Nursery vouchers (tichete de creșă) are an employer-provided benefit that helps you cover, partly or in full, the monthly cost of a nursery for your child in Cluj-Napoca. Unlike the state child-raising allowance or the state child benefit — which come from the government — the nursery voucher is a perk granted by the company you work for: you have to request it, it does not land in your account automatically.
If you are returning to work and looking for a way to lower your nursery bill, this guide explains exactly what nursery vouchers are, who is entitled to them, how to request them from HR, and how they combine with public or private nursery fees.
The face value of the nursery voucher is updated periodically by ministerial order. Check the current amount directly with your employer’s HR department and on the ANAF website before doing any calculations. The figures in this article are for orientation only, not official.
What a nursery voucher is
The nursery voucher is a value ticket governed by Law 165/2018 on value tickets. It is granted monthly by the employer to employees who have children enrolled in a nursery and who are not receiving parental leave and the child-raising allowance.
A few key features:
- It is issued in electronic form (a card), similar to meal vouchers.
- It has a maximum face value set by law and updated periodically.
- It can be used exclusively to pay for nursery / early-education services.
- It is an optional benefit on the employer’s side — not every company offers it.
In other words, it is a tool through which your employer subsidises, wholly or partly, the cost of the nursery. It cannot be converted into cash and cannot be used at the supermarket.
Who is eligible for nursery vouchers
To receive nursery vouchers, you generally need to meet the following conditions:
- You have employee status with an individual employment contract.
- You have a child below the age of kindergarten enrolment (usually up to 3 years, in a nursery).
- You are not receiving, during the same period, parental leave and the child-raising allowance.
- Your employer has decided to grant this benefit (it is not required by law).
Point 3 is the most important and the most commonly confused: you cannot receive both the child-raising allowance and the nursery voucher at the same time. The voucher is designed for the parent who has returned to work. If you are still at home on the allowance, the voucher does not apply — but it can become relevant from the moment you return, which is also what triggers the back-to-work incentive.
Typically, the voucher is granted to one parent per child, even if both are employed.
How to request nursery vouchers from your employer
This is the step many parents miss: the nursery voucher is not requested from the state, but from your employer. The concrete steps:
- Ask HR whether the company grants nursery vouchers. It is an internal policy — some companies have them in the benefits package, others do not.
- Submit a written request to your employer asking for the vouchers to be granted.
- Provide the supporting documents proving that you have a child enrolled in a nursery and that you are not on parental leave.
- Receive the card onto which the employer tops up the voucher value each month.
- Pay the nursery with this card, at the facilities that accept nursery vouchers.
What documents HR will ask for
As a rule, the human-resources department will request:
- The child’s birth certificate (a copy).
- A certificate from the nursery confirming enrolment and attendance.
- A statement on your own responsibility that you are not receiving the child-raising allowance and that the other parent is not already receiving vouchers for the same child.
- Possibly, the parents’ identity documents.
The exact set varies from company to company. For the nursery paperwork, you may also find the guide on documents for nursery and kindergarten enrolment in Cluj useful.
How to use vouchers at public and private nurseries
Nursery vouchers can be used at any facility — public or private — that is registered in the voucher issuer’s settlement system and accepts this type of payment.
- At a public (state) nursery, where the monthly fee is small (usually just the meal fee), the vouchers can cover practically the entire cost. See also how much a nursery costs in Cluj.
- At a private nursery, where the monthly fee is significantly higher, the voucher covers part of the bill, and you pay the difference out of pocket. You will find the detailed comparison in the public or private nursery article.
Before relying on vouchers, ask the nursery directly whether it accepts nursery vouchers and from which issuer, because not all private facilities are integrated into every network.
Nursery voucher vs. other forms of support
It is easy to confuse child benefits, especially since they have similar names. Here are the differences:
| Support | Who provides it | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery voucher | Employer | You are an employee, the child is in nursery, you are NOT on parental leave |
| Child-raising allowance | State (AJPIS) | You are at home with the child, on leave |
| Back-to-work incentive | State (AJPIS) | You returned to work before the leave ended |
| State child benefit | State (AJPIS) | Automatically, for every child |
| Tax deduction | Via ANAF/employer | Tax reduction for nursery/kindergarten expenses |
In practice, the nursery voucher and the child-raising allowance are mutually exclusive in the same period. By contrast, the nursery voucher can be combined with the back-to-work incentive and with the state child benefit, because these have different conditions. For the tax side, see the tax deduction for nursery and kindergarten, and for the general framework of the allowance, the child-raising allowance.
FAQ
Do nursery vouchers come from the state? No. They are an employer-provided benefit, similar to meal vouchers. The state regulates the maximum value and the rules, but the one who actually grants them is the company you work for. You have to request them from HR.
Can I receive both a nursery voucher and the child-raising allowance? No, not in the same period. The nursery voucher is intended for the parent who has returned to work, while the child-raising allowance assumes you are at home with the child. The two are mutually exclusive.
How much is a nursery voucher worth in 2026? The maximum face value is set by law and updated periodically. We do not rely on a fixed figure here — check the current amount with your HR department and on the ANAF website.
Can I use the vouchers at any nursery in Cluj? You can use them at nurseries — public or private — that accept this type of payment and are integrated into the voucher issuer’s network. Ask the nursery before enrolling.
What if my employer does not offer nursery vouchers? The voucher is optional for the employer. If the company does not grant it, you can ask for it to be added to the benefits package, but the decision belongs to the employer. In the meantime, you can make use of the tax deduction and the back-to-work incentive.
Conclusion
The nursery voucher is one of the most concrete ways to reduce the cost of a nursery in Cluj-Napoca, but it only works if you actively request it from your employer and if you are not on parental leave. Always check the current value with HR and with ANAF, gather the documents in good time, and confirm with the nursery that it accepts this type of payment. You can find the full list of official sources on our Data sources page.
To find the right nursery for your child — public or private, close to home or to the office — use the piticluj.ro interactive map, where you can see all the nurseries and kindergartens in Cluj-Napoca on the map, with details about their schedule and type.