Increase in childcare and cultural vouchers

April brings slight increases for two types of value vouchers: childcare vouchers and cultural vouchers. According to Order no. 368/2026, starting from April 2026, the maximum value of childcare vouchers has been increased to 740 lei. In the same month, according to Order no. 369/2026, the value of cultural vouchers has also been increased to 490 lei per event and 250 lei per month. For both categories of vouchers, the new value also applies to the first two months of the second semester, namely August 2026 and September 2026.

According to the provisions of Article 18 of Law no. 165/2018, employees may benefit from childcare vouchers and cultural vouchers as follows:

Childcare vouchers are value vouchers granted monthly to employees who do not benefit from leave and the allowance provided for raising a child up to the age of 2, or up to 3 years in the case of a child with disabilities.
Childcare vouchers may only be used to pay the fees of the nursery where the child is enrolled.

Childcare vouchers are granted, upon request, to one of the parents or to the guardian entrusted with the child’s upbringing and education, based on the family record book. Professional foster carers or persons hosting a child under emergency placement measures, pursuant to Law no. 272/2004 on the protection and promotion of children’s rights (republished, with subsequent amendments and additions), are not eligible for childcare vouchers.

Cultural vouchers are value vouchers granted to employees, either monthly or occasionally, for paying for cultural goods and services.
Cultural goods and services may include:

subscriptions or tickets to shows, concerts, film screenings, museums, festivals, fairs and exhibitions (permanent or traveling), theme parks, including those intended for children
books, school textbooks, music albums, films, in any format

The chart alongside illustrates the evolution of the value of childcare vouchers and cultural vouchers over the past three years.