The information on this page is for regular employees. If you’re a SelectTime or Seasonal employee, visit the Benefits site for you.

Child and adult backup care

Out-of-network care changes

Bright Horizons has changed how they're handling out-of-network care and reimbursements under Bright Horizons Back-Up Care™️. You must secure back-up care through Bright Horizons. You will be offered out-of-network care only when they are unable to secure care for your needs through in-home or Center networks. When out-of-network care is offered, you can secure care from within your own personal network (a neighbor, friend, or babysitter) and receive a reimbursement of $100 per day after submitting a reimbursement for care form within 10 days of the last date of care. For more information, call 877-242-2737.

Whether you’re experiencing a breakdown in your regular child care, you’re looking for an after-school sitter, or you have adult or elder care needs, Bright Horizons offers two options for finding temporary and long-term backup care for a loved one:

  • Bright Horizons Back-Up Care for short-term or last-minute needs: Full-service, subsidized backup care you can rely on for temporary child care, adult care, and elder care when you need to be at work.
  • Bright Horizons Additional Family Supports for long-term or ongoing needs: Resources and discounts to support your whole family, including nannies, evening adult and elder care resources, housekeepers, and homework help. Discounts and preferred enrollment access for regular, center-based child care are also available.
  • Bright Horizons Elder Care: A comprehensive elder care solution that combines a modern, easy-to-use care coordination platform with personalized guidance from expert Care Coaches and a quick connection to backup care. Your dedicated, experienced Care Coach can help you with a variety of topics, from facilitating family conversation to coordinating in-home assessments and finding legal and financial experts. You can also sign up for the Years Ahead platform, which connects you to adult and elder care tools and resources, so you can do your own caregiver searching, vetting and coordinating.

Eligibility

Regular full-time and part-time employees working 20 or more hours a week, SelectTime employees, and Seasonal employees. You can use this benefit as an active employee and while on a leave of absence.

How it works

How to enroll

To use the backup care service, you must preregister by either:

If you’ve been hired within the last week, ask Bright Horizons to contact their eligibility team to verify your eligibility and secure services.

Short-term or last-minute needs

Bright Horizons can find you emergency backup care when you need to be at work and your regular arrangement is unavailable, or when a need suddenly arises. For example, school is closed for vacation, holidays, or in-service days; your nanny is on vacation; your child is mildly ill (e.g., has a fever, diarrhea, or rash), or your parent who lives with you (or even lives in another state) suddenly becomes ill. Backup care is not available for evening or weekend babysitting services.

Cost

You’re eligible for up to 20 backup care days per calendar year for each person needing care. Care is available for your dependent children and immediate family and your spouse’s or domestic partner’s immediate family. You pay by credit card, debit card, or electronic funds transfer (EFT) at the time you make your reservation:

  • For center-based care, you pay $20 per day for one child ($30 for two or more).
  • For in-home care, you pay $7 per hour for both child and adult backup care (with a four-hour minimum).

The maximum (20 visits per dependent, per calendar year) applies to center-based and in-home care.

Long-term or ongoing needs

Bright Horizons Additional Family Supports is for your personal, anytime needs. This program easily connects you with options for more regular and long-term care needs—as well as care for evenings, weekends.

You make the arrangements directly with providers and pay the provider. Intuit does not subsidize care.

With Bright Horizons, you get additional family support, including:

  • Babysitting, nannies, and housekeepers: Free Sittercity account that gives you access to a comprehensive database of in-home care and services. You can post an ad for a position, search candidates, and perform free basic background checks.
  • Resources for children at home. Keep your kids busy and entertained with educational and arts and crafts projects you can do with them or they can do on their own. 
  • Center-based care: Special VIP discounts when choosing a Bright Horizons child-care center for your regular ongoing care. You get preferred enrollment and a registration fee credit. At other select partner centers, you receive tuition discounts and won’t have to pay registration fees for your toddler or preschooler.
  • Eldercare: Access to Bright Horizons Elder Care, a comprehensive elder care solution that combines a modern, easy-to-use care-coordination platform with personalized guidance from expert care coaches and a quick connection to backup care. Your dedicated, experienced care coach can help you:
    • Facilitate family conversations
    • Find resources via the CareGeneral site
    • Get dedicated support through phone consultations and family conference calls
    • Coordinate in-home assessments and next steps
    • Find legal and financial experts for in-depth consultations

You can also sign up for the Years Ahead platform, which connects you to elder care tools and resources, so you can do your own caregiver searching, vetting, and coordinating.

  • Tutoring, test-prep, and homework help: Access to high-quality tutoring and test-prep services (online or in-person) to help your children in grades K–12 succeed. Note that you can trade one backup care day for four hours of virtual homework help or one-on-one tutoring services for your child in over 300 subjects. Log in to Bright Horizons and look for Reserve Tutoring through Back-Up Care to submit a tutoring request. You’ll need to register for Bright Horizons if you’re not already signed up (username Intuit / password Benefits4You). Watch this how-to video to learn more.

Taxes

In line with IRS guidelines, Intuit applies taxes based on the value of backup care benefits you receive through Bright Horizons (minus your copayment) and reports them as taxable wages. (This is called imputed income.) Applicable FICA, federal, state, and local taxes will be automatically deducted from your paycheck and reported on your annual W-2 for tax filing. Learn more about imputed income on backup care benefits.

Common questions

How do I get started?
What is imputed income on back-up care benefits?

Where to get help

Bright Horizons
877-242-2737
Visit website
(Register using your Intuit employee ID #.)

Bright Horizons Eldercare
833-BH-ELDER
(833-243-5337)
Visit website

Related pages

Dependent Care FSA