Find out if your income covers childcare costs. Enter your hourly rate, schedule, and childcare situation to see your real take-home pay.
$1,138
After childcare costs
$8.76/hr
Effective Hourly Rate
What you actually earn after childcare
You're keeping $1,138/month after childcare. That's $13,658/year toward savings, bills, and your family's future. Plus you're building work experience and career momentum that pays off long-term.
These credits can add $200-500/month to your effective income
Covers a percentage of childcare expenses you pay so you can work or look for work.
Maximum $6,000 for two or more children. Credit percentage ranges from 20-35% based on your income.
Set aside pre-tax dollars for childcare through your employer.
Saves you $1,000-1,500/year in taxes depending on your tax bracket. Ask your employer if they offer this benefit.
Work while kids are at daycare, pick up early and save on afternoon care costs.
Work while kids are in school; zero childcare needed.
Work when your partner watches the kids; no childcare costs at all.
Captures your hourly wage, weekly hours, daycare cost per child, and the dependent-care FSA contribution (if any). Returns the breakeven hour count: the point at which an additional work hour stops earning more than it costs to be away from your kid.
When deciding between full-time and part-time after a kid arrives, when planning a return to work after parental leave, or when shopping for daycare options in a new city.
A pre-tax savings account specifically for childcare expenses. You can contribute up to $5,000/yr ($2,500 if filing separately). Money goes in before federal + state income tax + FICA, so a $5,000 contribution saves ~$1,500-2,000 in taxes depending on your bracket.
Free, no signup. Calculate your pay, hours, and take-home with our other tools.
Yes — for families not using a Dependent Care FSA (or for expenses above the FSA cap). The credit is 20-35% of qualifying expenses up to $3,000 (one child) or $6,000 (two+); the percentage tapers with income.
Enter the household's combined daycare cost minus your partner's share. The calculator returns the net for YOUR additional work hours, not the household total.
Yes — any care necessary for you to work (before-school, after-school, summer day camp, in-home care) qualifies for both the FSA and the tax credit. Overnight camps and tutoring don't qualify.
No — state subsidies (CCDF vouchers, state-level credits) vary widely and have income-based caps. Check your state's department of human services for eligibility; the calculator's output is pre-subsidy.
Outside the scope of this calculator — it models the predictable weekly cost. Build a separate emergency budget for backup care ($50-150/day per kid in most metros) on top of the calculator's output.
Decide between options when money is involved.
