If you pay for household or dependent care services for a child under the age of 15, or for a disabled dependent while you are searching for gainful employment, or while you and your spouse both were at work, you can qualify for a child and dependent care expense deduction.
To qualify for this deduction, you have to maintain a household for a child under the age of 15 or for a dependent or spouse who is unable to care for himself or herself. You also have to meet the following income level requirements:
You qualify if you and your spouse’s total Montana adjusted gross income is:
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Under
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And You Have
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$22,800
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1 child
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$25,200
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2 children
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$27,600
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3 or more children
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If you are married and filing separately on the same form with your spouse, your deduction has to be divided equally between both spouses. If you are married and filing separately on separate forms, or your spouse is not filing, you cannot qualify for this deduction.
If you are a licensed and registered day care operator who operates a family day care home or a group day care home and if you care for your own child in addition to at least one other unrelated child, you can deduct the employment related expenses considered to have been paid by you for the care of your own child.
For further information on the child and dependent care expense deduction, see the instructions on Montana Form 2441-M. When you claim this deduction, complete Form 2441-M and include a copy with your Montana tax return.