Child & Adult Care

Eligibility

Care benefits are available to:

  • Full-time (75% FTE or greater) appointed academic and staff employees.
  • Medical and optometry residents appointed at 50% or greater.
  • Student academic appointees enrolled in the IU-sponsored SAA medical plan.

Backup care

Find and book vetted, last-minute care when your regular arrangements fall through. Benefits include:

  • 15 days of subsidized backup care per year at $6/hour for in-home care and $15/day for in-center care.
  • You can find and book care through the CareBenefits web portal or mobile app, or use your own provider and request reimbursement (learn how to file a reimbursement).
  • Services for children may include feeding, diapering, clothing, overseeing homework time, playtime, or preparing them for bed.
  • Services for adults are non-medical and may include companionship, preparing meals, light housekeeping, prompting for medication, socialization, accompanying them to a doctor’s appointment, and assistance with daily living activities, such as bathing and dressing.

Using Care.com

Start by creating an account at iu.care.com.

Online platform and mobile app

Log in to the CareBenefits web portal or mobile app to find caregivers, schedule services, access resources, and more. Download for Android or Apple.

For phone support, call +1-866-814-1638.

Virtual care talks

Join expert speakers each month for advice and guidance in childcare, senior care, financial literacy, emotional health, and more. Log in to your CareBenefits portal to register for upcoming sessions or watch past talks on-demand—just select “Care Talks” from the homepage.

Answers to common questions about this benefit can be found in the CareBenefits frequently asked questions.

Safety

Care.com provides background checks on caregivers and uses leading technology to continuously monitor their platform. Visit their Safety Center to learn more and to find information, tips, and tools to help you assess risk and make informed decisions when choosing a caregiver.

Important tax information

The IRS requires IU to report and withhold taxes on the university-subsidized portion of this benefit. This includes:

Adult backup care services: If you use the adult backup care benefit during the year, the full value of those services is considered taxable income and is added to your paycheck at the end of the year.

Child backup care services: Backup care for children is not taxable on its own. However, it may become taxable if you also contribute to a dependent care flexible spending account (FSA) during the same year.

  • If the value of Care.com backup care subsidies you received plus your dependent care FSA contributions exceed the IRS limits for tax-free dependent care during the year (see IRS Publication 503), any amount over the limit is treated as taxable income.
  • IU will automatically report this amount in Box 10 of your W-2 as dependent care benefits.

It’s your responsibility to handle any federal, state, or local taxes, fees, or gratuities related to using this program. For more detailed guidance, speak to a tax professional or visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov.

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