U.S. Individual Income Tax Return Forms

2020

Instructions for Form 2441

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

Child and Dependent Care Expenses

Reminder
Married persons filing separately checkbox.
Generally, married persons must file a joint return to claim
the credit. If you claim the credit and your filing status is
married filing separately, you are required to show you
meet the special requirements listed in sections, Married
Persons Filing Separately and Who Can Take the Credit
or Exclude Dependent Care Benefits, by checking the
checkbox located above Part I on Form 2441. See
Married Persons Filing Separately Checkbox, for more
information.

Future Developments

For the latest information about developments related to
Form 2441 and its instructions, such as legislation
enacted after they were published, go to IRS.gov/
Form2441.

Purpose of Form

If you paid someone to care for your child or other
qualifying person so you (and your spouse if filing jointly)
could work or look for work in 2020, you may be able to
take the credit for child and dependent care expenses.
In addition, if you (or your spouse if filing jointly)
received any dependent care benefits for 2020, you must
use Form 2441 to figure the amount, if any, of the benefits
you can exclude from your income. You must complete
Part III of Form 2441 before you can figure the credit, if
any, in Part II.
You (and your spouse if filing jointly) must have earned
income to take the credit or exclude dependent care
benefits from your income. But, see If You or Your Spouse
Was a Student or Disabled, later, if either of these
circumstances apply.
Additional information. See Pub. 503, Child and
Dependent Care Expenses, for more details.

Definitions
Dependent Care Benefits

Dependent care benefits include:
• Amounts your employer paid directly to either you or
your care provider for the care of your qualifying person(s)
while you worked,
• The fair market value of care in a daycare facility
provided or sponsored by your employer, and
• Pre-tax contributions you made under a dependent
care flexible spending arrangement (FSA).
Your salary may have been reduced to pay for these
benefits. If you received dependent care benefits as an
employee, they should be shown in box 10 of your 2020
Form(s) W-2. Benefits you received as a partner should

Sep 21, 2020

be shown in box 13 of your Schedule K-1 (Form 1065)
with code O.

Qualifying Person(s)

A qualifying person is:
1. A qualifying child under age 13 whom you can claim
as a dependent. If the child turned 13 during the year, the
child is a qualifying person for the part of the year he or
she was under age 13;
2. Your disabled spouse who wasn't physically or
mentally able to care for himself or herself;
3. Any disabled person who wasn't physically or
mentally able to care for himself or herself whom you can
claim as a dependent or could claim as a dependent
except:
a. The disabled person had gross income of $4,300 or
more,
b. The disabled person filed a joint return, or
c. You (or your spouse if filing jointly) could be claimed
as a dependent on another taxpayer's 2020 return.
If you are divorced or separated, see Special rule for
children of divorced or separated parents or parents who
live apart below.
To find out who is a qualifying child and who is a
dependent, see Pub. 501, Dependents, Standard
Deduction, and Filing Information.

!

CAUTION

To be a qualifying person, generally the person
must have lived with you for more than half of
2020.

Special rule for children of divorced or separated parents or parents who live apart. Even if you can't claim
your child as a dependent, he or she is treated as your
qualifying person if:
• The child was under age 13 or wasn't physically or
mentally able to care for himself or herself, and
• You were the child's custodial parent. Generally, the
custodial parent is the parent with whom the child lived for
the greater number of nights in 2020. If the child was with
each parent for an equal number of nights, the custodial
parent is the parent with the higher adjusted gross
income. For details and an exception for a parent who
works at night, see Pub. 501.
Generally, the noncustodial parent can't treat the child
as a qualifying person even if that parent is entitled to
claim the child as a dependent under the special rules for
a child of divorced or separated parents or parents who
live apart.

Qualified Expenses

These include amounts paid for household services and
care of the qualifying person while you worked or looked

Cat. No. 10842K

1. Your filing status may be single, head of household,
qualifying widow(er) with dependent child, or married filing
jointly. If your filing status is married filing separately, see
Married Persons Filing Separately, later.
2. The care was provided so you (and your spouse if
filing jointly) could work or look for work. However, if you
didn't find a job and have no earned income for the year,
you can't take the credit or the exclusion. But if you or your
spouse was a full-time student or disabled, see the
instructions for lines 4 and 5, later.
3. The care must be for one or more qualifying
persons.
4. The person who provided the care wasn't your
spouse, the parent of your qualifying child, or a person
whom you can claim as a dependent. If your child
provided the care, he or she must have been age 19 or
older by the end of 2020, and he or she can't be your
dependent.
5. You report the required information about the care
provider on line 1 and, if taking the credit, the information
about the qualifying person on line 2.

for work. Child support payments aren't qualified
expenses. Also, expenses reimbursed by a state social
service agency aren't qualified expenses unless you
included the reimbursement in your income.
Generally, if you worked or actively looked for work
during only part of the period in which you incurred the
expenses, you must figure your expenses for each day.
However, there are special rules for temporary absences
or part-time work. See Pub. 503 for more details.

Household Services
These are services needed to care for the qualifying
person as well as to run the home. They include, for
example, the services of a cook, maid, babysitter,
housekeeper, or cleaning person if the services were
partly for the care of the qualifying person. Don't include
services of a chauffeur or gardener.
You can also include your share of the employment
taxes paid on wages for qualifying child and dependent
care services.

Married Persons Filing Separately

Care of the Qualifying Person
The cost of care of the qualifying person includes the cost
of services for their well-being and protection. It doesn't
include the cost of food, lodging, education, clothing, or
entertainment.

Generally, married persons must file a joint return to claim
the credit. If your filing status is married filing separately
and all of the following apply, you are considered
unmarried for purposes of claiming the credit on Form
2441.
• You lived apart from your spouse during the last 6
months of 2020.
• Your home was the qualifying person's main home for
more than half of 2020.
• You paid more than half of the cost of keeping up that
home for 2020.

You can include the cost of care provided outside your
home for your dependent under age 13 or any other
qualifying person who regularly spends at least 8 hours a
day in your home. If the care was provided by a
dependent care center, the center must meet all
applicable state and local regulations. A dependent care
center is a place that provides care for more than six
persons (other than persons who live there) and receives
a fee, payment, or grant for providing services for any of
those persons, even if the center isn't run for profit.

If you meet all of the requirements to be treated as
unmarried and meet items 2 through 5 listed earlier, you
can generally take the credit or the exclusion. If you don't
meet all of the requirements to be treated as unmarried,
you can’t generally take the credit. However, you can
generally take the exclusion if you meet items 2 through 5.

You can include amounts paid for items other than the
care of your child (such as food and schooling) only if the
items are incidental to the care of the child and can't be
separated from the total cost. But don't include the cost of
schooling for a child in kindergarten or above. You can
include the cost of a day camp, even if it specializes in a
particular activity, such as computers or soccer. But don't
include any expenses for sending your child to an
overnight camp, summer school, or a tutoring program.

Example. Amy separated from her spouse in March.
She isn't separated under a decree of divorce or separate
maintenance agreement and uses the married filing
separately filing status. Amy maintains a home for herself
and Sam, her disabled father. Sam is permanently and
totally disabled and unable to care for himself.
Because Sam earns $5,600 in interest income, Amy
can't claim him as a dependent (his gross income is
greater than $4,300). And, because Amy isn't able to
claim Sam as a dependent and she is still married as of
the end of the year, she can't use the head of household
filing status. Amy's filing status is married filing separately
and Sam is a qualifying person for the child and
dependent care credit.
Because of the following facts, Amy is able to claim the
credit for child and dependent care expenses even though
Amy uses the married filing separately filing status.
• Amy didn't live with her spouse for the last 6 months of
the year.

Medical Expenses
Some disabled spouse and dependent care expenses
can qualify as medical expenses if you itemize deductions
on Schedule A (Form 1040). However, you can't claim the
same expense as both a dependent care expense and a
medical expense. See Pub. 502, Medical and Dental
Expenses, and Pub. 503 for details.

Who Can Take the Credit or Exclude
Dependent Care Benefits?
You can take the credit or the exclusion if all five of the
following apply.

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Instructions for Form 2441 (2020)

• She has maintained a home for herself and Sam (a
qualifying individual) since she separated from her spouse
in March.
• She maintains her own household and provides more
than half of the cost of maintaining that home for herself
and Sam.
• Amy pays an adult daycare center to care for Sam to
allow her to work.

provide the care, you must give information on the third
party in columns (a) through (d).

Column (c)
If the care provider is an individual, enter his or her SSN.
Otherwise, enter the provider's employer identification
number (EIN). If the provider is a tax-exempt organization,
enter “Tax-Exempt” in column (c).

Line Instructions

U.S. citizens and resident aliens living abroad. If you
are living abroad, your care provider may not have, and
may not be required to get, a U.S. taxpayer identification
number (for example, an SSN or EIN). If so, enter
“LAFCP” (Living Abroad Foreign Care Provider) in the
space for the care provider's taxpayer identification
number.

Married Persons Filing Separately Checkbox

If your filing status is married filing separately and you
meet the requirements to claim the credit for child and
dependent care expenses, complete the statement above
Part I on Form 2441 by checking the checkbox, confirming
you meet those requirements listed, earlier, under Married
Persons Filing Separately and Who Can Take the Credit
or Exclude Dependent Care Benefits.

Column (d)
Enter the total amount you actually paid in 2020 to the
care provider. Also, include amounts your employer paid
to a third party on your behalf. It doesn't matter when the
expenses were incurred. Don't reduce this amount by any
reimbursement you received.

Line 1

Complete columns (a) through (d) for each person or
organization that provided the care. You can use Form
W-10, Dependent Care Provider's Identification and
Certification, or any other source listed in its instructions to
get the information from the care provider. If you don't give
correct or complete information, your credit (and
exclusion, if applicable) may be disallowed unless you
can show you used due diligence in trying to get the
required information.

Line 2

Complete columns (a) through (c) for each qualifying
person. If you have more than two qualifying persons,
attach a statement to your return with the required
information. Be sure to put your name and SSN on the
statement. Also, enter “See Attached” on the dotted line
next to line 3.

If you have more than two care providers, attach a
statement to your return with the required information. Be
sure to put your name and social security number (SSN)
on the statement. Also, enter “See Attached” right above
the Caution under line 1.

Column (b)
You must enter the qualifying person's SSN. Be sure the
name and SSN entered agree with the person's social
security card. Otherwise, at the time we process your
return, we may reduce or disallow your credit. If the child
was born and died in 2020 and didn't have an SSN, enter
“Died” in column (b) and attach a copy of the child's birth
certificate, death certificate, or hospital medical records.

If you had neither a qualifying person nor any care
providers for 2020, and you are filing Form 2441 only to
report taxable income in Part III, enter “none” on line 1,
column (a).

Due Diligence
You can show a serious and earnest effort (due diligence)
to get the information by keeping in your records a Form
W-10 completed by the care provider. Or you may keep
one of the other sources of information listed in the
instructions for Form W-10. If the provider doesn't give
you the information, complete the entries you can on
line 1. For example, enter the provider's name and
address. Enter “See Attached Statement” in the columns
for which you don't have the information. Then, attach a
statement to your return explaining that the provider didn't
give you the information you requested.

To find out how to get an SSN, see Social Security
Number (SSN) in the Instructions for Forms 1040 and
1040-SR or Identifying Number in the Instructions for
Form 1040-NR. If the name or SSN on the person's social
security card isn't correct, call the Social Security
Administration at 800-772-1213.

Column (c)
Enter the qualified expenses you incurred and paid in
2020 for the person listed in column (a). Prepaid
expenses are treated as paid in the year the care is
provided. Don't include in column (c) qualified expenses:
• You incurred in 2020 but didn't pay until 2021. You may
be able to use these expenses to increase your 2021
credit;
• You incurred in 2019 but didn't pay until 2020. Instead,
see the instructions for line 9; or
• You prepaid in 2020 for care to be provided in 2021.
These expenses can only be used to figure your 2021
credit.

Columns (a) and (b)
Enter the care provider's name and address. If you were
covered by your employer's dependent care plan and your
employer furnished the care (either at your workplace or
by hiring a care provider), enter your employer's name in
column (a). Next, enter “See W-2” in column (b). Then,
leave columns (c) and (d) blank. But if your employer paid
a third party (not hired by your employer) on your behalf to
Instructions for Form 2441 (2020)

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earned income is less than the amount entered on line 3.
To make the election, include all of your nontaxable
combat pay in the amount you enter on line 4 (line 5 for
your spouse if filing jointly).
If you are filing jointly and both you and your spouse
received nontaxable combat pay, you can each make
your own election. (In other words, if one of you makes the
election, the other one can also make it but doesn't have
to.) The amount of your nontaxable combat pay should be
shown in box 12 of your Form(s) W-2 with code Q.

If you paid qualified expenses for the care of two

TIP or more qualifying persons, the applicable dollar

limit is $6,000. This limit doesn't need to be
divided equally. For example, if you paid and incurred
$2,500 of qualified expenses for the care of one qualifying
person and $3,500 for the care of another qualifying
person, you can use the total, $6,000, to figure the credit.
To qualify for the credit, you must have one or more
qualifying persons. You should show the expenses for
each child in column (c) of line 2. However, it is possible a
qualifying child could have no expenses and a second
child could have expenses exceeding $3,000. You should
list -0- for the one child and the actual amount for the
second child. The $6,000 limit would still be used to
compute your credit unless you have already excluded or
deducted, in Part III, certain dependent care benefits paid
to you (or on your behalf) by your employer.

You can choose to include your nontaxable

TIP combat pay in earned income when figuring your

credit, even if you choose not to include it in
earned income for the earned income credit (EIC) or the
exclusion or deduction for child and dependent care
benefits.

!

Lines 4 and 5

If filing jointly, figure your and your spouse's earned
income separately. Enter your earned income on line 4
and your spouse's earned income on line 5.
Earned income for figuring the credit generally includes
the following amounts.
1. The amount shown on Form 1040 or 1040-SR,
line 1; or Form 1040-NR, line 1a; minus any amount:
a. Included for a scholarship or fellowship grant that
wasn't reported to you on a Form W-2,

You must reduce your earned income by any loss
from self-employment.

CAUTION

Child support payments received by you aren't
included in your gross income and aren't considered as
earned income for figuring this credit.

If You or Your Spouse Was a Student or Disabled
Your spouse's earned income. Your spouse was a
full-time student if he or she was enrolled as a full-time
student at a school for some part of each of 5 calendar
months during 2020. The months need not be
consecutive. A school doesn't include an on-the-job
training course, a correspondence school, or a school
offering courses only through the Internet. Your spouse
was disabled if he or she wasn't physically or mentally
capable of self-care. Figure your spouse's earned income
on a monthly basis.
For each month or part of a month your spouse was a
student or was disabled, he or she is considered to have
worked and earned income. His or her earned income for
each month is considered to be at least $250 ($500 if
more than one qualifying person was cared for in 2020).
Enter that amount on line 5. If your spouse also worked
during that month, use the higher of $250 (or $500) or his
or her actual earned income for that month.
For any month that your spouse wasn't a student or
disabled, use your spouse's actual earned income if he or
she worked during the month.

b. Excluded as foreign earned income (including any
housing exclusion) on Form 2555, line 43,
c. Also reported on Schedule SE (Form 1040)
because you were a member of the clergy or you received
$108.28 or more of church employee income,
d. Received for work performed while an inmate in a
penal institution, or
e. Received as a pension or annuity from a
nonqualified deferred compensation plan or a
nongovernmental section 457(b) plan. This amount may
be reported in box 11 of Form W-2. If you received such
an amount but box 11 is blank, contact your employer for
the amount received as a pension or annuity.
2. The amount shown on Schedule SE (Form 1040),
line 3, minus any deduction you claim on Schedule 1
(Form 1040), line 14.
If you use either optional method to figure
self-employment tax, subtract any deduction you claim on
Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 14, from the total of the
amounts shown on Schedule SE (Form 1040), lines 3 and
4b.
If you received church employee income of $108.28 or
more, subtract any deduction you claim on Schedule 1
(Form 1040), line 14, from the total of the amounts shown
on Schedule SE (Form 1040), lines 3, 4b, and 5a.
3. If you are filing Schedule C (Form 1040) as a
statutory employee, the amount shown on line 1 of the
schedule.
4. Nontaxable combat pay, if you elect to include it in
earned income. However, including this income will only
give you a larger credit if your (or your spouse's) other

Your earned income. These rules for a spouse who was
a student or disabled also apply to you if you were a
student or disabled. For each month or part of a month
you were a student or disabled, your earned income is
considered to be at least $250 ($500 if more than one
qualifying person was cared for in 2020). Enter that
amount on line 4. If you also worked during that month,
enter the higher of $250 (or $500) or your actual earned
income for that month.
Both spouses were students or disabled. If, in the
same month, both you and your spouse were either
students or disabled, only one of you can be treated as
having earned income in that month under these rules.
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Instructions for Form 2441 (2020)

permitted you to carry the $50 forward to use during the
grace period in 2021.

Special Situations
• If you are filing jointly, disregard community property
laws in determining the earned income of an individual.
• If your spouse died in 2020, see Pub. 503.

Line 15

Add the amounts on lines 12 and 13 and subtract from
that total the amount on line 14. Enter the result on line 15.

Line 9
Credit for Prior Year's Expenses

Line 16

If you had qualified expenses for 2019 that you didn't pay
until 2020, you may be able to increase the amount of
credit you can take in 2020. To figure the credit, see
Worksheet A in Pub. 503. If you can take a credit for your
2019 expenses, enter the amount of the additional credit
and “CPYE” (Credit for Prior Year Expenses) on the
dotted line next to line 9. Add the credit to the amount on
line 9 and replace the amount on line 9 with that total.
Also, enter the name and taxpayer identification number
of the person for whom you paid for care, the name and
taxpayer identification number of the individual or
organization providing the care, and how you figured the
credit.

Enter the total of all qualified expenses incurred in 2020
for the care of your qualifying person(s). It doesn't matter
when the expenses were paid.
Example. You received $2,000 in cash under your
employer's dependent care plan for 2020. The $2,000 is
shown on your Form W-2, in box 10. Only $900 of
qualified expenses were incurred in 2020 for the care of
your 5 year old dependent child. You would enter $2,000
on line 12 and $900 on line 16.

Line 18

If filing jointly, figure your and your spouse's earned
income separately. Enter your earned income on line 18
and your spouse's earned income on line 19. If your filing
status is married filing separately or you or your spouse
was a student or disabled, see the instructions for line 19.

Line 10
Credit Limit Worksheet
Complete this worksheet to figure the amount to enter on
line 10.
1. Enter the amount from Form 1040, 1040-SR, or
1040-NR, line 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Enter the amount from Schedule 3 (Form 1040),
line 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. Subtract line 2 from line 1. Also enter this amount on
Form 2441, line 10. But if zero or less, stop; you cannot
take the credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Earned income for figuring the amount of dependent
care benefits you are able to exclude or deduct from your
income generally includes the following amounts.
1. The amount shown on Form 1040 or 1040-SR,
line 1; or Form 1040-NR, line 1a; minus any amount:
a. Included for a scholarship or fellowship grant that
wasn't reported to you on a Form W-2,
b. Excluded as foreign earned income (including any
housing exclusion) on Form 2555, line 43,
c. Also reported on Schedule SE (Form 1040)
because you were a member of the clergy or you received
$108.28 or more of church employee income,
d. Received for work performed while an inmate in a
penal institution, and
e. Received as a pension or annuity from a
nonqualified deferred compensation plan or a
nongovernmental section 457(b) plan. This amount may
be reported in box 11 of Form W-2. If you received such
an amount but box 11 is blank, contact your employer for
the amount received as a pension or annuity.
2. The amount shown on Schedule SE (Form 1040),
line 3, minus any deduction you claim on Schedule 1
(Form 1040), line 14.
If you use either optional method to figure
self-employment tax, subtract any deduction you claim on
Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 14, from the total of the
amounts shown on Schedule SE (Form 1040), lines 3 and
4b.
If you received church employee income of $108.28 or
more, subtract any deduction you claim on Schedule 1
(Form 1040), line 14, from the total of the amounts shown
on Schedule SE (Form 1040), lines 3, 4b, and 5a.
3. If you are filing Schedule C (Form 1040) as a
statutory employee, the amount shown on line 1 of the
schedule.

1.
2.

3.

Line 13

If you had an employer-provided dependent care plan,
your employer may have permitted you to carry forward
any unused amount from 2019 to use during a grace
period in 2020. Enter on line 13 the amount you carried
forward and used in 2020 during the grace period.

Line 14

If you had an employer-provided dependent care plan,
enter on line 14 the total of the following amounts included
on line 12.
• Any amount you forfeited. You forfeited an amount if
you didn't receive it because you didn't incur the expense.
Don't include amounts you expect to receive at a future
date.
• Any amount you didn't receive but are permitted by your
employer to carry forward and use in the following year
during a grace period.
Example. Under your employer's dependent care
plan, you chose to have your employer set aside $5,000
to cover your 2020 dependent care expenses. The $5,000
is shown on your Form W-2, in box 10. In 2020, you
incurred and were reimbursed for $4,950 of qualified
expenses. You would enter $5,000 on line 12 and $50, the
amount forfeited, on line 14. You would also enter $50 on
line 14 if, instead of forfeiting the amount, your employer
Instructions for Form 2441 (2020)

-5-

Line 19

4. Nontaxable combat pay, if you elect to include it in
earned income. However, including this income will only
give you a larger exclusion or deduction if your (or your
spouse's) other earned income is less than the amount
entered on line 17. To make the election, include all of
your nontaxable combat pay in the amount you enter on
line 18 (line 19 for your spouse if filing jointly).
If you are filing jointly and both you and your spouse
received nontaxable combat pay, you can each make
your own election. (In other words, if one of you makes the
election, the other one can also make it but doesn't have
to.) The amount of your nontaxable combat pay should be
shown in box 12 of your Form(s) W-2 with code Q.

If your filing status is married filing separately, see Married
Persons Filing Separately, earlier. Are you considered
unmarried under that rule?
Yes. Enter your earned income (from line 18) on
line 19. On line 21, enter $5,000.
No. Enter your spouse's earned income on line 19. If
you or your spouse was a full-time student or
disabled in 2020, see the instructions for lines 4 and
5. On line 21, enter $2,500.

You can choose to include your nontaxable

Line 24

TIP combat pay in earned income when figuring your

Include your deductible benefits in the total entered on
Schedule C (Form 1040), line 14; Schedule E (Form
1040), line 19 or line 28; or Schedule F (Form 1040),
line 15; whichever applies.

exclusion or deduction, even if you choose not to
include it in earned income for the earned income credit
(EIC) or the credit for child and dependent care expenses.

!

CAUTION

!

For purposes of line 18, earned income doesn't
include any dependent care benefits shown on
line 12.

Line 26

If line 26 is more than zero, you have taxable dependent
care benefits. Include this amount in the total on Form
1040 or 1040-SR, line 1; or Form 1040-NR, line 1a;
whichever applies. Enter “DCB” in the space to the left of
that line to show that taxable dependent care benefits are
included in that amount.

You must reduce your earned income by any loss
from self-employment.

CAUTION

Special Situations
• If you are filing jointly, disregard community property
laws in determining the earned income of an individual.
• If your spouse was a full-time student or disabled in
2020, see the instructions for lines 4 and 5, earlier.

Lines 27 through 31

If you are reporting dependent care benefits in Part III of
the form, you will need to complete lines 27 through 31 if
you are also claiming the credit for child and dependent
care expenses in Part II of the form.

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Instructions for Form 2441 (2020)