Can I receive Child Care Credit for my mom in law's travel expenses /tickets, food, etc/. She helped me with my newborn for 2 months. She is not US resident/citizen.

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
June 1, 2019
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Best answer by AnnetteB6

No, travel expenses/food for a caregiver are not qualified expenses for the Child and Dependent Care Credit.

AnnetteB6Answer

No, travel expenses/food for a caregiver are not qualified expenses for the Child and Dependent Care Credit.

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serhatyal

But I think you can pay your mom for childcare and she can pay for the plane ticket herself. You can get a refund from DCFSA for the payment you made to your mother-in-law.

If your mother earns over $400, she must file that income on a tax return (self-employed). If you pay her the exact amount of her flight ticket, she will have no earnings and will not have to file a tax return.

This is my understanding based on what I've read on the IRS website, but I'm no expert and this needs to be verified by a tax professional.

xmasbaby0

Employee

@serhatyal The mother cannot use the plane fare as a business expense since it is "commuting"; commuting to and from work is not deductible, even on a Schedule C----and even if she flew to take care of a grandchild and was paid for it, that was a "commute" to work. And...this is a very old thread---the last time someone posted was in 2019 or maybe even earlier.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

serhatyal

Since I also have questions on the same subject, I found this thread while searching and replied.

I see, what you say makes sense. In this case, in order for the mom not to have any earnings, she must have work-related costs. For example, if she pays for toys, and grocery shopping (for child) while she is taking care of the child, there might be no net earnings.

This will not solve the flight ticket problem, but at least his son can submit the payment to his mother in DCFSA. Did I understand correctly?