Monday, March 5, 2012

Wisconsin's Child and Dependent Care Deduction

Most tax software gets this one right without any additional entries. If you prepare your tax return by hand you need to remember to claim this deduction if you qualify for the federal child care and dependent deduction.

Wisconsin added the child care and dependent deduction for 2011 tax returns and is simple to claim. All you do is take the amount on Line 6 of federal Form 2441 as your starting point.. You can claim this amount as a deduction on your Wisconsin tax return, limited to $750 for one qualifying person and $1,500 for two or more qualifying persons. Use Code 28 on Line 11 of Wisconsin Form 1.

Note: If your expenses are all covered by your employer, you do not qualify for the deduction.