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Child Care Aware of America reported that U.S. child care averaged $13,184 per child in 2025, with infant care in a center averaging $15,636. Families may reduce costs by comparing care settings and schedules, using eligible employer and tax benefits without claiming the same expenses twice, and checking state assistance. The source also reports 2026 changes to dependent care account limits and the federal affordability benchmark for assistance co-payments.
U.S. child care averaged $13,184 per child in 2025, while infant care in a center averaged $15,636 a year, according to Child Care Aware of America. A LifeHack report on those figures also points to 2026 changes in employer dependent care accounts and federal assistance rules, developments that may affect what eligible families pay but do not reduce every household’s bill automatically.
The averages vary by the child’s age and the type of care. Child Care Aware of America put annual infant care at $15,636 in a center and $11,673 in a family child care home in 2025. For a 4-year-old, the reported averages were $12,555 in a center and $10,572 in a family child care home. These are national figures, not quotes for a specific provider or a guarantee of local prices.
The report says overall child care prices rose 23% from 2021 to 2025, compared with a 24% rise in overall prices, citing Child Care Aware of America. The national child care average moved from $13,128 in 2024 to $13,184 in 2025. These comparisons describe the report’s figures; costs in an individual area can differ.
One reported 2026 change concerns employer dependent care assistance accounts. The source says the federal limit increased to $7,500, or $3,750 for married employees filing separately, from $5,000 and $2,500 respectively. Contributions generally come from pay before income tax, but the actual tax saving depends on a household’s circumstances and plan. The report also cautions that expenses used for this benefit cannot also be used for the federal child and dependent care tax credit.
How Care Costs Shape Work Choices
For many households, child care is not a small discretionary expense: the reported national average exceeds $13,000 per child a year. Families weighing a job against its associated care and commuting costs need to compare take-home pay with the full cost of working, rather than assume that a national average represents their own situation.
The decision can have effects beyond the months when care is most expensive. The LifeHack report describes the high-cost period as concentrated in early childhood, before public pre-K or kindergarten may cover some care. That can make a family’s current bill different from what it will pay later. But leaving a job can also affect future earnings and career options; the source does not quantify those longer-term effects for a particular household.
Options that may lower a bill include checking part-week schedules, comparing licensed family child care homes with centers, asking employers about tax-advantaged accounts, and contacting state agencies about assistance. Savings are not assured: providers set their own rates, eligibility rules apply to benefits, and available openings may not match a family’s schedule.
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The 7% Benchmark and 2026 Rules
The report says Care.com’s 2026 survey found that parents surveyed spent an average of 20% of household income on child care, while 78% said they spent at least 10%. Those are self-reported survey results, not a government estimate of what all U.S. families pay.
The report traces the often-cited 7% affordability benchmark to a 2016 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule, where it was an optional benchmark for state co-payments in the Child Care and Development Fund. A 2024 rule made a co-payment cap mandatory for families receiving assistance, according to the source. It says a May 2026 final rule removed that mandate and returned co-payment decisions to states. That change concerns the rules for assistance co-payments; it does not set a universal price limit for private child care.
The source’s practical suggestions are to compare care arrangements and schedules, ask providers about part-week and sibling rates, and check with a state child care licensing or referral agency for licensed providers. It also identifies employer benefits, the federal tax credit and public programs as possible cost levers, while noting that eligibility and rules differ.
“The national average was $13,184 per child in 2025.”
— Child Care Aware of America, as cited in the LifeHack report
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Local Prices and Eligibility Vary
National averages do not show what a family will actually pay in its city, nor whether a nearby center or home has an opening. The source provides no local provider quotes, household income details, tax calculations or program eligibility decisions. Families should verify current rates, contract terms, account rules and assistance requirements with providers, employers and relevant agencies.
The report describes a May 2026 rule change, but state responses and the resulting co-payment amounts are not specified in the supplied material. It also does not give a full calculation of how the increased dependent care account limit interacts with each family’s tax situation. The available savings will depend on employer plan participation, qualifying expenses and the rules that apply to an individual household.
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Check Benefits Before Enrolling
Families considering care should request written quotes for the schedules they actually need, ask when rates change as a child ages, and confirm any deposits or cancellation terms before accepting a place. Those steps can reveal costs that a weekly headline rate leaves out.
Workers can ask their employer whether a dependent care account is available for 2026 and confirm the contribution limit and qualifying expenses with the plan administrator. Before using both an account and a tax credit, they should check which expenses may be counted under each rule. Families seeking assistance can contact their state child care agency about current eligibility, co-payments and licensed providers. State implementation of the reported 2026 rule change remains a key development to watch.
dependent care assistance accounts
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Key Questions
How much did child care cost on average in 2025?
Child Care Aware of America reported a $13,184 national average per child in 2025. The figure is not a local quote, and prices vary by age, care setting and location.
Was infant care more expensive than care for a 4-year-old?
In the report’s 2025 figures, infant care averaged $15,636 a year in a center and $11,673 in a family child care home. For a 4-year-old, the reported averages were $12,555 and $10,572 in those settings.
What changed for dependent care accounts in 2026?
The source says the limit rose to $7,500, or $3,750 for married employees filing separately, from $5,000 and $2,500. Check with an employer or plan administrator to confirm how the limit applies to a specific plan.
Can a family use a dependent care account and the tax credit for the same expenses?
The report says the same expenses cannot be counted for both the employer benefit and the federal child and dependent care tax credit. Families should verify the applicable rules before filing or choosing a contribution amount.
Does the 7% benchmark limit what a child care provider can charge?
No. As described in the report, the benchmark concerns co-payments for families receiving assistance through a federal-state program; it is not a general cap on private child care prices. The source says a 2026 rule returned co-payment decisions to states.
Source: rss
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