Most working parents in New York spend more on child care than on their rent or mortgage. Most employers offer something close to nothing on the topic. The reasons for that gap are starting to break down, and we are working on the employer side to help close it.
For decades, the law gave employers very little reason to help pay for child care. A small pre-tax FSA using your own dollars. Maybe a stipend. Compared to health insurance or a 401(k) match, it was a rounding error.
Recent federal and state developments have significantly changed that calculus. Employers who structure a real program around child care can now recover a substantial share of the cost through tax credits. For some employers, especially in New York, the program comes close to paying for itself. We expect this to drive a real shift in what companies offer over the next few years, similar to how employer-sponsored health care emerged two generations ago.
The catch is that almost nobody knows this yet. The rules are technical, the structuring is unfamiliar, and most benefits brokers and HR teams have not caught up. That is the gap we are working in.
You probably found this page in one of two situations. We tell you the same thing in both, but the action is a little different.
If you work for someone else: the most useful thing you can do is bring this to the attention of whoever runs benefits at your company. That might be HR, the CFO, an office manager, or the founder. Forward this page. Mention that the federal credit was expanded recently and that New York stacks a meaningful state credit on top. We are happy to take the call from there.
If you own your business: you are both the parent and the decision-maker, which is the cleanest case there is. Talk to us directly. The math is often most favorable for closely held businesses with concentrated ownership and parent-employees.
If you write to us as an employee asking us to talk to your company, we will reply with a short email you can forward, and we will follow up with whoever you point us to. No pitch to you. No newsletter. No pressure on your employer beyond a short conversation.
If you write to us as a business owner, we will set up a 30-minute call to figure out whether this fits your situation. Many employers we talk to are not a fit, and we will tell you that directly if so.
Important: we are not your lawyer or your accountant. Anything on this site is general background, not advice. Whatever you and your employer ultimately do should run through your own qualified advisors first.
Whether you are trying to nudge your employer or you are the one writing the checks, we will take the conversation from there.
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