Officially Documented Babysitters

 

During 2018, the government put out a notice stating that it would be willing to cover half the cost of keeping a babysitter, up to 55,000 AMD/minimum wage, should they be registered by the family employing them. Many have begun taking advantage of this deal, which eases the burden on lower-income families forced to keep additional help at home. In the case of twins or two children under the age of two, the mother is entitled to two carers, with 50% or up to 55,000 AMD paid for each separately. 

In order to go about registering your babysitter/helper/carer, you must first locate your nearest social services center (Սոցիալական աջակցության կենտրոն) or employment services center (զբաղվածության կենտրոն). To do so, you may call 114. 

When you approach the center, make sure you have the following documentation, both original and copies:
- Passport
- Social Security Number
- Child(ren)’s birth certificate
- Mother’s highest diploma
- Official documentation about your current residence
- If you have a child with a disability, a document proving his/her status 
- Upon returning to work, the mother will also have 5 days to present an official document clearly stating the place of work, monthly salary, and maternity leave dates

Bringing in this information, you write out a document (դիմում) at the desk. You will receive a response in about 5 working days, but overall confirmation can take up to 8 months due to overload. Once you receive confirmation, you will head to a bank with your helper, open two bank accounts (one for each of you). The amount you have agreed on paying should be transferred to the helper’s account, from which the bank will deduct 23% in income tax, after which the government will reimburse your account with 55,000 over the course of 2 weeks. 

You do not need to have chosen your helper already, but you will need to return once again to declare the information about her/him as well as your preferred date of return to your workplace. The day before returning to work, you will sign a contract with the agency, while the day of, you will sign another with your helper/carer. The income tax receipt should be presented to the agency by the end of each month. For the employee, this is now officially documented work and pensions will later be calculated accordingly. 

Following the signed contracts, the agency should also be provided with this information:
- Carer’s passport or ID
- Carer’s social security card
- Copy of the contract
- The mother can present everything in the carer’s stead. 

The babysitter/helper/carer employed may be a family member not registered to your address. This includes mothers-in-law, parents, siblings, etc. The parent must be returning to the same workplace to become the program’s beneficiary. The program also extends to paid kindergartens where the child attending is under 2 years of age. 

If you are not a “Paros” beneficiary, parent to a child with disabilities or you are not considered a multi-child family, the wait can be quite long. Furthermore, should your gross salary exceed 194,000 AMD, one’s chances of acceptance are greatly reduced. You must apply to be part of the program before returning to work or you will lose the opportunity. The program is available for the care of children up to two years of age. You may apply the day after the child is born.