Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC): Maximum Credit Amounts for Families
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) allows working families to keep more of what they earn to pay for child care. A family’s credit depends on four factors: income, number of children, filing status (single or joint), and child care expenses (families can claim up to $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for two or more children).
An estimated 5.7 million families claimed the CDCTC in 2022 to help offset their child care expenses. The original credit rates for the CDCTC were set in 2001; they remained in place through the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). In 2025, as part of the tax reconciliation package (H.R.1, also called the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act, or OBBB), the rates were increased.The charts below highlight the tax break that parents who are single-filers or married couples filing jointly may receive from the updated CDCTC.
Single Filers
Joint Filers
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