Summer camps are a terrific opportunity for your children to enjoy the outdoors, learn new things, or sharpen their skills in a particular sport/hobby. As long as the primary goal of the camp is childcare, the expense is an allowable deduction. Age usually determines whether a sports camp qualifies. For example, a five-year-old child who attends a hockey day camp needs constant supervision/care. If your 15-year-old is invited to attend a hockey day camp that is goal-oriented and uses sophisticated training methods, chances are the expense would not qualify as a childcare expense.
If your child attends an overnight camp, you may not be able to claim the entire expense. Because of the expense caps (ranging between $125 and $275 per week), the camp you’ve paid $500/week for your child might only translate to a fraction of the actual expense. Check out the details.
If you wish to claim your 2021 summer camp expense, you will need to adjust your 2021 return. Please see our TurboTax FAQ: I've filed my tax return. Can I still make changes?
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