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Tax-Free Childcare: Save Up to 20% on uSports Holiday Camps
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The school holidays should be the fun bit. Long mornings, no uniform, and time for children to run around and just be kids. But for a lot of parents the holidays bring the same question round again: how do you keep the children active, entertained and well looked after without the costs stacking up?
Here is some good news. If you are booking a uSports holiday camp, you may be able to use Tax-Free Childcare to help pay for it, and save up to 20% on your child's place. If you have not looked into the scheme before, it is well worth a few minutes of your time before you book.
What is Tax-Free Childcare?
Tax-Free Childcare is a government scheme that helps working families with the cost of approved childcare, including holiday camps like ours.
It works through a simple online account that you and the government both pay into. For every £8 you pay in, the government adds £2 on top. That is a 20% boost on what you spend.
The top-up is capped at £500 every three months, which is up to £2,000 a year for each child. If your child is disabled, that rises to £1,000 every three months, or up to £4,000 a year. Spread across a year of holiday clubs and wraparound care, those top-ups add up.
(These figures are correct as of July 2026. Tax-Free Childcare rules can change, so it is always worth checking the current details on GOV.UK.)
Why Tax-Free Childcare and uSports Are a Great Match
A uSports camp is not a day of sitting around. It is a proper day of sport, games and activity, led by coaches who know how to get the best out of every child, in a safe and well-supervised environment. Children come for the football, the games and the friends, and head home tired out in the best possible way.
For parents, that is childcare and a brilliant day rolled into one. Your child is active, social and looked after, and you have reliable cover for the working day. Using Tax-Free Childcare on a uSports booking simply makes that easier on your wallet, with no compromise on the quality of the day or on your child having a great time.
How Much Could You Save?
Here is an example based on a full week at uSports.
Full week camp cost: £137.50
What you pay into your Tax-Free Childcare account: £110.00
What the government adds: £27.50
Total available to pay uSports: £137.50
That is £27.50 saved on a single week, which is roughly the price of another full day. Book more than once a year, or send more than one child, and the savings grow from there.
Who Can Get Tax-Free Childcare?
Plenty of working families qualify, but there are a few rules worth knowing. You may be eligible if:
you, and your partner if you have one, are working, including if you are self-employed or returning to work
your child is 11 or under, or 16 or under if they are disabled
neither you nor your partner expects to earn more than £100,000 a year
you each meet the minimum earnings guidelines set by the government
A couple of things to note. You cannot use Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as Universal Credit or childcare vouchers, and you will need to reconfirm your details every three months to keep your account active. Because eligibility depends on your own circumstances, it is always best to check the latest guidance before you book.
You can check if you are eligible on GOV.UK.
How to Use Tax-Free Childcare for Your uSports Booking
It is refreshingly simple.
Set up a Tax-Free Childcare account through the government's Childcare Service.
Pay money into your account and receive the government top-up.
Choose uSports as your childcare provider.
Use the funds in your account to pay for your camp booking.
Payments usually clear within a working day, so once your account is set up, booking is quick. If you already use Tax-Free Childcare for nursery or wraparound care, it is well worth checking whether you can use it for our camps too. And if you are not sure your booking is eligible, just ask us before you pay, we are always happy to help.
Book Your Child's Place
School holidays should not come with a side order of childcare stress. If you want your child active, social and properly looked after over the break, a uSports camp is made for it, and Tax-Free Childcare could take up to 20% off the cost.
Have a look at the dates and book your child's place at u-sports.co.uk/holiday-camps.
