Use Tax Form 2441: Child and Dependent Care Expenses as a stand alone tax form calculator to quickly calculate specific amounts for your 2025 tax return. Alternatively you can use one of our Combined Federal and State Tax Estimator to quickly calculate your salary, tax and take home pay.
Child and Dependent Care Expenses Name(s) shown on return Your social security number Part I. Persons or Organizations Who Provided the Care. You must complete this part. (If you have more than two care providers, see the instructions.) 1 (a) Care provider’s (b) Address (c) Identifying number (d) Amount paid Did you receive ▸ No ▸ Complete only Part II below. Caution: If the care was provided in your home, you may owe employment taxes. If you do, you cannot file Form 1040A. For details, see the instructions for Form 1040, line 60a, or Form 1040NR, line 59a. Part II. Credit for Child and Dependent Care Expenses 2 Information about your qualifying person(s). If you have more than two qualifying persons, see the instructions. (a) Qualifying person’s name (b) Qualifying person’s social security number (c) Qualified expenses you incurred and paid in 2016 for the person listed in column (a) First Last 3 Add the amounts in column (c) of line 2. Do not enter more than $3000 for one qualifying person or $3000 for two or more persons. If you completed Part III, enter the amount from line 31 3 4 Enter your earned income. See instructions 4 5 If married filing jointly, enter your spouse's earned income (if you or your spouse was a student or was disabled, see the instructions); all others, enter the amount from line 4 5 6 Enter the smallest of line 3, 4, or 5 6 7 Enter the amount from Form 1040 🖩 , line 38 7 8 Enter on line 8 the decimal amount shown below that applies to the amount on line 7 8 If line 7 is: Decimal amount is If line 7 is: Decimal amount is $0-15000 .35 29000-31000 .27 9 Multiply line 6 by the decimal amount on line 8. If you 9 10 Tax liability limit. Enter the amount from the Credit Limit 10 11 Credit for child and dependent care expenses.🖩 , line 49; Form 1040A, line 31; or Form 1040NR, line 47 11 Part III. Dependent Care Benefits 12 Enter the total amount of dependent care benefits you 12 13 Enter the amount, if any, you carried over from 2015 and used in 2016 during the grace period. See instructions 13 14 Enter the amount, if any, you forfeited or carried forward to 2017. See instructions 14 15 Combine lines 12 through 14. See instructions 15 16 Enter the total amount of qualified expenses incurred 16 17 Enter the smaller of line 15 or 16 17 18 Enter your earned income. See instructions 18 19 Enter the amount shown below that applies to you. 19 20 Enter the smallest of line 17, 18, or 19 20 21 Enter $5000 ($2500 if married filing separately 21 22 Is any amount on line 12 from your sole proprietorship or partnership? (Form 1040A filers go to line 25.) 22 23 Subtract line 22 from line 15 23 24 Deductible benefits. Enter the smallest of line 20, 21, or 22. Also, include this amount on the appropriate line(s) of your return. See instructions 24 25 Excluded benefits. Form 1040 and 1040NR filers: If you checked 'No' on line 22, enter the smaller of line 20 or 21. Otherwise, subtract line 24 from the smaller of line 20 or line 21. If zero or less, enter -0-. Form 1040A filers: Enter the smaller of line 20 or line 21 25 26 Taxable benefits. Form 1040 and 1040NR filers: Subtract line 25 from line 23. If zero or less, enter -0-. Also, include this amount on Form 1040 🖩 , line 7, or Form 1040NR, line 8. On the dotted line next to Form 1040, line 7, or Form 1040NR, line 8, enter 'DCB.' 26 To claim the child and dependent care credit, complete lines 27 through 31 below. 27 Enter $3000 ($6000 if two or more qualifying persons) 27 28 Form 1040 and 1040NR filers: Add lines 24 and 25. Form 1040A filers: Enter the amount from line 25 28 29 Subtract line 28 from line 27. If zero or less, stop. You cannot take the credit. Exception. If you paid 2015 expenses in 2016, see the instructions for line 9 29 30 Complete line 2 on the front of this form. Do not include in column (c) any benefits shown on line 28 above. Then, add the amounts in column (c) and enter the total here. 30 31 Enter the smaller of line 29 or 30. Also, enter this amount on line 3 on the front of this form and complete lines 4 through 11 31