FSA for Preschool Tuition?

[elbenn]

If you are SAHM, can you use FSA for preschool tuition? I am finding conflicting answers on the internet. Some say you must earn at least as much as the preschool costs from the FSA, and others say that requirement is for the dependent care deduction but not for the FSA. Any experts on this?

ETA: I think upon further research this won't work for SAHMs. Can anyone confirm this?

[BabyBearsMom]

Under the Dependent Care that we have at my work (and I think this applies to all), if yuo are married both spouses must earn income in order to use the $5K tax deduction unless the non-earning spouse is either disabled or a full-time student. If one spouse earns less than $5,000, the benefit is limited to that spouse's earnings. So for example, if you make $3,000 a year, you can only put $3,000 into the dependent care account. Anything in excess of the $3,000 will be taxable.

[MommyofAmaya]

Don't do it. I accidentally did this a few years ago and had to hire an accountant to do our taxes for the first time that year to fix the mistake.

[elbenn]

Thanks, BabyBearsMom. That's exactly the info I was looking for.

[niccig]

Don't do it. I accidentally did this a few years ago and had to hire an accountant to do our taxes for the first time that year to fix the mistake.

:yeahthat: Friends got audited because of this mistake.

I am a full-time student and can use the money to pay for DS's after school because I have classes. What do I have to do to prove I'm full-time?

[kijip]

You need to be in school more than 1/2 time or working or disabled. There is a box to check to state your work/school/disability status when you prep your taxes.