Title 26 — Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73
§45F Employer-provided Child Care Credit
Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle A— Income Taxes › Chapter 1— NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES › Subchapter A— Determination of Tax Liability › Part IV— CREDITS AGAINST TAX › Subpart D— Business Related Credits › § 45F
Summary
Employers that help pay for their workers' child care get a tax credit. For amounts spent after December 31, 2025, the credit equals 40 percent of qualified child care costs — 50 percent for an eligible small business — plus 10 percent of spending on child care resource and referral services for employees. The yearly credit is capped at $500,000, or $600,000 for an eligible small business, and both caps rise with inflation after 2026. Before that change, the credit was 25 percent with a $150,000 cap. Qualified costs include building or running a licensed child care facility for employees, or paying a child care facility — directly or through a go-between — to care for employees' children. The facility must be open to the employer's workers and cannot favor highly paid employees. If the facility stops operating as a child care facility or is sold within its first 10 years, the employer pays back part of the credit on a sliding scale, starting at 100 percent in the first three years and shrinking to 10 percent in years 9 and 10.
Full Legal Text
Title 26, §45F
Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)For purposes of section 38, the employer-provided child care credit determined under this section for the taxable year is an amount equal to the sum of—
(1)40 percent (50 percent in the case of an eligible small business) of the qualified child care expenditures, and
(2)10 percent of the qualified child care resource and referral expenditures,
(b)(1)The credit allowable under subsection (a) for any taxable year shall not exceed $500,000 ($600,000 in the case of an eligible small business).
(2)In the case of any taxable year beginning after 2026, the $500,000 and $600,000 amounts in paragraph (1) shall each be increased by an amount equal to—
(A)such dollar amount, multiplied by
(B)the cost-of-living adjustment determined under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year in which the taxable year begins, determined by substituting “calendar year 2025” for “calendar year 2016” in subparagraph (A)(ii) thereof.
(c)For purposes of this section—
(1)(A)The term “qualified child care expenditure” means any amount paid or incurred—
(i)to acquire, construct, rehabilitate, or expand property—
(I)which is to be used as part of a qualified child care facility of the taxpayer,
(II)with respect to which a deduction for depreciation (or amortization in lieu of depreciation) is allowable, and
(III)which does not constitute part of the principal residence (within the meaning of section 121) of the taxpayer or any employee of the taxpayer,
(ii)for the operating costs of a qualified child care facility of the taxpayer, including costs related to the training of employees, to scholarship programs, and to the providing of increased compensation to employees with higher levels of child care training, or
(iii)under a contract with a qualified child care facility to provide child care services to employees of the taxpayer, or under a contract with an intermediate entity that contracts with one or more qualified child care facilities to provide such child care services.
(B)The term “qualified child care expenditures” shall not include expenses in excess of the fair market value of such care.
(2)(A)The term “qualified child care facility” means a facility—
(i)the principal use of which is to provide child care assistance, and
(ii)which meets the requirements of all applicable laws and regulations of the State or local government in which it is located, including the licensing of the facility as a child care facility.
(B)A facility shall not be treated as a qualified child care facility with respect to a taxpayer unless—
(i)enrollment in the facility is open to employees of the taxpayer during the taxable year,
(ii)if the facility is the principal trade or business of the taxpayer, at least 30 percent of the enrollees of such facility are dependents of employees of the taxpayer, and
(iii)the use of such facility (or the eligibility to use such facility) does not discriminate in favor of employees of the taxpayer who are highly compensated employees (within the meaning of section 414(q)).
(C)A facility shall not fail to be treated as a qualified child care facility of the taxpayer merely because such facility is jointly owned or operated by the taxpayer and other persons.
(3)(A)The term “qualified child care resource and referral expenditure” means any amount paid or incurred under a contract to provide child care resource and referral services to an employee of the taxpayer.
(B)The services shall not be treated as qualified unless the provision of such services (or the eligibility to use such services) does not discriminate in favor of employees of the taxpayer who are highly compensated employees (within the meaning of section 414(q)).
(4)The term “eligible small business” means a business that meets the gross receipts test of section 448(c), determined—
(A)by substituting “5-taxable-year” for “3-taxable-year” in paragraph (1) thereof, and
(B)by substituting “5-year” for “3-year” in paragraph (3)(A) thereof.
(d)(1)If, as of the close of any taxable year, there is a recapture event with respect to any qualified child care facility of the taxpayer, then the tax of the taxpayer under this chapter for such taxable year shall be increased by an amount equal to the product of—
(A)the applicable recapture percentage, and
(B)the aggregate decrease in the credits allowed under section 38 for all prior taxable years which would have resulted if the qualified child care expenditures of the taxpayer described in subsection (c)(1)(A) with respect to such facility had been zero.
(2)(A)For purposes of this subsection, the applicable recapture percentage shall be determined from the following table: If the recapture event occurs in:The applicable recapture percentage is: Years 1–3100 Year 485 Year 570 Year 655 Year 740 Year 825 Years 9 and 1010 Years 11 and thereafter
(B)For purposes of subparagraph (A), year 1 shall begin on the first day of the taxable year in which the qualified child care facility is placed in service by the taxpayer.
(3)For purposes of this subsection, the term “recapture event” means—
(A)The cessation of the operation of the facility as a qualified child care facility.
(B)(i)Except as provided in clause (ii), the disposition of a taxpayer’s interest in a qualified child care facility with respect to which the credit described in subsection (a) was allowable.
(ii)Clause (i) shall not apply if the person acquiring such interest in the facility agrees in writing to assume the recapture liability of the person disposing of such interest in effect immediately before such disposition. In the event of such an assumption, the person acquiring the interest in the facility shall be treated as the taxpayer for purposes of assessing any recapture liability (computed as if there had been no change in ownership).
(4)(A)The tax for the taxable year shall be increased under paragraph (1) only with respect to credits allowed by reason of this section which were used to reduce tax liability. In the case of credits not so used to reduce tax liability, the carryforwards and carrybacks under section 39 shall be appropriately adjusted.
(B)Any increase in tax under this subsection shall not be treated as a tax imposed by this chapter for purposes of determining the amount of any credit under this chapter or for purposes of section 55.
(C)The increase in tax under this subsection shall not apply to a cessation of operation of the facility as a qualified child care facility by reason of a casualty loss to the extent such loss is restored by reconstruction or replacement within a reasonable period established by the Secretary.
(e)For purposes of this section—
(1)All persons which are treated as a single employer under subsections (a) and (b) of section 52 shall be treated as a single taxpayer.
(2)Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, rules similar to the rules of subsection (d) of section 52 shall apply.
(3)In the case of partnerships, the credit shall be allocated among partners under regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(f)(1)For purposes of this subtitle—
(A)If a credit is determined under this section with respect to any property by reason of expenditures described in subsection (c)(1)(A), the basis of such property shall be reduced by the amount of the credit so determined.
(B)If, during any taxable year, there is a recapture amount determined with respect to any property the basis of which was reduced under subparagraph (A), the basis of such property (immediately before the event resulting in such recapture) shall be increased by an amount equal to such recapture amount. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term “recapture amount” means any increase in tax (or adjustment in carrybacks or carryovers) determined under subsection (d).
(2)No deduction or credit shall be allowed under any other provision of this chapter with respect to the amount of the credit determined under this section.
(g)The Secretary shall issue such regulations or other guidance as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section, including guidance to carry out the purposes of paragraphs (1)(A)(iii) and (2)(C) of subsection (c).
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2025—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 119–21, § 70401(a), substituted “40 percent (50 percent in the case of an eligible small business)” for “25 percent”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 119–21, § 70401(b), amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The credit allowable under subsection (a) for any taxable year shall not exceed $150,000.” Subsec. (c)(1)(A)(iii). Pub. L. 119–21, § 70401(d), inserted “, or under a contract with an intermediate entity that contracts with one or more qualified child care facilities to provide such child care services” before period at end. Subsec. (c)(2)(C). Pub. L. 119–21, § 70401(e), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 119–21, § 70401(c), added par. (4). Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 119–21, § 70401(f), added subsec. (g). 2002—Subsec. (d)(4)(B). Pub. L. 107–147 substituted “this chapter or for purposes of section 55” for “subpart A, B, or D of this part”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2025 Amendment Pub. L. 119–21, title VII, § 70401(g), July 4, 2025, 139 Stat. 213, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this section [amending this section] shall apply to amounts paid or incurred after December 31, 2025.”
Effective Date
of 2002 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 107–147 effective as if included in the provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, Pub. L. 107–16, to which such amendment relates, see section 411(x) of Pub. L. 107–147, set out as a note under section 25B of this title.
Effective Date
Section applicable to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2001, see section 205(c) of Pub. L. 107–16, set out as an
Effective Date
of 2001 Amendment note under section 38 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
26 U.S.C. § 45F
Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73