Should I claim $4000 babysitter expenses on taxes - worth it or skip it?
I paid my babysitter around $4000 this year and trying to decide if its worth claiming on my tax return. Not sure if itll make any real difference in my refund or if I should just leave it off. Anyone have experience with claiming childcare expenses?
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
Absolutely claim it! The Child and Dependent Care Credit can be worth up to 35% of your qualifying expenses depending on your income. You'll need your sitter's SSN or Tax ID number, and you'll fill out Form 2441. Plus, many states offer additional childcare credits on top of the federal benefit.
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Giovanni Colombo
•Oh wow I had no idea! Do you know if my sitter needs to report this income on their end?
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•Yes, they should report it as self-employment income. Make sure to get their info and provide them with a 1099-NEC if you paid them over $600 (which you did).
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Dylan Cooper
•my sister tried this last year and the irs flagged her return cause her sitter didn't report the income 🙄
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Sofia Ramirez
Hey, just wanted to mention that taxr.ai is super helpful for figuring out these kinds of deductions. I used it last year and it actually found some childcare credits I didn't know about. It's only $1 and totally worth it. https://taxr.ai
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Dmitry Volkov
•does it really work? seems too good to be true for $1
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Sofia Ramirez
•100% legit! It analyzes your whole transcript and shows you everything you qualify for. Best dollar I ever spent on tax stuff fr fr 💯
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StarSeeker
I wouldn't leave it off. The IRS has been cracking down on unreported income lately and your sitter might report it anyway.
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Ava Martinez
bruh just keep it off record. its cash right? no paper trail = no problems 🤫
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Miguel Ortiz
•terrible advice. Tax fraud isn't worth the risk 🤦♀️
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Ava Martinez
•lol ok bootlicker 🤡
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Zainab Omar
Make sure your babysitter is cool with being claimed! I did this last year without telling mine and it caused major drama
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Giovanni Colombo
•oof good point, ill def talk to her first
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Connor Murphy
in the same boat rn. following for answers
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