SOURCE Program

SOURCE (Subsidy for Occasional, Unplanned, and Respite Care Expenses) is a reimbursement program that helps income-eligible employees get to work when regular child or adult care is unavailable or falls through. This service reimburses you for the cost of back-up care provided by a friend, neighbor, relative, other in-home provider, or licensed child/adult care center.

  • Harvard University will subsidize 100 percent of the cost of the back-up care you choose, up to $350 per employee per year.
  • These funds will be disbursed to you through your paycheck and taxes will be withheld at the supplemental tax rate of approximately 36 percent.

Eligibility

You can use this program if you:

  • Are a benefits-eligible Harvard employee (includes administrative and professional staff, members of HUCTW, Service and Trade Unions staff, non-bargaining unit support staff, faculty, and postdoctoral fellows) on a regular Harvard payroll, and
  • Earn less than $75,000 on an annualized basis (full-time equivalent)

How does the SOURCE program work?

  1. Verify your eligibility. In order to use this program you must be a benefits-eligible employee on a regular Harvard payroll AND you must earn less than $75,000 on an annualized basis.
  2. Use and pay for your back-up care for a child, yourself, dependent adult, or elder.
  3. Complete this form.
  4. Make sure your provider completes their section of the form.
  5. Email completed and signed form to the Office of Work/Life. (worklife@harvard.edu)
  6. Look for the reimbursement in your paycheck. Typically payments are added to the last paycheck of the month, depending on payroll schedules. Please note that reimbursements are taxable income and therefore taxes will be withheld at approximately 36 percent.

Deadlines

  1. Claim forms submitted by the 15th of any month will typically be added to the paycheck closest to the end of that month, depending on payroll schedules. Claim forms submitted after the 15th will be processed with the next month's batch.
  2. The final deadline to submit any claim forms in a fiscal-year period (July 1st through June 30th) is July 15th – immediately past the fiscal year end. Forms submitted after this date for dependent back-up care in the prior fiscal year cannot be reimbursed.

Please contact the Office of Work/Life if you have questions.