If you want a child-care credit for 1989. . . it may be good to look now at new rules, effective in 1989, for taking independent-care credits or the income exclusion for care benefits provided by employers. To qualify for either, 1989 returns will have to list all care providers' names, addresses, and Social Security or employer numbers. One way to get the information is to ask providers to fill out a new Form W-10, which spells out the rules and is available from the IRS.
The W-10 is for your records, not part of a return. But if your return gives wrong information, you can avoid losing your tax benefit by showing the form to prove "due diligence" in trying to get correct data. Instead of a W-10, the IRS also will accept a copy of a provider's Social Security card, driver's license, letterhead, invoice, W-4 withholding-tax form, or employer statement—if the required data is shown.