Nourish Help Center
In this article
Frequently Asked Questions:
Home
Your People Team Questions Answered
Benefits
Full-Time Employees
Health Savings Accounts
FSA Account

Dependent Care FSA

Edited

A Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) is a pre-tax account used to pay for eligible dependent care services. Your Dependent Care FSA is an annual benefit that is available to spend for the calendar year: January 1st to December 31st. At the close of the year, any funds not used will be forfeited.

Maximum Contributions for 2025:

  • Individual Only: $2,500

  • Married Filing Jointly: $5,000

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who is considered a dependent:

  • The dependent must live in the same house as the claimant and must be eligible to be claimed as a dependent. In cases where the dependent only lives with you part-time (e.g. in cases of joint custody), you can only get reimbursed for costs incurred while they are living with you.

  • Your dependent must be a child age 13 or under, or an adult living in your home for whom you have custodial care.

What expenses are eligible with my Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA)?

Example, eligible costs include:

Some ineligible costs include:

  • Before/after school programs

  • Preschool 

  • Summer camp (day camp) 

  • Daycare (adult or child)

  • Medical care

  • Overnight camps

  • Kindergarten (some exceptions)

  • Private school tuition

  • Housekeeping

I am missing a receipt from my dependent care provider, can I still submit a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) expense?

  • Given that the IRS regulates this pre-tax benefit, documentation is required for all expenses. However, if your dependent care provider doesn't provide receipts, you may complete and sign the attached form titled "Dependent Care FSA Claim Attestation" and submit it in lieu of a receipt.

    Once filled out, you can go ahead and log into your Benepass account to submit an expense for reimbursement using the form as your receipt. Then, the team will review it within 5 business days from your submission and contact you if we need any more details. 

What happens to my Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) at the end of the year?

  • Your Dependent Care FSA is available to spend for the calendar year: January 1st to December 31st. At the end of the year, you will have a 90 day run out period, in which you can submit expenses incurred through the plan year only (as opposed to new spending).

What happens if my spouse also has a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) through his/her employer?

  • Both you and your spouse are welcome to take advantage of DCFSA benefits, but as per IRS rules, there are limitations. For 2025, employees with a Dependent Care FSA (DCFSA) may elect to contribute up to an annual maximum of:

    • $2,500.00 per year if you are married and file a separate tax return

    • $5,000.00 per year if you are married and file a joint tax return or if you file as single or head of household

What happens to my Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) upon termination?

  • You will have a 90 day run-out period for pre-tax accounts like your DCFSA. During this period, you are able to submit expenses for reimbursement for any eligible expenses incurred during your time of employment. New expenses and new card transactions are not eligible here.

    Once this time period passes, your account will officially close and any unused funds will be forfeited, so expense submissions will need to be made prior to this date.

Dependent Care FSA Claim Attestation.pdf
85.2KB