Deductions and Credits It’s Summer…Can I Deduct My Child’s Camp Costs? Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam Published Jun 4, 2017 - [Updated Jul 12, 2019] 2 min read During the school year, your children may be in after school day care at the local center or, depending on their age, spend a couple of hours at home alone in the afternoon. You likely keep the monthly child care center’s bills in your tax files for the Child and Dependent Care Credit on your next year’s tax return. Easy! Not so fast. Now that it’s summer, the calendar is reshuffled. Your kids may be attending a local summer day camp, at an overnight camp a few hours away from home, or perhaps your neighbor will be the babysitter at your home. Are these summer expenses eligible for your child care credit? The day camp expenses are eligible. If the camp costs include a fee for transporting your kid to and from the camp, that’s an eligible cost, too. Before the camp days are over, get the camp’s information (official name, address, and identification number) so you can take the Child and Dependent Care Credit for the camp expenses when you file your taxes. The overnight camp costs are unfortunately not eligible for a tax break only day camp. The dollars that you pay the neighbor can certainly be included in your child care costs. Let the babysitter know that you will be claiming your babysitting expenses on your taxes, so you will need her information just as you would a day care center or day camp. If you pay her $2,000 or more, you may be a household employer. If so, you may have to withhold and pay social security, Medicare, and federal/state unemployment tax on your payments to the neighbor. If any of your children turn 14 during the summer, you can still claim the child care costs up until the day they turn 14. So if your son turns 14 on August 15th, you can still deduct his local camp costs through August 14th. If you have your own business and your kids are old enough to do some work there, maybe you don’t need a sitter or camp this summer. You can employ your kids at a fair-market wage and deduct their wages as a business expense. If your business is a sole proprietorship or a partnership and your child is under age 18, the child’s wages are not subject to social security and medicare taxes. Don’t worry about knowing any of these tax laws. TurboTax is up to date on tax laws and will get you the tax deductions and credits you are eligible for based on your answers to simple questions. Previous Post Top Four Lessons Learned for First Time Tax Filers Next Post Five Military Tax Tips to Help You Keep More of… Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam More from TurboTaxBlogTeam 2 responses to “It’s Summer…Can I Deduct My Child’s Camp Costs?” i am a summer school teacher why do my employer deduct tax from my salary . Can i opt not to do so Reply This is really interesting, and something most parents probably do not know about. Eva Rosenberg has an article that has a couple additions about these deductions. http://tax.equifax.com/2010/06/write-off-your-childs-summer-camp.html Reply Leave a ReplyCancel reply Browse Related Articles Crypto Understanding Crypto and Capital Gains Work 7 Things You Need to Know About the New Business Report… Work Using Form 8829 to Write-Off Business Use of Your Home Tax Tips Roth 403(b) vs. Roth IRA: Which Should You Invest In? Life Interest Rates, Inflation, and Your Taxes Investments Essential Tax Tips for Maximizing Investment Gains Uncategorized TurboTax is Partnering with Saweetie to Elevate Hoop Dr… Business Small Business Owners: Optimize Your Taxes with a Mid-Y… Small Business The Benefits of Employing Your Children and the Tax Bre… Income and Investments Are Olympics Winnings Taxed?
i am a summer school teacher why do my employer deduct tax from my salary . Can i opt not to do so Reply
This is really interesting, and something most parents probably do not know about. Eva Rosenberg has an article that has a couple additions about these deductions. http://tax.equifax.com/2010/06/write-off-your-childs-summer-camp.html Reply