You may qualify if you paid someone to care for your child under the age of 13, a spouse or dependent who lived with you for more than ½ of the year and can’t physically or mentally care for themselves. The credit is nonrefundable and is worth up to $500 per child or $1,000 for two or more children.
You can claim the child and dependent care credit if you qualify for the federal child and dependent care credit and your New Jersey income is less than $60,000. For example, if your federal earned income tax credit is $4,000, you may qualify for a NJEITC of $1,600. Your NJEITC is 40% of your federal earned income tax credit amount. You can claim the New Jersey Earned Income Tax Credit (NJEITC) if you’re eligible for the federal EITC, which is a refundable tax credit. New Jersey State Income Tax Credits Earned Income Tax Credit You can claim the amount you paid for yourself, spouse, civil union partner, domestic partner or dependents. You can deduct the amount you paid for health insurance if you’re considered self-employed for federal tax purposes or earn wages as an S corporation, in which you were more than a 2% shareholder. Self-Employed Health Insurance Deductions You can deduct any court-ordered alimony payments on your tax return, but you can’t deduct child support payments. You can’t deduct expenses you were reimbursed for. Allowable medical expenses include payments for doctor visits, medicine, insurance premiums, and other costs. You can only deduct medical expenses that exceed 2% of your income. You may deduct medical expenses you paid during the year for yourself, your spouse or domestic partner, and your dependents. New Jersey Income Tax Deductions Medical Deductions