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Internal Revenue Service

Fill out Form W-10 online

Dependent Care Provider’s Identification and Certification

Form W-10 is used to get the name, address and taxpayer identification number (TIN) of a person or organization that cares for your child or other dependent. You need this information if you plan to claim the credit for child and dependent care expenses, or if you get benefits under your employer's dependent care plan. The care provider fills in Part I and signs the certification, and you keep the form with your records.

Fill out Form W-10Blank form from the IRS

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Edition
Rev. October 2020
Pages
1
Fillable fields
6
Checked against the IRS
November 8, 2026

GuruPDF is not affiliated with the Internal Revenue Service. This page explains the form in plain words; it is not legal or tax advice. Always check the official instructions before you file.

Who uses Form W-10

  • People who pay for child or dependent care and plan to claim the credit on Form 1040 or 1040-SR
  • Employees who receive benefits under an employer's dependent care plan
  • Babysitters, nannies, daycare centers and other care providers asked for their TIN
  • Tax-exempt care providers, such as a church or school, which give their name and address but no TIN

Before you start

  • The care provider's full name, as an individual or an organization
  • The provider's address, including apartment number, city, state and ZIP code
  • The provider's TIN: an SSN, an ITIN or an EIN
  • Your own name and address, if you will leave the form with the provider to return to you later
  • For a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) provider, no TIN is needed; it writes "tax-exempt" instead

How to fill out Form W-10

  1. Part II: Person requesting the information

    Fill in Part II only if you are leaving the form with the care provider to return to you later. Enter your name, street address, apartment number, city, state and ZIP code so the provider knows who to send it back to.

  2. Part I: Name of dependent care provider

    The provider completes Part I. Enter the name of the person or organization that gives the care.

  3. Part I: Address

    Enter the provider's address (number, street and apartment number) and the city, state and ZIP code.

  4. Part I: Provider's taxpayer identification number

    For an individual or sole proprietor, this is a social security number (SSN). A nonresident or resident alien who does not have and is not eligible for an SSN enters an IRS individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). Other entities enter their employer identification number (EIN). If the number is an SSN, check the box next to it. A tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization writes "tax-exempt" in this space instead of a number.

  5. Certification and signature

    The provider signs and dates the form. By signing, the provider certifies under penalties of perjury that the name, address and TIN shown are correct.

  6. Return and keep the form

    The provider gives the completed form back to the person who asked for it. That person keeps it for their records and uses the details to fill in Form 2441, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.

After you fill it out

The care provider returns the completed form to the person who asked for it. Do not file Form W-10 with your tax return; keep it with your tax records. You copy the provider's name, address and TIN onto Form 2441, Child and Dependent Care Expenses, which goes with your return. Check the Form 2441 instructions on the IRS website for how to report each provider.

Signing: The care provider signs and dates the certification under penalties of perjury. The IRS instructions do not say whether an electronic signature is accepted and the PDF has no signature field, so print the filled form for the provider to sign and date, and follow any IRS instructions.

Watch out for

  • Do not file Form W-10 with your tax return. The form says to keep it for your records.
  • If you report an incorrect name, address or TIN for a provider on Form 2441 and cannot show the IRS that you used due diligence to get it, you will not be allowed the credit or the exclusion for employer-provided dependent care benefits.
  • A care provider who does not give a correct TIN is subject to a penalty for each failure, unless it is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect. This penalty does not apply to a 501(c)(3) organization.

Questions about Form W-10

Do I send Form W-10 to the IRS?

No. Keep the completed form with your tax records. You report the provider's information on Form 2441 instead.

Do I have to use Form W-10?

No. You can also show due diligence by keeping a copy of the provider's social security card, or a recently printed letterhead or invoice showing the provider's name, address and TIN. If the provider is your household employee, a copy of the completed Form W-4 they gave you to have income tax withheld also works; if the provider is your employer's dependent care plan, a copy of the statement your employer gave you under the plan does.

What if the care provider will not give me the information?

You must still report what you have on Form 2441. Publication 503 says to enter "See Attached Statement" in the columns you cannot fill and attach a statement, with your name and SSN, explaining that you asked the provider and did not get the information.

What does a tax-exempt provider such as a church or school enter for its TIN?

A provider that is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization does not have to give its TIN. It fills in its name and address and writes "tax-exempt" in the space for the TIN.

What if the provider does not have a TIN?

The form says the provider should apply for one right away: Form SS-5 for an SSN, Form W-7 for an ITIN, or Form SS-4 for an EIN.

Official information

Page text last reviewed November 7, 2026.

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