the extra charges between that and Private K? The facility charges 155/wk for K and 122/wk for before/after K. To me this seems iffy to state that only 33$ is going towards education when most of the day is spent in the learning environment as oppossed to the childcare room. They also charge 90/wk for B/A of school aged kids, for the hours of before 9 and after 3. The B/A for K charge assumes the child is going to half day K (either 8-11 or 12-3) and will be in childcare the rest of the day. If you were allowed to include an amount spent "towards childcare" would it be the amount of B/A for K, since the child is in K. Or the amount for B/A for school agers, since the K that she is in is fullday and not half day, and therefore not in childcare room as long. When speaking to the school, the state that they would charge the B/A for school agers if the child is in fullday K and only needs the same care as a school ager.

Oh. One more thing. Most FSA's do not allow kindergarten as an eligible expense, correct? What about separating out the amount for B/A for this? Is this allowed even though there is only one bill?

I'm sorry to go into such detail, but I need Help!!!

TIA

[LdiJ]

Originally Posted by mom22boyz

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Ohio

I have read and reread so many different website's takes on whether or not Kindergarten tuition is an applicable expense under the Dependent Care Credit. The IRS website states that Kindergarten tuition is NOT covered "if primarily educational in nature" (which is very subjective) and that before and after care IS covered IF you can separate out the expense. However, I have read on so many different other sites that you CAN include full day kindergarten and only must exclude if billed seperately from before & after care.

My stepdaughther just started private Kindergarten at a facility billed as "Childcare Center and Private Elementary School facility". The accredited Kindergarten program goes from 9-3 and the children go to the childcare room before and after school, if necessary. There is one bill for this program and it specifically states "Kindergarten tuition". Can somebody help me out please. Is this, or is this not an eligible expense?

If the full charge is not applicable, could you possibly include the school's charge for before and after care, but subtract the extra charges between that and Private K? The facility charges 155/wk for K and 122/wk for before/after K. To me this seems iffy to state that only 33$ is going towards education when most of the day is spent in the learning environment as oppossed to the childcare room. They also charge 90/wk for B/A of school aged kids, for the hours of before 9 and after 3. The B/A for K charge assumes the child is going to half day K (either 8-11 or 12-3) and will be in childcare the rest of the day. If you were allowed to include an amount spent "towards childcare" would it be the amount of B/A for K, since the child is in K. Or the amount for B/A for school agers, since the K that she is in is fullday and not half day, and therefore not in childcare room as long. When speaking to the school, the state that they would charge the B/A for school agers if the child is in fullday K and only needs the same care as a school ager.

Oh. One more thing. Most FSA's do not allow kindergarten as an eligible expense, correct? What about separating out the amount for B/A for this? Is this allowed even though there is only one bill?

I'm sorry to go into such detail, but I need Help!!!

TIA

Yes, before and after school child care is eligible to be used for the child care credit. However, you are going to have to get the school to break those expenses out for you. You can't be the only parent with this issue....so talk to them about it. They probably already have something in place.

[mom22boyz]

"However, you are going to have to get the school to break those expenses out for you. You can't be the only parent with this issue....so talk to them about it. They probably already have something in place."

That's the thing, I did already speak with them and not only do they NOT have anything in place, they said they would not consider doing such a thing. Hmmph.

Are you telling me that if they dont break it out, the WHOLE cost is excluded? It's exasperating cause you're so right, this cannot be the first/only time this has come up...

Thanks for your help!

[Snipes5]

That is correct. If the cost is not broken out, it is all excluded.

These people sound like snobs.

Snipes