TASC logo in white

Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account

The Dependent Care FSA allows you to use pretax dollars to pay for eligible expenses related to care for your child, disabled spouse, elderly parent, or other dependent who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care. Eligibility for the dependent care benefit requires that certain criteria be met. Medical expenses for your dependent(s) are not eligible for reimbursement under the Dependent Care FSA. Determine the dollar amount you want to contribute to the account based on your estimated dependent care expenses for the upcoming Plan Year.

TASC Dependent Care FSA

The Dependent Care FSA allows you to use pretax dollars to pay for eligible expenses related to care for your child, disabled spouse, elderly parent, or other dependent who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care, so you (or your spouse) can work, look for work, or attend school full-time. Eligibility for the dependent care benefit requires that certain criteria be met, which is outlined in this document.

Determine if your Dependent Care expenses qualify for FSA reimbursement

The FlexSystem Dependent Care FSA allows you to use pretax dollars to pay for eligible expenses related to care for your child, disabled spouse, elderly parent, or other dependent who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care, so you (or your spouse) can work, look for work, or attend school full-time. Medical expenses for your dependent are not eligible for reimbursement under the Dependent Care FSA.

Eligibility for the dependent care benefit requires that certain criteria be met, which is outlined in this document.

A)  The dependent care expenses must be work-related. The care must be necessary for the employee and/or the employee’s spouse to work, to look for work, or to attend school full-time, or if they are physically unable to care for their children.

B)  The dependent care expenses provided during a calendar year cannot exceed $5,000. In the case of a separate return by a married individual, the limit is $2,500. This amount may be less if the employee’s earned income or spouse’s earned income is less than $5,000.

The dependent care expenses must be for the care of one or more qualifying persons. A “Qualifying Person” is defined as one of the following:

A)  A dependent who was under age 13 when the care was provided and for whom an exemption can be claimed.

B)  A spouse who was physically or mentally not able to care for himself or herself, and lived with you for more than half the year.

C)  A dependent who was physically or mentally not able to care for himself or herself and for whom an exemption can be claimed, and lived with you for more than half the year.

Eligible and Ineligible Expenses for Dependent Care FSA Reimbursement (partial list):

Allowed for Reimbursement:

  • Fees for licensed day care or adult care facilities
  • Before and after school care programs for dependents under age 13
  • Amounts paid for services (including babysitters or nursery school) provided in or outside of your home
  • Nanny expenses attributed to dependent care
  • Nursery school (preschool) fees
  • Summer Day Camp – primary purpose must be custodial care and not educational in nature
  • Late pick-up fees

NOT Allowed for Reimbursement:

  • Medical expenses
  • Baby-sitter in or out of your home for reasons other than to enable you to work Activity fees/educational supplies
  • Food, clothing, and entertainment
  • Transportation expenses
  • Child support payments
  • Kindergarten fees
  • Overnight camp
  • Late payment charges

For more information regarding Dependent Care FSA expenses, please review IRS Publication 503 or ask your employer for a copy of your Summary Plan Description (SPD).

You can also find helpful information and rates on our resource page at:

www.tasconline.com/benefits-limits

How Much Should You Contribute?

Determine your total annual amount of qualified dependent care expenses for the Plan Year. Your annual contribution to the FlexSystem Dependent Care FSA must be within the minimum and maximum amounts set by your employer based on the maximum allowed by the IRS (view IRS limits at www.tasconline.com/benefits-limits).

To receive the dependent care benefit, one must follow these procedures:

  • All persons and organizations that provide dependent care for a qualified person must be idenfied. This information is requested on IRS Form 2441. The name, address, and taxpayer idenfication number of the provider must be included. Under certain circumstances, the taxpayer idenfication number will be a social security number.
  • If the care is being provided by a center that cares for more than six persons, the center must comply with all state and local regulations.
  • Payments made to relatives who are not dependents can be included. However, do not include amounts paid to a dependent for whom you can claim an exemption or for your child who is under age 19 at the end of the year, regardless of whether he or she is your dependent.
  • Use Form W-10 to request the required information from the care provider.

Special rules apply to children of divorced or separated parents:

Even if you cannot claim your child as a dependent, he or she is treated as your qualifying person if all of the following are true:

  • The child was under age 13 or was not physically or mentally able to care for himself or herself.
  • One or both parents provided more than half of the child’s support for the year and are divorced, legally separated,or lived apart at all times during the last 6 months of the calendar year.
  • One or both parents had custody of the child for more than half of the year.
  • You were the child’s custodial parent. The custodial parent is the parent having custody for the greater portion of the calendar year. If the child was with both parents for an equal number of nights the parent with the higher adjusted gross income is the custodial parent.

A non-custodial parent that is entitled to claim the child as a dependent on their tax return may not treat the child as a qualifying individual for the dependent care benefit even when that parent is financially responsible for providing the care. Only one parent (the custodial parent) may qualify for the dependent care benefit for a taxable year. The regulations do not provide any relief for a non-custodial parent that incurs dependent care expenses for the portion of the year in which they have custody of the child to enable the non-custodial parent to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the question to view the answer

What is the Dependent Care FSA?

The Dependent Care FSA allows you to use pretax dollars to pay for eligible expenses related to care for your child, disabled spouse, elderly parent, or other dependent who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care, so you (or your spouse) can work, look for work, or attend school full time. Eligibility for the dependent care benefit requires that certain criteria be met, which is outlined in this document.

How does the FSA Plan work?

The FSA is offered through your employer and is administered by TASC. When you choose to enroll in a FlexSystem Dependent Care FSA, you determine the dollar amount you want to contribute to the account based on your estimated dependent care expenses for the upcoming Plan Year. Your elected contributions are deducted from your payroll on a pre-tax basis throughout the Plan Year in equal amounts and deposited into your FlexSystem account. This is done on your authorization by enrolling in the FlexSystem Plan.

What are the requirements to participate in the Dependent Care FSA?

The dependent care expenses must be work-related. The care must be necessary for the employee and/or the employee’s spouse to work, to look for work, or to attend school full-time, or if they are physically unable to care for their children.
The dependent care expenses must be for the care of one or more qualifying persons. A “Qualifying Person” is defined as one of the following:
A)  A dependent who was under age 13 when the care was provided and for whom an exemption can be claimed.
B)  A spouse who was physically or mentally not able to care for himself or herself, and lived with you for more than half the year.
C)  A dependent who was physically or mentally not able to care for himself or herself and for whom an exemption can be claimed, and lived with you for more than half the year.
Refer to the specific procedures outlined in the Dependent Care FSA Qualifications Flyer (FX-3166).

What are qualified dependent care expenses?

A partial list of eligible expenses includes:

  • Fees for licensed day care or adult care facilities
  • Before and after school care programs for dependents under age 13
  • Amounts paid for services (including babysitters or nursery school) provided in or outside of your home
  • Nanny expenses attributed to dependent care
  • Nursery school (preschool) fees
  • Summer Day Camp – primary purpose must be custodial care and not educational in nature
  • Late pick-up feesFor more information regarding dependent care expenses that are eligible for reimbursement, please review the list of Eligible Expenses for each FlexSystem benefit (visit the participant resources page at: www.tasconline.com/eligible- expenses/
    PLEASE NOTE: Medical expenses for your dependent are not eligible for reimbursement under the Dependent Care FSA. You may only be reimbursed for medical expenses under the Healthcare FSA.
How does the Dependent Care Account compare with the tax credit available on the individual Form 1040?
The circumstances that determine which option offers greater savings vary from family to family, as such, the decision to choose the tax credit or the dependent care deduction may be made on a case by case basis only. Participation in FlexSystem results in an immediate savings on Federal, State and Social Security tax, whereas the Federal credit will affect Federal Income Tax only and will be taken at year-end.
To determine whether it is more beneficial for you to participate in the Dependent Care FSA or take the tax credit (cannot do both), please review the Dependent Care FSA vs Tax Credit Flyer (FX-5571).

What is the maximum contribution amount I can elect per year?
The dependent care expenses provided during a calendar year cannot exceed $5,000. In the case of a separate return by a married individual, the limit is $2,500. This amount may be less if the employee’s earned income or spouse’s earned income is less than $5,000.
Determine your total annual amount of qualified dependent care expenses for the Plan Year. Your annual contribution to the FlexSystem Dependent Care FSA must be within the minimum and maximum amounts set by your employer based on the maximum allowed by the IRS.

When can I start using my Dependent Care FSA funds?
Different from the Healthcare FSA, you may only access dependent care funds as they are contributed to your benefits account (pay in-pay out).
The dependent care funds are added to your account when your payroll contributions are posted to your account. This is a balanced account and are posted to your account in a bi-weekly basis.

Can I use my TASC Card to pay for dependent care services?
Yes, you can pay your daycare provider directly with the TASC Card if they accept Mastercard.

Do FSA funds rollover?
No. Any remaining funds in your Dependent Care FSA at the end of the Plan Year will be forfeited. This is commonly known as the “use it or lose it” rule. It is important to be conservative in making elections because any unused funds left in your FSA at the close of the Plan Year are forfeited and not refundable to you. You are urged to take precautionary steps, such as tracking account balances on the FlexSystem website to avoid having funds remaining in your account at year-end. FlexSystem provides tools to make it easy for you to monitor/check your account balances in order to avoid having a leftover balance at the end of a Plan Year:

  • MyTASC Web Portal
  • MyTASC Mobile App and Text Message
  • FlexSystem Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Phone System (608-241-1900 or 800-422-4661)
What is a Grace Period?
A Grace Period is the period of time added to the end of your Plan Year in which you may incur and submit eligible expenses against the just-ended Plan Year. Because you have more time to use your funds, the risk of forfeiting unused funds at the Plan year-end is reduced.
While the maximum Grace Period is two months and 15 days, your employer may have chosen a shorter Grace Period. Please refer to your Summary Plan Description for details or log in to your MyTASC account (www.tasconline.com) and click “View Account Overview” to view your Grace Period end date.

How long do I have to submit claims/requests for reimbursement?

Active FSA Participants can spend their available funds through March 15 of the following year and may submit requests for reimbursement until April 15 of the following year.

Under what circumstances can the annual election be changed?
The laws governing FSA plans generally do not allow changes to benefit elections during a Plan Year. Your elections are irrevocable and any balance remaining in your account at the close of the Plan Year is forfeited.
You may only change your FSA elections during the Plan Year if you experience a change of status such as:

  • a marriage or divorce
  • birth or adoption of a child, or
  • a change in employment status

Please refer to the Change of Election Form (available from your employer) for a complete list of circumstances acceptable for changing elections mid-year. A request to change your election must be submitted in writing within 30 days of any applicable qualifying event.

TASC
Customer Service:
Mon – Thurs, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
1-800-422-4661

M-DCPS Logo in white

Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Office of Risk and Benefits Management
1501 N.E. 2nd Avenue, Suite 335
Miami, Florida 33132
Mon - Fri, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET
www.dadeschools.net

Benefits Inquiry:

FBMC Service Center
Mon - Fri,
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET
1-855-MDC-PS4U (1-855-632-7748)

Enrollment Helpline:

1-305-995-2777
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET /
Seven days a week