My babysitter won't give me her Social Security number. Can I still get reimbursed?

Updated October 2026

Usually, yes. For the child care tax credit, the IRS lets you file without it if you show you asked. For a Dependent Care FSA, it depends on your administrator. Here is how to handle both.

Why is my sitter hesitant, and is that reasonable?

It is reasonable. You are asking a 19-year-old, or your neighbor, or a retired teacher, to hand her Social Security number to a client. That number is the key to her credit, her identity, and her tax account. She has been told her whole life not to give it out. Most sitters are not hiding anything. They are being careful, and some of them do not yet know that babysitting income is reportable at all.

Nothing you do here creates a tax bill for her that did not already exist. Her income is hers to report either way. What you are asking for is the number the IRS requires on your form, not a change in her situation. Saying that out loud usually helps.

What does the IRS actually require?

Form 2441, Part I, asks for each care provider's name, address, and taxpayer identification number. For an individual sitter that is normally her Social Security number. The IRS form for requesting it is Form W-10, Dependent Care Provider's Identification and Certification. You give it to the sitter, she fills in her information and signs, and you keep it. It is not filed with your return.

If the sitter refuses, the IRS has a due diligence rule. You can still claim the credit if you can show you tried to get the information. Enter "See Attached Statement" in the identification number column of Form 2441, and attach a statement that you requested the number and the provider declined. Keep a copy of your request. A text message asking for it, with the date, is a record.

What does my Dependent Care FSA administrator require?

This is where it varies. Your FSA administrator (HealthEquity, WEX, Inspira, Optum, Fidelity, or whoever runs your employer's plan) sets its own documentation rules for reimbursement. Most claim forms have a field for the provider's taxpayer identification number. Some administrators will not process the claim without it. Others accept the sitter's name, address, dates of care, amount, and signature, and a few publish a specific process for claims where the provider refused to give a number.

Three steps:

Look at your administrator's dependent care claim form before you ask your sitter. If the taxpayer ID field is marked required, you need a plan.
Ask your sitter in writing, with Form W-10 attached. Keep the message.
If she declines, call your administrator and ask what they will accept. Do this before the plan year ends, not after.

One more thing. Dependent Care FSA benefits are reported on Form 2441, Part III, at tax time, so the identification question comes back even when your administrator reimbursed you without it. The due diligence statement covers you there.

Is there a way to ask without making it awkward?

Yes. Three things make it easier.

Give her options. Form W-10 lets her hand you the number on paper, sealed, once. An Employer Identification Number is a second option: any individual can request one from the IRS at no cost, online, in a few minutes, and it is a valid taxpayer identification number on Form 2441 and on an FSA claim. Many sitters prefer that because their Social Security number stays private.

Explain what it is for. "My FSA needs your tax ID to reimburse me. Here is the IRS form. You can give me your Social Security number, or get a free EIN from the IRS and give me that instead."

Or shrink the ask. If her number is needed once a year on Form 2441, and never on a payment or an FSA receipt, it becomes one text in January instead of a standing worry.

Sources

How SitterSync handles this

SitterSync does not collect your sitter's Social Security number, and you do not need it to pay her. Every job you pay through SitterSync produces a receipt with her name and address, the service (babysitting) with a DCFSA-eligible label, the service date and hours, the children's names, the itemized charges and total, and a Stripe transaction ID as proof of payment. If your administrator's claim form requires the provider's taxpayer ID, that still comes from your sitter directly, or she can give you an EIN. At year end, your Form 2441 Summary lists each sitter's name, address, and what you paid her. Your sitter gives you her taxpayer ID directly, once, when you fill out Form 2441, or you use the due diligence statement above. SitterSync does not pay the sitter; you pay your own sitter through SitterSync, which generates the documentation. The app is free; families pay $1.99 per completed job.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need my babysitter's SSN for a Dependent Care FSA claim?

It depends on your administrator. Many claim forms ask for the provider's taxpayer identification number, and some administrators will not process a claim without it. Others accept the sitter's name, address, dates, amount, and signature. Check your administrator's claim form before you ask your sitter.

Can my sitter give me an EIN instead of her Social Security number?

Yes. Any individual can request an Employer Identification Number from the IRS at no cost, and it is a valid taxpayer identification number on Form 2441 and on an FSA claim. Many sitters prefer this because it keeps their Social Security number private.

What is Form W-10 and does my babysitter have to fill it out?

Form W-10 is the IRS form you use to request a care provider's name, address, and taxpayer identification number. The sitter is not required by law to complete it, but if she refuses, your copy of the request is your proof of due diligence. You keep it; it is not filed with your return.

Will my FSA claim be denied without the sitter's number?

Possibly, depending on the administrator. Some process claims without it, some do not. Ask your administrator what they accept before the plan year ends. Your tax credit on Form 2441 is a separate matter, and the IRS due diligence rule protects that even when your administrator says no.

Is my sitter's refusal a sign something is wrong?

No. People are taught to protect that number, and sitters are often young. Offer the EIN route, and explain that the number is for one tax form a year, not for every payment. Most hesitation goes away.