The information on this page is for regular employees. If you’re a SelectTime or Seasonal employee, visit the Benefits site for you.

Dependent Care FSA

Flexible spending accounts, or FSAs, save you money because you can pay for eligible expenses with tax-free dollars.

Eligibility

If you work traditional full-time hours (40 hours per week) or part-time hours (fewer than 30 hours per week) and are not in a SelectTime or Flextime role.

How it works

How to enroll

You must reenroll every year. See how to enroll.

How to get started

  • You decide how much to contribute to your Dependent Care FSA—between $26 and $5,000 per plan year (August 1–July 31). Note: If your spouse also has access to a Dependent Care FSA, your total combined contribution may not exceed $5,000. If you are married and file separate tax returns, each spouse may contribute $2,500.
  • If you’re a regular employee working 20 or more hours per week, Intuit will match your contributions to your Dependent Care FSA, up to $650 per year. Intuit puts the full $650 maximum match into your account at the beginning of the fiscal year. You can take advantage of Intuit’s contributions after your first paycheck in August.
  • Your plan-year contribution will be deducted from your paycheck before federal, state, local, and Social Security taxes are withheld. Your Form W-2 will include your calendar-year (not plan-year) contribution.
  • Expenses must be incurred during the same plan year. You have until October 31—three months following the end of the plan year—to submit claims for reimbursement.
  • If you enroll during the year, be sure to prorate your contribution for the number of pay periods remaining in the plan year (August 1–July 31).

Eligible day care expenses

You can use the Dependent Care FSA to pay for the day care of:

  • Your dependent children under the age of 13.
  • Dependents of any age who are incapable of self-care, live with you at least eight hours a day, and are claimed as dependents on your income-tax return.

Eligible day care must:

  • Be provided while you (and your spouse, if you are married) work, look for work, or attend school full-time.
  • Be provided in your home by an eligible provider or at a licensed facility. You will not be reimbursed for residential or "sleep-away" care, nursing-home care, or for babysitting when you are not at work.
  • Not be provided by your spouse, a child of yours under age 19, or any dependent you claim as an exemption on your federal income tax.

For a full list of eligible expenses, see IRS Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.

Calendar year vs. fiscal year

  • All Intuit benefit plans follow the Intuit fiscal year—August 1 through July 31. That means that when you enroll in the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), your contribution deductions begin August 1 (or when you’re eligible to enroll).
  • However, the IRS annual contribution maximum is based on the calendar year—January 1 through December 31.

So, half of your Intuit fiscal-year contributions (August–December) are part of the IRS maximum for the current calendar year, and the other half are part of the next calendar year (January–July). During each year’s Intuit annual enrollment period (generally in June), you can choose to contribute up to the IRS maximum for the current calendar year, and your election will be evenly contributed over the Intuit fiscal year.

The bottom line: The combined total of your Dependent Care FSA contributions made August 1–December 31 plus your contributions made January 1–July 31 cannot exceed the IRS calendar-year annual maximum of $5,000 per household.

Why your contributions might pause

If you contribute the IRS annual maximum of $5,000 to a Dependent Care FSA before the calendar year is over, Intuit payroll will automatically pause your contribution payroll deductions so you don’t exceed the IRS calendar-year maximum. The pause is automatic; you don’t need to take any action. Your contributions will resume the following January when the IRS Dependent Care FSA calendar-year limit resets.

Example: You are a new hire who joined Intuit on January 1, 2023.

  • You enroll in the Dependent Care FSA with a total FY23 contribution goal amount of $3,260, which includes Intuit’s $650 employer contribution. Your FY23 contributions ($2,610) are deducted from each paycheck ($174 each pay period) between January 1 and July 31, 2023.
  • During annual enrollment, you elect to contribute $5,000 to the Dependent Care FSA for FY24 (August 1, 2023–July 31, 2024). Your per-pay-period contribution is now $167.31 starting August 1.
  • Between August 1 and October 7, 2023 (FY24), you contribute $1,090 and receive Intuit’s $650 employer contribution, which equals the IRS limit of $5,000 for the 2023 calendar year.
  • To ensure you don’t exceed the IRS limit for calendar year 2023, your contributions are paused between October 7 and December 31, 2023.
  • Your FY24 contributions resume with your first paycheck in January 2024. To reach your full $5,000 Dependent Care FSA FY24 election, you’ll need to contribute $3,260 for the remainder of FY24. So your remaining FY24 payroll contributions are recalculated and resume at $217.33 per pay period ($3,260 divided by 15 pay periods between January 1 and July 31, 2024).

View the FAQ for more information.

Dependent care tax credit

Expenses that are eligible for the Dependent Care FSA can also be eligible for a tax credit on your federal tax return. Keep in mind that you cannot claim the same expenses for the Dependent Care FSA and the tax credit. Talk with your personal tax advisor to determine which alternative is best for you.

Common questions

How do I enroll?
How do I submit claims for reimbursement?

Resources

Alight
866-468-8236
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Where to get help

HR Connect
800-819-1620
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