Child Care Tax Credit Gaining Momentum In Legislature

A bill that would provide a tax credit for childcare has cleared the House of Delegates. 

The bill, if passed into law by the Senate, will give parents a tax credit that is up to half of what they receive for a federal child care tax credit. 

Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, says the credit provides some help to families to the tune of about $250 per year for the average family. That will pay for about one week of child care. 

Young says that will provide minimal help to families who already can afford child care. It won’t address the lack of child care in the state or the many childcare centers that have closed recently. 

“I don’t know what those families are going to do. We need to do a whole lot more with childcare,” Young said.

The tax credit is non refundable, meaning that families tax saving could not exceed the amount they owe in state taxes.