My babysitter doesn't claim daycare on taxes: Advice?

What do I do if my babysitter doesn’t want to let me claim daycare on my taxes?

26 Likes

They are your taxes. Do what you want

8 Likes

How much are you paying a month?

If she’s not licensed, i don’t think you can claim daycare.

13 Likes

And everyone who says claim anyways they need your social

10 Likes

She can’t claim with out the women’s social which I’m sure she’s not going to give :roll_eyes:

12 Likes

Do it anyway! If they wanna falsify taxes that’s on them. They’ll regret it in the end. They can’t tell you you’re not allowed to

3 Likes

You would have had to have this prearranged beforehand and have her fill out a 1099. If she is refusing now, there is nothing you can do.

19 Likes

You need the babysitters name address and social security number to claim the cost on your tax return.

I’m not from the US so a social security number is weird to me but from what I can gather, isn’t it something you’d ask for upon hiring said person?

3 Likes

You cant do anything cuz I’m sure she never agreed to that in the first place and I doubt you had her fill out a 1099… so you’re pretty much out of luck

8 Likes

Get another caregiver

2 Likes

Turbo tax allowed me to put the daycare providers name in and how much I paid and the address. I bypassed the social. I ended up getting the papers needed, but no you don’t need the social.

5 Likes

You people saying “just do it” really have no clue how taxes work do you

28 Likes

This is what happens with cheap unlicensed child care

1 Like

She doesn’t have to be licensed to claim it as a deduction but you would need her info to allow you to do it. If she doesn’t give it to you then I’m pretty sure she can get in trouble for not reporting income. Daycares not cheap and you should be able to claim it.

3 Likes

If you write a check then you can claim it.

2 Likes

This is something that should have been addressed upon hiring. When I was a nanny. We talked about this beforehand. I personally don’t think it’s fair to do without you discussing it beforehand as she will be charged for the taxes that were never taken out of her paycheck, which she may have not budgeted for.

18 Likes

You can still file. You won’t be able to efile and will need proof of payment made to her.

I claim mine every year and I have never had to give a name or a social security number for my sitters. And I have a professional CPA do my taxes every year.

2 Likes

Most people I know ask ahead of time if the childcare provider pays taxes on the income they earn. if you ask and they don’t, then you have a choice whether or not to use that provider. While they are your taxes and you can do what you want, it’s pretty mean to just go and report them to the IRS without speaking to them first. The daycare owner has probably based childcare rates on not paying 10-20% of their income on taxes. A lot of the time because someone works for cash, they will provide a good rate. Sure you can claim it anyway but the irs will contact them and conduct an audit and make them pay all of the taxes they owe on all of their income. or you could find another childcare facility that is a daycare and reports to the IRS and claim it next year. I realize every dollar matters to each of us, but the couple hundred dollars you may get at most for your child care may not be worth hurting your childcare provider costing her thousands.

24 Likes

If you pay big bucks for child care then you have the option to claim but if you use a home daycare chances are they are unlicensed and doing it for a little extra cash which is probably not enough for the care taker to claim anyway

9 Likes

You would be AWFUL to do this without her agreeing as she may have accepted lower pay bc of this and you didn’t give her a chance to save money to pay taxes if she didn’t know… Next time discuss this in advance I wouldn’t treat someone that watches my kids like that

26 Likes

If shes not a legal daycare that’s y… if she is a legal daycare shes trying to be illegal

As an unlicensed provider I do claim all my income and give out 1099 to all parents but… if she doesnt have an EIN or give you her ssn you cannot claim her payments.

4 Likes

They cant tell u what to do lol

I found out, unless you have a shit ton of deductions, it’s not going to help any so you dont really have to claim it. My aunts a tax person and told me next year I don’t need to bother putting it in

You need the sitters social to claim it and if she isn’t licensed you can’t claim it. I take my daughter to someone that isn’t licensed because I know her and trust her and I don’t claim it because that’s what I am willing to do to know my baby is safe.

9 Likes

Does the sitter come to your home or do your kids go there? If she comes to your home, she is considered a household employee not an independent contractor. You would need to issue her a w-2. An independent contractor is 1099’d.

1 Like

That should have been discussed before hand.

7 Likes

She has to make so much before she needs to file for taxes. This is something you should have discussed when hiring an in home daycare or babysitter. There isn’t anything you can do except get a new babysitter for next year. Which by the way before you switch remember that you will most likely spend more money and may not do much to your taxes!

3 Likes

Its been a while but I was able to claim the child care credit without my providers ssn. The woman was a real PIA about giving it to me so I used her name, address and whatever other info I had and was able to do it

They probably aren’t licensed

did you hire her? Does she watch the child in your home? If you hired her and shes in your home you’re suppose to be omitting taxes from the IRS of each of her pays. so you yourself can also be in trouble. As well. Theres alot of rules and without a 1099 I believe you cant do anything.

1 Like

More often than not…babysitters who dont want you to claim deduction…dont charge nearly as much as licensed care facilities. You are probably saving way more per year thsn the deduction you are missing out on

17 Likes

Wow is your daycare a friend?? You pay her under the table??

Id find a new sitter.

Don’t do it. I assume you get her services much cheaper than daycare.

13 Likes

When I claimed daycare on mine it didn’t change anything so probably won’t matter if you put it or don’t

1 Like

You can still claim your babysitter on taxes weather she’s licenses or not when your going thru your tax info it will ask for name SSN address and phone number. Just put her name and Mark unknowns for the other ones it will still let you file your taxes and give you the credit back that way. That’s what I had to do this year as my babysitter didn’t want me to put her down on my taxes

Babysitter and Daycare is 2 different things fyi

13 Likes

Because then she has to and it’s a mess sometimes

This should have been discussed before you hired her. If you’re paying her cash, she probably assumed that it was under the table.

15 Likes

I was a nanny and the lady I nanny for didnt tell me she was going to claim it on her taxes til it came time and I had to pay in over $1k

3 Likes

I babysit out of my home and if I let everyone claim daycare costs I wouldn’t be making crap. If I charge 5 an hr and they claim taxes that’s like me making 2.50 an hr

6 Likes

Find a new sitter. :woman_shrugging: It is A LOT for a babysitter to deal with and you need their ss#. Go to a daycare and pay more- they will also give you a paper of what you pay each year.

1 Like

If you put her down she’ll have to pay taxes on every dollar you gave her . So unless she’s making bank from you don’t be a dick

24 Likes

Did you keep receipts? I claimed childcare on my taxes and it didn’t make a difference. Maybe you should see which bracket you’re in for filing childcare, I’m not sure what you paid her annually but sometimes it honestly doesn’t make a difference in receiving more of a refund

3 Likes

Claim it on your taxes. It is HER responsibility to declare all her income. Not your problem if she’s found out to having declared all her income. You fill out the forms honestly. Period. She should be doing the same or she faces a lot of trouble.

7 Likes

It’ll make a significant difference with your income taxes. So it’s a personal decision on what’s best for you guys. From my understanding of she let’s you claim that on taxes then it’s like her claiming income as self employed so I think she’d had to pay in. So I get her not wanting to

1 Like

If you want to claim her in your taxes you need to have that established when you hire here and considered when she is paid.
Are you taking taxes out of her check or pay her knowing that her income will be taxed largely because no taxes were collected through the year from her pay. Did you have her fill out a w2 when you hired her? It might seem annoying that she is saying no now but this is her income comparing to the fact that this is just one of the cost of living for your family. If she wasn’t expecting this it would be a shock and a massive financial burden.

6 Likes

You should’ve given her a W-2 when she started. You can’t just decide you need to do this without discussing it before hiring. also, is this just a babysitter or is this a full time nanny.

6 Likes

I would have my child there.

You get what you pay for like most things in life. Babysitting is usually a cash job and they don’t claim it on their taxes. They also charge way less than an average daycare. If it’s that important to you switch to a daycare but expect a huge price increase which probably isn’t worth it.

9 Likes

Unless you pay a crazy amount in childcare like thousands upon thousands it’s not going to do anything for you on your taxes.

4 Likes

You can 1099 your sitter.

I pay my sitter cheaper than any daycare but I still pay a little over 6500$ a year in childcare and get at least 1500-2000 back from that.

Daycare and.bany sitters are two.different.things
Essentially she is paid as a contractor. You would give her a 1099 at the end of the year. Then its.up to get to.file or not. It has nothing to do with you. But she would.have to agree to payment on a 1099. You cant just spring it on her.

4 Likes

Since when do you have to give a name of a babysitter

If shes an every once in a while babysitter, it’s kinda messed up to claim her as daycare expenses on your taxes, as she will owe income tax on the money you paid her. If you arent paying her enough to offset what she would be paying in taxes, you may lose her as a babysitter. If she is a full time nanny, you should have disclosed that you are planning on claiming this as daycare expenses at the beginning of the year, when you hired her, because the wages you pay her may not have been acceptable to her if she knew it would not be an under the table job.

4 Likes

You can still claim it with whatever information you have for her ! And find a registered daycare after that. IRS will find her , that’s not ur problem then.

1 Like

If she doesn’t give you her social security number you will not be able to claim it take your child to a regular daycare

If someone makes under a certain amount of money annually you are not required to report it to the IRS

3 Likes

Should have been discussed when chosing daycare. I wouldn’t want my lady to have to pay out in taxes for it when I’m already getting a deal doing inhome care vs daycare center.

16 Likes

I can’t believe there are people condoning the daycare provider not paying taxes…it’s not OP fault that the daycare provider is trying to get away with something that’s illegal. And she damn sure isn’t in the wrong if she chooses to claim that money she spent because there’s a chance the daycare provider will get in trouble. That’s 100% the daycare providers fault.

Go ahead and claim it… and then find a new sitter because unless you agreed to this at the beginning of the deal it is lousy to spring it on her now…

7 Likes

Go to an established daycare if you want to claim at the end of the year.
In my opinion, if it isnt an established daycare, you are probably paying well below what the average daycare charges.
It isn’t fair to expect to pay less to her and claim at the end of the year.

16 Likes

Umm that’s not up to her what YOU claim on YOUR taxes

4 Likes

Take your child to a daycare then. I’m assuming your child gets better care and it’s cheaper in the private sector. If you want her to claim the income plan on paying her 4X more than what you do now.

15 Likes

Maybe she gets welfare and doesn’t claim it or maybe ,if she watches other kids, she’s not licensed. Just ask her,and you want to claim daycare.

That should have been discussed before any money was exchanged.

12 Likes

She more than likely isn’t paying tax then. Can’t claim it if she hasn’t paid it to taxation. And then taxation will audit her if you try and she will have to pay them a bunch of money.

2 Likes

You should have discussed it before…like when you hired her.
My sons daycare lady gave me a tax paper with the amount I paid her and her info so I could claim it on my taxes, but I wouldn’t have asked her for it otherwise.

3 Likes

Pretty sure it’s a write off and all you need is proof of payment for daycare. You don’t need her social.

1 Like

She’s not a daycare. She’s a babysitter.

22 Likes

Theres a difference between a babysitter & daycare.

9 Likes

I think only daycares do that. If you want to claim, then take your child elsewhere.

10 Likes

When I filed mine it had a circle to mark bbn if you dont know their social security number. I dont knowing it would hole up your taxes but it does help them. I got 1300 added on when I added that portion in.

Should have probably made sure she was going to report that when she was first hired. Technically it’s because she’s not claiming that income on her taxes. As a result you’re pretty much screwed on getting a childcare break because of it

2 Likes

problem is, you can’t claim a babysitter on your taxes. It can only be an actual certified daycare, because they have to pay government taxes as well. it’s part of the educational… something or other. my friend worked as a baby sitter, then worked at a daycare and she got the inside scoop on it all, and also, that’s why you pay tuition at daycares. and why the government allows it as a write off. you can’t claim it if it’s just a single person and you don’t have a legal contract with them.

2 Likes

If it is a home daycare you need her social security number to claim them. Tell her if she doesn’t give it to you so you can claim it you will send her a w10( request for taxpayer ID) make 2 copies and after you fill out your portion send her a copy certified mail. All daycare providers are suppose to provide you with their information by February 2. She has 10 days after you send her the request. If you paid more then $600 she is suppose to claim it. However, if you haven’t paid much you may just want bite the bullet and not pursue the issue.

2 Likes

She can be tax exempt and you can still claim

Then dont claime it. If u want to be able to claim it go to a actual child care privider with a tax Id. If its in home she probably isnt making enough to claim… i know i dont. And tell everyone before i babysit. If u choose to claim it ur screwing her when shes probably barley making it as is.

12 Likes

Babysitter? Of course not. Daycare provider… yes

10 Likes

Her establishment must not be legal…you have every right to claim that…its a tax right off for you and you get money back…tell her FOH claim it and find a LEGAL PLACE FOR YOUR CHILD

It didnt make that big of a difference on mine to claim it or not because it was in home (and a deal). I did file her after she started using it as her employment for foodstamps, but ot really did change what i got in the end

2 Likes

Usually, if your child goes to a “daycare” then they have a tax ID number for that. Since it is your “babysitter”, is this their fulltime job or just something they do for a little extra money? That can make the difference to your babysitter.

2 Likes

You need to have had her fill out a w-4 form with her information.

2 Likes

Frankly they are the one who chose to break the law you shouldn’t have to pay for there mistake clam it

2 Likes

It’s technically illegal to hire an untaxed babysitter. She needs to file a 1099 as contractor and you need to have her file a w4. As a precaution, also look into lawyers that specialize in tax handlings.

1 Like

If you pay over $600 a year, you are federally mandated to send a 1099-Misc to your baby sitter. This is enough for you to deduct the care expense from your income.

4 Likes

I learned that lesson the hard way. After the first one who promised to give me her social bailed on me come tax return, I started getting there social up front and weekly receipts. If it was just a part time sitter or they gave me good rates I would not bother.

3 Likes

Are you paying a taxable wage?

10 Likes

Gena Richmond. Look at the amount of ignorance on this post! :flushed::flushed::flushed:

2 Likes

Then you don’t. Should’ve checked in the beginning

5 Likes

I ran an at home daycare for 17 years…that is something that should be discussed up front… I would let parents claim the daycare money if that was the agreement up front and I knew they were using a care account for those expenses… but if it was never discussed then that’s a pretty shitty thing to do to someone that cares for your kids… and you would more than likely be looking for a new care provider if it were me

I just wonder what is meant by babysitter. Like a grown woman watching your child 5 days a week or a 16 year old watching your child once a week for date night. How much have you actually paid this person? I mean it may be something to talk to them about and see if they even know how to file taxes depending on age. At 16 I definitely did not know anything about filing my taxes.

4 Likes

They obviously prefer under the table so it doesn’t effect other income they receive, so get one that works on the books so that you can write it off as an expense. It most likely isn’t worth their while if paying secondary tax on it or if they receive a benefit then what they stand to loss in reduction of their main income is probably not worth the difference. Which is fair, and best to use someone better suited to your own needs

5 Likes

Its really not worth it all you usually get back is 100 or so even of you put 1000 or more

3 Likes

Just be prepared to find a new babysitter if you file and she gets audited. In my opinion, it’s not worth the little amount you may get back.

5 Likes

I put their name and address in that section and hit the button that they refused to give their social or ein

2 Likes