Social Vouchers: Efficient tools to support social policies

Social Vouchers, whether paper or digital, are social benefits attributed to workers collectively by their employers, public or private, carrying a right to access specific goods or services that improve their working conditions and facilitate their work-life balance (such as access to food, culture, transportation, childcare, holidays…).

Such goods or services are accessible within a dedicated network of merchants and providers which is built through a contract-based relation with each merchant/provider by companies issuing social vouchers and ensuring their proper efficiency, notably by avoiding their conversion into cash.

Social vouchers, usually supported by a public policy and sustained by a national tax and/or social framework, enhance a virtuous social and economic model while stimulating local and national economy to meet a dedicated social purpose.

Public Authorities can also adapt social vouchers to distribute welfare to their citizens as an alternative to allowances in cash or in kind.

Social vouchers have been developed in 40 countries (19 EU Member States) over the last 50 years to facilitate the implementation of social policies and meet the needs of employers, employees, citizens, as well as public authorities.

• Food and meal vouchers
  give access to food during the working day or provide basic goods to people in needs
• Personal and households services vouchers
  give access to home and basic care services and foster work-life balance
• Transport vouchers
  facilitate employees’ transportation expense to their workplace
• Leisure vouchers
  encourage citizens to adopt healthy way of life and habits guaranteeing them an easy access to sport and wellness facilities
• Childcare vouchers
  improve work-life balance of working parents and boost women’s employment
• Culture vouchers
  improve access to culture for employees and citizens
• Eco-vouchers
  support the green consumption and foster the sustainable behavior of citizens

40 countries – 100 Million users

Social vouchers caracteristics

Instruments valid only in a single State provided at the request of an undertaking or a public sector entity and regulated by a national or regional public authority for specific social or tax purposes to acquire specific goods or services from suppliers having a commercial agreement with the issuer. *

1. 
   NATIONAL
   USE instruments valid only in a single State
   
2. 
   REGULATED
   FRAMEWORK regulated by a specific social or tax framework intended to implement a social policy
   
3. 
   FOR LEGAL
   ENTITIES provided on request of an enterprise or a public entity
   

1. 
   ACCESS TO
   SERVICES/GOODS carrying a right for an individual to receive goods or services
   
2. 
   DEDICATED
   NETWORK from suppliers having a commercial agreement with the issuer
   
3. 
   NO
   CASH which cannot be exchanged for money
   

* Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market, article 3k(iii): social vouchers pr esent a number of characteristics that differentiate them from payment services or E-money.