How much of your child care credit is left after the FSA?
List what you paid for day care, after-school care or day camp. Carefold works out the 2026 Form 2441 credit rate, the dependent care FSA exclusion and the lines you need — in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How it works
- List your childcare payments in the template (or any CSV or Excel sheet): qualifying person, provider and amount. Drop it here, or try the sample.
- Enter filing status, AGI, earned income and W-2 box 10, then read the Form 2441 credit, the DCFSA exclusion and every note.
- Copy the lines onto Form 2441 and keep the provider TINs with your return.
Why Carefold
For parents who pay for day care, after-school care or day camp — and who may also have a dependent care FSA — who want the 2026 Form 2441 credit and exclusion worked out from their own payment list, without uploading family finances.
Your payment list
One row per payment: qualifying person, care provider and amount (date and TIN optional). CSV or Excel.
2026 credit rate
Applicable percentage from 50% down to 20% by AGI under IRC §21 as amended for 2026. Caps stay $3,000 / $6,000.
DCFSA exclusion
W-2 box 10 benefits, carryovers and forfeits → Part III exclusion up to $7,500 ($3,750 MFS), then the credit on what's left.
Honest edge cases
If excluded benefits meet the expense cap, the credit is $0 — Carefold says so. Earned-income and MFS notes too.
By person and provider
Totals per qualifying person and per care provider, ready to copy onto Form 2441.
Print or export
Print the worksheet for your preparer, or with Pro get the Excel workbook and persons, providers and payments CSVs.
Simple pricing
Free for the Form 2441 credit, the DCFSA exclusion and every note. Pro for every payment and person on screen and the exports.
Free
- Any number of payment rows
- Form 2441 credit, DCFSA exclusion and every note
- First 8 rows and 2 people shown, print with a footer
- No signup, nothing uploaded
7-day pass
- 7 days of Pro, no subscription
- Every payment and every person, print without footer
- Excel workbook
- Persons, providers and payments CSVs
Pro Monthly
- Everything in Pro
- Add payments as you pay providers
- All exports
- Cancel anytime
Pro Yearly Best value
- Everything in Pro
- Open enrollment through April filing
- Costs less than 6 months of monthly
Prices in USD. Secure checkout by Polar, our merchant of record (its checkout shows our seller name, Launchtools). Sales tax is added at checkout in the US, Canada and India; elsewhere VAT/GST is included. Already bought? Enter your license key.
Tools & guides
FAQ
Is my data uploaded?
No. Your files are read by JavaScript in your browser tab and never sent to us or anyone else. Payment rows aren't stored, so closing the tab clears them. Settings can be saved in this browser.
What does Carefold do?
It reads your childcare payments, works out the 2026 child and dependent care credit percentage, the dependent care FSA exclusion under IRC §129, and the Form 2441 figures you need — including when the exclusion wipes the credit.
What expenses count?
Amounts you paid so you (and your spouse if filing jointly) could work or look for work: day care, before- and after-school care, and day camp. Overnight camp and kindergarten-and-up schooling generally do not. See Pub. 503.
How does the 2026 rate work?
It starts at 50% for AGI of $15,000 or less, steps down (not below 35%) by 1 point per $2,000 over $15,000, then further down (not below 20%) after $75,000 ($150,000 joint). Expense caps stay $3,000 / $6,000.
What's free?
Importing any number of payments, the Form 2441 credit, the DCFSA exclusion, every note, the first 8 rows and the first 2 people on screen and in print (with a footer). Pro shows and prints everything and exports the Excel workbook and CSVs.
DCFSA or the credit?
FSA dollars come out pre-tax up to $7,500 in 2026. The credit is 20–50% of up to $3,000/$6,000 of expenses left after the exclusion. Carefold shows both on one worksheet.
What isn't covered?
State credits, household-employee payroll (Schedule H), and whether a specific person qualifies under the age or disability tests. Form 2441, Pub. 503 and a tax professional come first.
Is this tax advice?
No. Carefold applies the rules it describes to the numbers you provide. It is a worksheet to check against Form 2441.