Toolkit: Child Care Tax Credits

The Goal

This tax season, highlight how child care tax credits help make care more accessible and affordable for families nationwide.

Step 1: Get The Facts 

Across the country, the rising cost of daily life is putting pressure on household budgets, and for parents of young children, child care stands out as one of the most significant and unavoidable expenses.

The following tax credits can help make a big difference in making life more affordable for families:

• The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) is the only tax credit designed specifically to help parents offset the cost of child care. 
• The Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) allows some working parents to set aside a small amount of their pre-tax paycheck to pay for child care expenses (including employer-sponsored child care contributions). 
• The Employer-Provided Child Care Credit (known as 45F) supports businesses who want to locate or provide child care for their workforce, while also increasing the number of child care slots available in their community.  

These provisions were expanded by Congress  in July 2025 but this is just the start, more can be done to help working families find and afford the care they need.

Step 2: Take Action 

Use the text options below to post on social media about why child care tax credits are so important to supporting working families.

1. Millions of families are struggling to afford necessary household expenses like child care.
   
   The Child Care Tax Credit – or CDCTC – helps working families offset the cost of care. Learn more about the tax credits that help parents afford the care they need. https://www.ffyf.org/policy-priorities/cdctc/
   
2. On #TaxDay, remember: tax credits play a key role in helping families afford child care.
   
   Dive deeper into the tax provisions that make it easier for working parents to find and afford the child care they need. https://www.ffyf.org/policy-priorities/tax-policy-and-child-care/
   
3. Thanks to 45F, Hudl and Primrose in Nebraska joined forces to provide child care for employees, leading to reduced tuition, higher satisfaction among working parents, and improved retention for the company.
   
   Read 45F success stories and more here: https://www.ffyf.org/policy-priorities/45f/
   

Right click and save the images below to share on social:

Step 3: Spread The Word 

Tax Day only comes around once a year so the window of opportunity to share this message is short. Now is the time to build support for policies that help working families offset the cost of care. Please ask partners, followers, network members and others and urge them to take action too!  

Reach out to your people through newsletters, webinars, and meetings. Right click and share the QR code below in your newsletters, meeting slides, or over email to spread the word!