Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Sen. Sandra Hardy presents S.51 unpaid-caregiver tax credit; committee hears fiscal estimate
Summary
Senator Sandra Hardy told the Ways & Means Committee that S.51 would create a refundable tax credit up to $1,000, prorated by month, for Vermonters who provide at least 20 hours per week of unpaid care to a qualifying relative. The Joint Fiscal Office estimated a FY2026 cost of about $6 million with several caveats about uptake and measurement.
Senator Sandra Hardy, sponsor of S.51, told the House Ways & Means Committee on April 8 that the bill would create a refundable unpaid-caregiver tax credit worth $1,000 for people who provide at least 20 hours of uncompensated care per week to a qualifying relative.
Hardy said the credit would be prorated by month and modeled on the child tax credit’s scaling and phaseout. "It's not that at all [paid family leave], but it is a way to get at it a little bit through a tax credit…to help people at least make ends meet a little bit, who are doing unpaid care and not getting compensated for it," she said.
The bill’s eligibility criteria described in committee include: the care recipient must be related by blood, civil marriage or adoption; must have a medical diagnosis requiring assistance with activities of daily…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
