Employees are eligible for reimbursement for child care or elder care expenses incurred in your home or care center when your regular provider is unavailable or the care is unexpectedly needed. These expenses must be necessary for you and your spouse to be able to work and cannot be considered as part of your normal child or elder care expenses. 

Eligibility

Full-time, regular part-time employees and fixed term contractors with headcount are eligible as of their date of hire for reimbursement through the Emergency Back-Up Child/Elder Care Reimbursement Program.

Program Details

Reimbursement for the plan year is up to $700 USD annually converted according to local currency. Emergency Back-Up Child/Elder Care reimbursement is available for child care expenses under age 13 incurred when a regular child care provider is unavailable or for elder care services. These expenses must be necessary for that employee (and their spouse or partner) to work their full work hours on the day when their regular child/elder care provider is not available. The provider cannot be a member who resides in your household to be eligible for reimbursement.

Eligible expenses

The following items are eligible under the program.

• Child/Elder care services rendered in your home by a provider other than your normal care provider
• Facility based child/elder care by a provider other than your normal care provider
• Day camp for a period of time not previously scheduled

Submitting a claim

Employees who wish to utilise this benefit shall submit the claims through the Espresa platform, separated from other expenses, and with the relevant proof of payment. 

Please indicate “Back-up Childcare or Back-up Eldercare” as the Expense Type. Submissions that do not include receipts will not be considered for reimbursement and will be denied. 

Receipts should include:

• The date of the service
• The amount that was paid
• The name of the individual who cared for your child/elder

Payment is only allowed for services that have already been provided, not for services to be provided in the future. Employees should not use their corporate American Express card for these types of services. All expenses should be paid out of pocket. Period of entitlement runs on a calendar year basis (i.e. January 1st to December 31st). Submissions by active employees must be received by November 30th of each year in order for payment to be issued by the final payroll of the year. 

Claims that are received after November 30th are not guaranteed to be paid against the current plan year maximum and may be paid out in the following plan year. Employees who are leaving the organisation must submit a claim prior to their final date of employment. Claims received after an employee terminates will not be eligible for payment. 

Payment

Reimbursement will be made to you in the same manner as you are reimbursed for your other Espresa expenses via payroll. For questions concerning this benefit, eligible expenses, or your eligibility, please contact support@espresa.com or use the chat feature on the Espresa site.

Taxation

This benefit is taxable in non-US locations, and the amount spent will be subject to employee taxes as well as employer taxes and contributions based on taxable earnings.

If you have any further questions, please raise a Sofi ticket to the Benefits team