Hi, My wife did not work last year for a single day. She become a full time student at the Fall last year. When I claimed my child's expenses on the 1040 return, it showed that she had some earned income of $1,250. Where does this come from?
I used Turbotax for the return. Did I answer some question wrong?

Thanks!

Paul

AtlantaTaxExpert

Paul:

To claim the Child Care Credit, either both parents have to work OR one of the parents has to be disabled or be a full-time student.
When you answered the student question, the tax software imputed a phantom income on the return to qualify you for the Child Care Credit.

It is all perfectly legal, and follows the instructions contained in the IRS publications.