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Child care can be one of the biggest expenses for working families, but your employer may offer benefits to help. This article highlights child care benefits and how to maximize what’s available.
Know Your Benefits Options
It’s important to know what is available to you. Options vary by workplace, but employers may offer one or more of the following child care benefits:
- Dependent care flexible spending account (FSA)—You can set aside pretax dollars to pay for eligible child care expenses like day care, preschool, and summer day camps.
- Child care subsidies or reimbursements—Some employers offer direct financial support or partial reimbursement for child care costs.
- On-site or partnered child care services—You may have access to child care centers at or near your workplace, often at a discounted rate.
- Backup or emergency child care—Some employers offer coverage for unexpected situations when your regular provider is unavailable.
Tips to Maximize Your Benefits
You’ve got access to valuable child care benefits, but are you using them to their full potential? These practical tips can help you stretch your dollars, stay organized and make the most of every resource your employer offers.
1. Estimate your annual child care costs
Plan ahead to contribute the right amount to your dependent care FSA.
2. Use it or lose it
FSA funds must typically be used within the plan year, so it’s important to budget upfront and then track your spending and submit claims on time.
3. Keep receipts and documentation
You’ll need proof of payment and provider details for reimbursements and tax purposes.
4. Check for eligibility
Expenses must be work-related and for a qualifying dependent (e.g., a child under 13 or a spouse or dependent who can’t care for themselves).
5. Ask about additional support
HR representatives can explain if your employer offers extra resources like referral services or flexible work arrangements.
Contact your HR department to learn more about what’s available to you and how to enroll.
© 2025 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.
Backup Child Care from A New England Nanny
A New England Nanny’s corporate backup care program provides nationwide corporations and local businesses the opportunity to offer dependent backup care as an employee benefit to its employees. It is a service that provides emergency/temporary backup child care and elder care for families to help them keep work obligations when their dependent is sick, or when the usual child care provider has cancelled at the last minute.
If you want to see about adding Pinch Hitter to your company’s employee benefits package, have your HR staff contact our agency director Melissa Schoonmaker at (518) 881-0202 for a free consultation!