A friend at work was telling me about this, but I have no idea how it works. Have any of you done this? I guess this makes your taxed income lower?
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I haven't but it is an option for us in the future. You can take a certain amount of money out of your paycheck pre-taxes to pay for licensed daycare.
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Yes, my DH does this. I'm not sure of the details but I will ask later!
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we had a dependent care savings acct the year before I became a SAHM. we just paid daycare tuition as usual and then made claims for reimbursement. We got about 2 months worth paid for with our own pre-tax dollars!
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Yup we just set one up. Haven't used it yet since it is for 2014 but from reading the documentation we just submit receipts and we are reimbursed out of the account with pretax dollars.
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We do. Our limit is $5000 per year but I don't know if that is specific to the program we go through or the legal limit. Yes, a certain amount is deducted from your check pre-tax, for us we then submit either a bill from his day-care or preschool and are reimbursed up to the amount we have already put in. If we had a private caregiver (nanny/babysitter) they just have to sign a document that says they were paid X amount for child care and then we get reimbursed for that amount. Just like an FSA, you either use it or lose it. At my workplace this program is the one exception to the open-enrollment only benefit change - in other words, you can increase the amount you have deducted at any time. (Up to the annual 5K limit.)
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We do - its a dependent expenses account. The max you can put in unfortunately is only 5k, but maxing it out saves about $1700/year off the cost of daycare (at $1300/month).
It's easy. The pre-tax $ is taken from your check and then you request reimbursement from the account. I just wait until the end of the year and do 1 reimbursement request for the total $5k.
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@shellio: Ditto!! We just submit the day care monthly invoice. Then I get reimbursed. Our monthly bill is $1200 but they only pay out what is in your bank. I get paid every other Friday, so the following Monday, I get back what was just taken out of my account.
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How do you qualify for an FSA? Through an employer? Or can you just open one at a bank?
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Yup, 5k limit and I submit claims online. I usually am reimbursed within two business days.
@matador84: it's thru your health insurance. I'm not sure if it's something your employer has to opt into though.
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@matador84: it's actually dependent care, not FSA (flex spending). Your employer has to provide it. Example - mine dies not, but we get to take advantage because my husband's company does. It's only for up to $5k/year,but it's something.
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@mediagirl: Interesting! I need to find out...my employer doesn't offer it, but husband's might!
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We are using it for the first time this year. I understand you have to have accrued the funds to claim, correct?
So even if we have spent $5k by April, we won't have had enough deductions to submit for reimbursement until year end, yes, no?
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@looch: yup.
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Holy cow! Dh's company does offer one! So mad I've wasted all those Pre-tax dollars!
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We do! I put the full 5k a year in and submit claims whenever I have enough accrued to be reimbursed for a month.
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We use it. I wish it was more! $5k is nothing.
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16 comments