Can I claim a childcare deduction?

Q: I pay $15,000 a year for day care, and through my employee benefits I have a $5,000 allowance in a pre-tax dependent care savings account. Can I claim a deduction related to the "remaining" $10k in childcare expenses? --John

The following answer was provided by Dona Lawson, CPA, Michael Taicher, PC.

A: The maximum amount of expenses that can be used in calculating the credit is $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for two children. These amounts are then reduced by your pre-tax benefits of $5,000. If you have two children for which you paid day care, you can use the additional $1,000 to calculate the credit.