en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en
Having children is a wonderful experience that is priceless in so many ways! But do they cost you a lot!  Fortunately there is some tax help for parents in the form of deductions and claims.  Robert Meighan, vice president at Turbo Tax, has listed some great tax tips for parents:
Open an IRA in your child’s name.  Once your child starts to earn money, for example – paper route, or babysitting, you can open an IRA account for them.  Imagine what a few hundred dollars growing in an account will look like once your child is ready to retire?  You can also get your child in the habit of saving for retirement early on!
Contribute to a Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA).  You can put up to $2,000 a year into an ESA for any beneficiary.  The earnings in the account are tax free if they are used for qualified education expenses, including elementary and high school expenses such as educational software.  What a great present it could be for your child to help them with their college expenses.  And the fact that you can use the money for elementary and high expenses as well can be huge.
Contribute to a 529 plan.  Contributions are not deductible on your federal taxes but may be on your state taxes if you take part in your state’s plan.  The limits are higher than the Coverdell.  Earnings grow tax free and payouts are tax free when used for qualified education expenses.  This is an account you can open once you know you are having a child.  You pick the beneficiary of the funds.  Unused money can also be transferred to another individual (should your child be fortunate enough to get a full scholarship for example).  You can also open one up for a niece, nephew, or grandchild (or any other person really).
Use pre-tax dollars for childcare.  Many companies offer child care flex spending plans.  With these accounts you can put away up to $5,000 of your paycheck before taxes for qualified childcare expenses.  Child care is expensive so any tax break you can get is worth looking into!  We used a childcare reimbursement account when my son was in daycare.
Adjust your W-4 at work.  If you have a newborn, make sure you adjust your tax withholdings.  Claiming an additional person can increase your take home pay.  Don’t give the government a free loan when you can have the extra money in your paycheck.
Child tax credit.  Newborns could give you a $1,000 tax credit that can be used up until your child turns 17.
Get a social security number for your newborn.  Make sure you get all your paperwork in once your baby is born.  A social security number is important in making sure you can claim the deductions and credits you are entitled to!
Adoption.  Have you adopted in 2009?  You may be able to claim up to $12,150 on your taxes.
Do you know of any other tax breaks for children?
Filed Under: College, Kids, Retirement, Shopping Tagged With: Child Tax Credit, Tax Deduction
Glen Craig is married and the father to four children that he spends the day chasing as a stay-at-home-dad. He took an interest in personal finance when he realized most of his paycheck was going toward credit card bills. Since then he's eliminated his credit card debt and started on a journey towards financial freedom.
December 9, 2009 at 8:58 am
Great tips! We got to deduct childcare until our son started school, and we opened a 529 this year.
We’re looking at three childcare deductions! This reminds me that I have to look into our 529 accounts and check that they are up to date!
December 9, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Thanks for the tips – we’re going to need all the help we can get now that my wife and I found out that we’re expecting. Here comes our little tax deduction!
December 9, 2009 at 3:21 pm
That’s awesome news Peter! You’re in for quite an adventure.
December 10, 2009 at 11:45 am
Seems like there are a lot of great things to do to save on your taxes when you are married or with child but what about us single folk LOL?! Most of the tips I find for the childless are related to purchasing a home. Any suggestions on other areas we could look?
December 10, 2009 at 11:52 am
One thing I can think of off the bat is to make sure you take advantage of any flexible spending plans your employer may have. You also may have the option to put money into a 401(k) or a traditional IRA. If you are still going to school or considering it you may be eligible to deduct some education expenses as well.
These are for single only folk but it does show there are many areas you can look into for tax savings.
December 12, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Stubled apon this blog by accident – in the right time. Thank you for great tips, I every cent counts these days.
.-= AnaFabijanec@ParentsElite´s last blog ..Running late =-.
December 14, 2009 at 8:38 am
Absolutely! Thanks for stopping by.
A Little About Me
I'm Glen Craig - I used to live paycheck-to-paycheck, drowning in credit card debt. I turned that all around and now I build wealth rather than debt.
My goal is to make personal finance easy for you.
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