Childcare Subsidy Program 

NTEU asked the IRS for an update on its efforts to comply with Article 56 of the 2022 National Agreement and begin paying eligible employees the childcare subsidies they are due. You may recall that NTEU filed a national grievance over the IRS’s failure to timely get this program up and running, and as part of the grievance have requested that all eligible employees be granted retroactive subsidies to January 2022. The parties had agreed to a January 1, 2022, start date of the subsidies to afford a vendor time to get the program in place. In one positive development, OPM has approved the IRS request to offer a one-time retroactive childcare subsidy payment to eligible employees. This will take some time to establish and will likely coincide with the launch of the program. The IRS continues to vet vendors and should have an update in the next two weeks. When a contract is awarded, the program will be launched, and an open window period established for employees to apply. Please keep documentation of your dependent care expenses.