Backup Care Reimbursement FAQs

At Care, we want you to have care you trust when you need it most. That’s why we offer reimbursement for Backup Care when you choose to use someone in your personal network. When your regular care is unavailable and you need to work, use a neighbor, family member, sitter, or center and get reimbursed through Care.

Eligibility for Backup Care reimbursement

How do I know if I have reimbursement for Backup Care?

Log in to your Care.com account and go to the Book backup care section. Look for Child care reimbursement, Adult care reimbursement, or Pet care reimbursement. If you don’t see any of these options, your employer does not offer this benefit. Note: Some employers offer Reactive Personal Network Backup Care.

What type of care qualifies for reimbursement?

Backup Care reimbursement should only be used to help with the cost of short-term care for you dependents when you are working and your regular care is not available. Claims are subject to audit and may be shared with your employer for compliance verification.

When can I use reimbursement for Backup Care?

Reimbursement for Backup Care is there to help cover your costs after you’ve already received care from someone in your personal network. You don’t have to book anything through the Care.com platform. Simply use a caregiver from your personal network and submit for reimbursement within 30 days.

If your employer offers Reactive Personal Network Backup Care, you can use a caregiver from your personal network only when the Care Enterprise network is unable to find a caregiver or center for your date of care. You’ll need to submit for reimbursement within 30 days.

Limits may apply, check with your employer for your company’s benefit specifics.

Do I need to let you know in advance that I’m using reimbursement for Backup Care?

No, you are not required to notify us in advance of care taking place. You will have 30 days after the date care takes place to submit the claim.

How Backup Care works

What caregiver options are available through Backup Care?

Find the Backup Care that fits your needs whether that is in-home or in-center*

In-home: A caregiver comes to your home to help with your child or children. If providing adult in-home care, the caregiver will go to their home – whether that is your home or another location.
In-center: Placement of a child or children, typically ages 6 weeks to 12 years, in a childcare center.*

*Not all employers currently offer daycare centers as a Backup care option. Please check your care options when making a booking.

What services does the Backup Care caregiver provide?

In-home, for children: Services include various caregiving responsibilities requested by you, including feeding, diapering and clothing, overseeing homework time, playtime (e.g., reading, arts and crafts, etc.) and preparing children for bedtime.
In-center, for children: Services include age-appropriate duties including feeding, diapering and clothing; playtime (e.g., reading, arts and crafts, etc.); and supervised indoor and outdoor physical activities.*
In-home, for adults: Services are non-medical and may include companionship, preparing meals, light housekeeping, prompting for medication, socialization, accompanying a patient to a doctor’s appointment, and assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing.

*Not all employers currently offer daycare centers as a Backup care option. Please check your care options when making a booking.

What are the steps for booking care?

Log into your Care.com account and select “Child Backup care” or “Adult Backup care.”
- Note: If the request is for Adult Backup Care, you will be directed to place a call in order to fulfill the request.
Select the reason why you need Backup Care.
Indicate where the care will take place and the date(s) and time(s) needed.
Add or choose the care recipient.
Add or confirm the emergency contact.
Select whether you’d like to utilize an in-home or in-center care provider.
- If utilizing an in-home care provider, you’ll need to provide additional information such as if there are any pets in the home.
Confirm your request.
We’ll send you an email to indicate we’ve received the request.
You will get another email once the care provider is confirmed.

How do you find in-home caregivers?

We utilize both full-time Care employees and agency partners to provide child in-home Backup Care. All in-home caregivers are vetted and must complete a Backup Care orientation and screening process that includes: a criminal background check, national sex offender public website check and social security number trace.

Adult in-home Backup Care caregivers come from adult and senior care agencies are experienced elder care companions. These caregivers go through a screening process that includes a criminal background check in accordance with state guidelines.

Does Care own and operate the Backup Care childcare centers?

No, Care partners with licensed or registered childcare centers nationwide. In order to partner with Care.com, childcare centers must meet our detailed standards. We use a wide range of quality indicators including but not limited to: insurance coverage, accreditations, hiring and training protocols, adherence to state and local licensure requirements, and reputation.

How far in advance or how close to the day of care can I book?

Backup Care with an in-home provider can be requested up to 90 days in advance, while in-center Backup Care can be requested up to 30 days in advance. We also can accommodate urgent or same-day care requests, however, we require 3 hours advance notice from the time an employee requests care to the time the care starts. For first time users of Adult Backup Care, we typically need to first conduct an in-home assessment, a policy that is mandatory in certain states, which requires a longer lead time. We recommend requesting Backup Care as soon as you know you’ll need the care to ensure caregiver availability.

Can I change my reservation?

You may request a change in the hours of your reservation by calling or emailing The Care Team. If requesting a change of date, the first day of your current reservation will be treated as a cancellation. Requested hour or day changes are not guaranteed until you receive a confirmation email.

*Note: Under Contact Us at the top of your screen you’ll find the phone number and email needed to reach out to The Care Team.

What is the cancellation policy?

Cancellation requests can be made by phone or online. A cancellation fee, typically $30, will be applied if your Backup Care request is canceled within 48 hours of the date of care. If canceled within 24 hours of the date of care, you typically will also have one Backup Care day deducted from your balance. For multi-day bookings, cancellation fees are for the first scheduled day – the additional days have no additional cancellation penalties.

What is the maximum / minimum number of hours I can book for?

One day of in-home Backup Care is considered a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 10 hours. Requests for more than ten hours of in-home Backup Care Services will count as a second day of care. In center Backup Childcare has a minimum reservation of one day. You can book multiple days at once to ensure your needs are met.

What if I have multiple children needing care at the same time?

If booking in-home Backup Care, one Backup Care day can be used for up to three children. If booking in-center Backup Care, one Backup Care day will be deducted for each child needing care.

Can you accommodate Backup Care during eventing/night shifts?

Our flexible Backup Care solution can accommodate almost any schedule, including shift work, weekend and holiday care. Since most child care centers operate during normal business hours Monday through Friday, requests for non-traditional hours are best accommodated with in- home caregivers.

For in-home care, we can accommodate any schedule, however, requests for care over 10 hours will utilize two days of Backup Care and may require multiple caregivers, depending on length of time and job requirements. For late night bookings, hours when the caregiver would be allowed to sleep are still a part of booking hours. Sleeping accommodations, bedding requirements and emergency contacts should be made clear to the caregiver and Backup Care Team.

Can I use Backup Care if I have a child or adult with disabilities?

We can accommodate the needs of many children or adults with disabilities. When requesting Backup Care, document the special needs of your dependent(s) in the request, and we will do our best to match a caregiver or in-center program based upon those needs.

How to submit a claim

What kind of information do I need to provide to submit a claim?

You will need to provide the following information to submit your claim:

Date and time of care
The care provider’s name, address, and phone number
Your full name plus your loved one’s or pet’s full name
Receipt for care that took place, if available
The amount you paid for care
Direct deposit information

My caregiver/center provided their own receipt. What information should it contain?

The receipt will need to contain the following information:

The care provider’s name, address, and phone number
Your full name plus your loved one’s or pet’s full name.
- Note: Your name should match the name of the person who is entitled to the benefit. If you receive Care for Business benefits through your employer, it should have your name. If your partner or spouse receives Care for Business benefits through their employer, it should have their name.
Your child’s age, if submitting for child care
Type of service and number of hours provided
Date of service
Hourly rate and total amount paid, if applicable
Signature of provider and date signed

Some companies have specific requirements for receipts and claim submission. Check with your employer for benefit specifics

What if something changes after I’ve submitted a claim?

In the case of child or adult claims, you can edit or delete your claim at any time before it has been approved for payment. Log in to your Care.com account, and select Child care reimbursement, or Adult care reimbursement, then Reimburse Me For Backup Care then View Claims. Select Edit next to the claim you want to change or delete. If you delete a claim, the Backup Care utilization day will be added back to your account to be used at a later date.

For pet claims, you cannot make changes after submission. If there is an error, you’ll receive an email notification with a phone number and email address to contact The Care Team. Once our team receives the needed additional information from you, The Care Team will update your claim and re-submit for processing.

Payments

How do the copays work?

You will be charged a daily copay rate for each used day of Backup Care. Copays can vary by employer but allow you to receive care at a highly subsidized rate.

When do I pay the copay?

You will be charged your daily copay rate after the care takes place. You can select or change your credit card when requesting Backup Care.

How do the reimbursements work?

To learn more about Backup Care reimbursement, read th i s article.

Am I charged for cancellations?

A cancellation fee will be applied if your Backup Care request is canceled within 48 hours of the date of care. If canceled within 24 hours of the date of care, you will be charged 1 day of Backup Care. For multi-day bookings, cancellation fees are for the first scheduled day, additional days have no additional cancellation penalties.

Understanding the reimbursement process

How do I get reimbursed for care?

Log in to your Care.com account and select Child care reimbursement, Pet care reimbursement, or Adult care reimbursement. Follow the steps and information request, including a valid receipt. If you’re submitting for multiple dates, please only enter consecutive dates of care. For example, if you used several weeks of care but this did not include the weekends, you’ll need to enter each week separately. Select whether you prefer to be reimbursed through direct deposit or a mailed check. Your claim must be submitted within 30 days of the date of care. After you submit a claim, your Backup Care balance will be deducted the appropriate number of days. Once a claim is approved, you will receive your company specific reimbursement via mailed check or direct deposit.

How long does it take to receive payment for a reimbursement claim?

Your claim will go through an initial approval process to ensure all the correct information is provided and the claim is valid. Once your receipt is approved, Care.com will send you a reimbursement via direct deposit or by mailed check. Reimbursement is typically issued within 2-4 weeks of claim approval.

What are some reasons my claim could be rejected?

In most cases, claims are rejected either because the information provided was incomplete, didn’t match the receipt, or the receipt was illegible. If you follow the instructions carefully on claim submissions, your claim will very likely get approved!

Understanding your payout amount

What copay amount will I be responsible for?

Your copay will be the same amount as your in-center copay, as stated in your employer’s policy. Your copay amount will be shown at checkout and deducted from any reimbursement.

Is there a maximum daily amount I can claim for?

Yes there is. You can find your maximum daily amount on the checkout confirmation page.