Forest ProductsTax Credit Sourcebook

Federal Tax Credits · Workforce · FED-CHILD-001

Employer-Provided Child Care Credit (Internal Revenue Code §45F)

Publication revised September 24, 2026. Sourcebook page 19.

Credit amount / calculation

For 2026+: 40% of qualified child-care expenditures (50% for eligible small businesses) plus 10% of referral expenditures; cap generally $500,000 or $600,000 for eligible small businesses.

Business fit and eligible activity

Broad employer credit that can apply to logging companies and mills providing or contracting for qualified employee child care; substantially expanded for 2026. Hiring, wages or qualifying training; where the program also requires investment, satisfy both tests.

Eligibility and practical use

This is an employer credit rather than a forestry credit, but labor availability is often the constraint that matters most. A mill or logging contractor that subsidizes, contracts for, or establishes qualified child care can turn a workforce expense into a tax benefit. The practical issue is whether the arrangement satisfies the credit rules; an informal stipend or ordinary dependent-care benefit may not.

Illustrative business benefit

A 35-person sawmill contracts for qualified child-care slots and incurs $80,000 of eligible annual cost. If it qualifies for the 50% small-business rate, the child-care portion of the credit would be $40,000 before considering referral expenses and the annual cap. The point is not that every child-care payment qualifies; the arrangement itself must meet the federal rules.

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