ND Working Parents Child Care Relief: Parents

• Your employer provides a monthly child care paid benefit and opts-in for a Working Parents Child Care Relief state match at the $150 or $300 level.
• You receive a code from your employer to use when applying for Working Parents Child Care Relief
• Gather your needed information, including the WPCCR Employer Code (See next section)
• You apply
• HHS determines if you qualify for a match
• You receive an email from HHS (NDwpccr.info@nd.gov) with instructions and sign up to receive funds from the state
• You receive your child care benefit from your employer
• Your employer submits paid child care benefit verification to HHS
• HHS pays you the Working Parents Child Care Relief state match
• You pay your ND licensed child care provider

See which employers are participating in the program here. 

Qualifying Gross Household Incomes (before taxes) updated October 2023

What you will need to gather before you apply:

• Working Parents Child Care Relief (WPCCR) employer code
• Legal names and birth dates of all household members
• A copy of a government-issued ID (ex. driver's license) of the parent receiving the employer-led benefit
• A copy of monthly gross income information for all household members (the last 4 weeks)
  • Pay (pay stubs or employer statement)
  • Self-employment Income (most recent copy of Federal Income Tax form)
  • Bonuses and Commissions
  • Social Security, SSI benefits, Veteran’s benefits, Worker’s Compensation benefits, interest, dividends
  • Pension/Retirement Benefits
  • Lease and Rental Income
  • Unemployment compensation (statement of eligibility from Job Service North Dakota)
  • Child Support/Alimony (payments received)
  • Regular contributions from friends/relatives (signed statement from the individual)
• Child Care Provider’s License Number
  • Licensed providers are required by ND administrative rule to prominently display their license in the premises to which it applies. If you don’t see this posting, ask your child care provider for their license number

Finding and Choosing Child Care

Need help finding licensed child care? Visit the Early Childhood Information for Families page.

Paying for Child Care

Families can apply for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which helps pay a portion of the cost of child care for each eligible child (birth through 13th birthday) for qualifying families. Learn more at hhs.nd.gov/applyforhelp/ccap

This Working Parents Child Care Relief: How to Guide for Parents shows how to create an account, submit an application, report changes and more.

Be sure the contact email in your Working Parent Account is the primary email you have access to. 
You will also want to add NDwpccr.info@nd.gov to your contacts to ensure all emails are delivered to your inbox. If you do not see the emails, please check your Junk/Spam folders or your All Mail folder.

Working parents who are participating in the state’s existing Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) are not eligible for a state match from the Working Parents Child Care Relief program for a child who may already be benefitting from CCAP.

Each parent will be given the choice of which program they would like to participate in. It is possible that a family may be eligible for CCAP but would choose to participate in the Working Parents Child Care Relief program, or vice versa. The decision of which program to participate in is up to the family. As long as the employer has opted in, and the family is eligible, they may have options to consider.

If an employer wishes to offer a child care benefit to employees who may not be eligible for Working Parents Child Care Relief (or for CCAP), they can certainly do so. That is an individual employer-level decision. The state’s program guidelines simply define who may be eligible to receive a state match from the pilot.

Attestation means the act of a person confirming through an electronic or written signature that the statements the person made are truthful and correct.

Report to HHS Early Childhood any changes that occur after the application date of submission including change in ND licensed child care provider, household members, employment status, or income. 

WPCCR state match payments are considered income by the IRS, and you will receive a 1099 from the State of North Dakota. Please consult your accountant or tax professional to understand more about your tax situation.

It is recommended that you maintain all financial records for 7 years.

Qualifying parents must be working for a North Dakota business and utilizing a ND licensed child care program.

Contact your employer’s Human Resource department or your supervisor regarding qualifications and details on how your employer is offering the paid child care benefit. 

You can apply once your employer provides you with the WPCCR Employer Code. Typically, you need to supply the state four weeks of monthly gross income. Contact information: Email NDwpccr.info@nd.gov or phone: 701-328-2115 press 2; 711 (TTY) 

Contact your employer’s Human Resource department or your supervisor regarding qualifications and details on how your employer is offering the paid child care benefit. Typically, you need to supply the state 4 weeks of monthly gross income. Contact information: Email NDwpccr.info@nd.gov or phone: 701-328-2115 press 2; 711 (TTY)

For you to receive the state match the employer must provide verification of the paid child care benefit. Contact your employer’s Human Resource department or your supervisor regarding qualifications and details on how your employer is offering the paid child care benefit.

Once your application is approved, you will receive an email with details on how to setup an OMB Payee account. The one-time creation of the OMB Payee account will allow the state to pay you the state match and will include the option to submit banking information for direct deposit or allow you to choose to be paid by check. 

1. Employer provides paid child care benefit to employees
2. Employer uploads the monthly verification of paid child care benefit
3. Upon verification of employer-led child care benefit, HHS will send the Working Parents Child Care Relief state match directly to qualifying working parent