topic Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount... in Troubleshooting

Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount is not changing

cmrg — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 20:38:37 GMT

I have started two returns now and each have the same problem: my return amount does not change after I enter in my childcare expenses (daycare fees). In fact, the childcare fees are not showing up in the summary page on line 21400. This has never happened in the 10+ years of filing with TurboTax online. This must be a software glitch.

Details:

I am using the online free platform (basic version of $21 after filing).
Husband and I are filing together.
Dependent information is correct.
I am filing child care expenses under lower income parent (me).
Childcare expenses are not showing up on line 21400 of the summary page after they are entered. And for fun, I checked the summary page for hubby and nothing listed there.

Why are data not transferring into the summary section after it has been inputted? How can I get this resolved?

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

TurboTax_Susan — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 22:48:49 GMT

Did you check if the child care expenses are showing up on the other spouse's return? What province are you in?

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

cmrg — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 22:48:40 GMT

The expenses are not showing up on either my spouse's return nor mine.

I'm in Ontario.

I called the supportline and my query was escalated to the first tier IT support and then to the next tier IT support. Nothing resulted from the call other than telling me that I must not be able to claim childcare expenses (or something about my profile) and that I should consult with a tax expert. Not the best way to end a call.

I am convinced this is a system glitch that needs to be addressed.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

TurboTaxAniqua — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 22:44:19 GMT

@cmrg As per CRA, the child care deduction must be claimed by the parent with the lowest income.

When you file your tax return by TurboTax Online, please make sure your dependant information is eligible for this Child care expense.

Login to TurboTax online -> Search> Deductions section from the left side 'TAX HOME" > Select Child Care Receipt Summary under Child Care Expense ->Here you can Add the Amount.

You also can reach our TurboTax article to know what situations can I claim for child care expenses?

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

cmrg — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 20:41:25 GMT

Thank you for your reply.

I am filing under the lowest income parent (me). I read from another Admin that this is a widely known issue and is being looked into. In the meantime, I have started a new return with one of CRAs netfile approved tax filing software as I do not want to wait until days prior to the tax deadline to learn that this glitch still hasn't been resolved.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

TurboTaxAniqua — Sun, 16 Mar 2025 15:08:50 GMT

@cmrg Thank you for updating us and for the feedback. Our team is working on this to get it resolved.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount is not changing

ihaveanissue123 — Thu, 01 May 2025 06:09:23 GMT

Running into the same issue. Beyond frustrated that this cannot be resolved as I am ready to file with the exception of this one glitch. I am going to file with a different company.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount is not changing

Nina789 — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 01:42:11 GMT

I am having the exact same issue. it is very frustrating that the product is not working the way it is supposed to.

I am doing the same thing I have done for years with entering in the details and it is not taking it this year.

I know on the computer platform there is a way to manually enter it in. is there a way to do that on the online platform?

thanks,

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

TurboTax_Susan — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 01:56:30 GMT

@Nina789 No, there is no way to edit the forms directly in TurboTax Do It Yourself (Online), but even in the Desktop version, you can't directly edit Line 21400 (and still be able to NETFILE).

Do you have a spouse/partner? Have you checked if the expenses are going to them?

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

user17738931502 — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 04:09:47 GMT

@TurboTax_Susan @TurboTaxAniqua , Exact same issue as others. Child Care Expense calculation is not showing up correctly in the Summary page, 21400 (for the lower income spouse).

I am using "Assist and Review Self Employed 2025". Talked to the TurboTax agent on phone and he mentioned that this will be escalated internally.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

TurboTaxAniqua — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:40:48 GMT

@user17738931502 Thanks for letting us know. Once we get any update, we will post it in the thread.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

quinnam — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 19:37:39 GMT

This has happened to me too,

Support said it would take two weeks to get an update from an investigation. It is 100% a software issue.

When I contacted the help line multiple times, they didn't want to listen to me that it is a software issue, and I spent multiple hours on the phone with them, multiple times to try to resolve this issue. I am a week in to this two week waiting period, and have not heard anything. I will update next week if I have heard anything.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

LW1000 — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 04:18:17 GMT

Thanks to everyone posting this same issue on this forum. I'm an experienced/educated tax preparer and I'm having the exact same issue.

Turbotax, please fix your software glitch immediately. There are likely many users over the past year or more who unknowingly submitted incomplete/incorrect tax returns. That could have financial consequences if they tried to pursue restitution/remediation.

I look forward to learning the remedial action so I can complete my return.

Thanks.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

TurboTax_Susan — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:07:15 GMT

@quinnam @LW1000 Have you double checked the T778? Does the lower income spouse have earned income?

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

LW1000 — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 02:16:20 GMT

Yes. And it worked fine for me last year.

Your other moderator Aniqua already admitted there is a software glitch and was looking into it.

Can you please provide an update on that resolution?

Thanks.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

TurboTaxAniqua — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:52:11 GMT

@LW1000 is that an employment or a self-employment income? Or an income generated from other sources like EI, investment income, etc.?

The investigation was not necessarily caused by the same financial scenario. That response was for the clients who contacted product support, and a specific investigation was launched to determine the root cause. Sometimes it's about eligibility, not entering the correct information, or missing / incorrect information, and it's not always a software glitch.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount is not changing

ihaveanissue123 — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 22:40:25 GMT

Thank you for everyone replying. I see this is still an issue that Turbo Tax has not prioritized to fix. Last year i tried every possible way to have the childcare expenses deducted but nothing worked. Yes, I was filing them under the lowest income spouse. Last year I moved to another provider and will not bother trying with TurboTax this year. So frustrating that this is still an ongoing thing a year later.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

TurboTaxAniqua — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:06:00 GMT

@ihaveanissue123 Did you call our phone support? If not, we suggest you contact our Product support team. They have access to tools we don't have here in the community, like screenshare, and can investigate this issue for you.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

user17738931502 — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:23:44 GMT

@TurboTaxAniqua @TurboTax_Susan@other Admins,

I have turbotax assist and have shared screen to ensure that I am doing everything right and only the lower income spouse is submitting the childcare expense.

Not the first time I am filing for taxes and respectfully this isn’t a rocket science either. The product has a glitch that needs to be acknowledged by your team and then addressed. Please do not hesitate to contact should you require further info.

Re: Childcare expenses are not registering in line 21400 of the summary and thus my return amount...

TurboTaxAniqua — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:05:26 GMT

@user17738931502 Thank you for reaching out. I've requested a call back from the assigned team so that they can contact you and gather additional information if an investigation is necessary. It takes 24-48 hours for the team to contact you. We appreciate your patience.