At tax time, parents need a statement of what they paid for childcare — for the federal Child & Dependent Care Credit (IRS Form 2441). Seedling generates it from your payment records.
1. Set your EIN first
The statement includes your center's tax ID, so add it before tax season:
- Go to Settings → Center.
- Enter your EIN and save.
(You can also add it at signup.) Without it, statements still generate but won't show the EIN parents need.
2. What the statement shows
- Your center's name, address, and EIN
- The family's total paid for the year — one household total, with the children it covers listed by name
- The tax year
It's built from settled payments and is net of refunds: if you refunded part of a payment, the statement shows what the family actually paid, not what was originally charged. Payments still processing (an ACH that hasn't cleared, say) aren't counted until they settle.
A family with no settled payments for that year gets an honest "no paid tuition found" rather than a $0 statement — there's nothing to file.
3. Where families find it
Parents open it themselves in the Family Portal under Account → Year-end tax statement — no need to email each family individually.
Admin view
You can review every family's annual total under Settings → Center, using the View year-end tax statements link by your EIN, to answer questions or print a copy on request.
Statements reflect payments processed through Seedling. Cash or check payments you recorded outside the platform won't appear.