Can You Use Tax-Free Childcare for Summer Camps & Holiday Clubs?

If you’ve been Googling “tax free childcare summer camps” or “tax-free childcare for holiday clubs” while trying to plan the school break… let us help. The short answer is yes, you normally can use tax-free childcare to help pay for approved holiday clubs and summer camps, including the tech and coding camps at FunTech.

Using Tax-Free Childcare for Summer Camps & Holiday Clubs

This guide will explain how:

• How Tax-Free Childcare works
• When you can use it for the FunTech holiday clubs and summer camps
• Exactly how it works with FunTech’s summer tech camps
• A quick overview of FunTech’s most popular coding and tech courses for kids and teens

1. What is Tax-Free Childcare – in parent-speak?

Tax-Free Childcare is a government scheme that helps working parents with childcare costs:

• For every £8 you pay into your online childcare account, the government adds £2 – a 20% top-up.
• You can get up to £500 every 3 months per child (that’s £2,000 a year) – or up to £4,000 a year if your child is disabled. 
• It’s available for children up to age 11 (or up to 17 if they’re disabled). 

You manage everything through an online childcare account, and pay your chosen provider directly from there. 

You cannot use Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as childcare vouchers or Universal Credit childcare support. Instead, you have to pick whichever scheme works best for your family. 

2. Tax-free childcare for holiday clubs and summer camps

Here’s the bit most parents want to know:

• Can you use Tax-Free Childcare for summer camps and holiday clubs?
• Yes, provided the camp counts as approved childcare.

Government guidance is clear that Tax-Free Childcare can be used for holiday clubs, after-school clubs, play schemes, and similar childcare – not just nurseries and childminders.

The key conditions are:

1. The provider must be approved / registered (for example, Ofsted-registered in England). 
2. The provider must be signed up to the Tax-Free Childcare scheme so you can pay them through your account. 

That means you can use tax-free childcare for holiday clubs like:

• Summer activity camps
• Sports clubs
• Tech and coding camps for kids
• Some residential camps (if registered as childcare and signed up to the scheme)

HMRC has even put out reminders specifically saying Tax-Free Childcare can help parents pay for summer holiday clubs, childminders and sports activities. 

3. How Tax-Free Childcare works in practice

A quick step-by-step for tax free childcare summer camps:

1. Check eligibility

Use the official Tax-Free Childcare guidance and childcare calculator on GOV.UK to make sure the scheme suits your situation, especially if you’re currently using childcare vouchers or Universal Credit. 

2. Open your childcare account

Apply online through GOV.UK. If approved, you’ll get an account for each eligible child. 

3. Add money – and get the 20% top-up

• You pay in, say, £200
• The government adds £50
• You now have £250 to spend on approved childcare

4. Pay your holiday club or camp

• Log in to your account
• Search for your summer camp provider by name/location
• Make the payment directly from your childcare account

5. Reconfirm every 3 months

You must confirm your details regularly to keep getting the top-up. 

4. Using Tax-Free Childcare with FunTech summer camps

If your child loves computers, gaming and gadgets more than goalposts and gymnastics, FunTech might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

FunTech is:

• A UK company established in 1996, specialising in tech and coding for ages 7–16
• Ofsted-registered and on the Childcare Register 
• Explicitly set up to accept Tax-Free Childcare and Childcare Vouchers for:
  • Summer Camps (Virtual, Flexi, In-Person, Residential)
  • Term-time coding & tech courses 

How to pay for FunTech camps with Tax-Free Childcare

FunTech has a simple three-step process for tax-free childcare summer camps:

1. Book your camp online

• Choose your child’s course (e.g. Minecraft, Roblox, Python, Robotics) and format (Virtual, Day, Flexi or Residential).
• Pay using your credit or debit card to secure the place. 

2. Make your Tax-Free Childcare payment

1. Log in to your government childcare account.
2. Search for FunTech and select the correct venue (e.g. Virtual, Barbican, Hammersmith, Northwood, Reading, Richmond, Tonbridge, Westminster, Wimbledon). 
3. Pay the amount you want to cover using Tax-Free Childcare.
4. Email FunTech with your Tax-Free Childcare payment reference and yur FunTech booking reference (from the Parent Portal)

3. Get reimbursed

When FunTech receives the funds from your childcare account, they’ll reimburse that amount back to the card you originally used – one reimbursement per booking. 

You can use this for:

• In-person day camps in London and surrounding areas
• Residential camps at Tonbridge School, Kent
• Virtual and Flexi tech camps your child joins from home 

So, if you’re trying to make tax-free childcare for holiday clubs work harder for your family, FunTech lets you turn that support into something genuinely exciting and educational.

5. FunTech summer tech camps – course-by-course overview

All of the following in-person camps (and many virtual/flexi options) are available as FunTech summer camps that accept Tax-Free Childcare. 

LEGO Robotics Coder (ages 7–10)

In this hands-on LEGO robotics camp, each child builds and codes their own robot using LEGO Mindstorms, learning about sensors, motors and core programming ideas like loops, conditions and variables – all wrapped in fun challenges and a Friday “Grand Finale” robot competition. 

Minecraft Mod Developer (ages 7–10)

Perfect for younger Minecraft fans, this course turns them from player to mod developer. Using tools like MCreator, they design their own blocks, tools, biomes, creatures and even whole new dimensions, learning logic, game design and problem-solving as they build a custom mod-pack to take home. 

Roblox Game Designer (ages 7–10)

Using Roblox Studio, children design and build their own obby (obstacle) games, adding platforms, traps and interactive elements. They learn about game physics, terrain, level design and basic GUI elements, and finish the week with a multiplayer game they can share with friends and the wider Roblox community. 

Minecraft Redstone Engineer (ages 9–12)

This camp uses Redstone (Minecraft’s “electricity”) to introduce electronics and logic. Kids build circuits, create automated systems and explore logic gates, memory circuits and more – turning Minecraft into a fun way to learn the basics of engineering and digital systems.

2D Game Design Developer (ages 10–14)

Here your child steps into professional game development with Unreal Engine, learning to design levels, work with 3D environments, lighting, physics and interactive elements. They move from playing games to designing and building their own multi-platform 3D project. 

Python Coder (ages 10–16)

A solid foundation in Python, from the absolute basics to building real programs. Students learn variables, logic, loops, data structures and classic algorithms, building quizzes, tools and simple games while learning the style of coding used at GCSE and A-Level. Ideal as a first “serious” coding course. 

LEGO Robotics Robot Wars (ages 11–14)

A more advanced robotics course where older children design, build and code more complex LEGO robots, with a focus on advanced sensors, strategy and competitive challenges. The week builds towards a dramatic Robot Wars-style showdown that tests speed, strength and intelligent programming. 

Roblox Lua Coder (ages 11–16)

Moving beyond drag-and-drop, this camp teaches Lua scripting in Roblox Studio. Students code interactions, game systems and in-game events from scratch, gaining real text-based programming experience while building more sophisticated multiplayer Roblox games. 

Unity Game Coder (ages 11–16)

Using the industry-standard Unity engine and C#, your child learns how 2D games are built: sprites, physics, collisions, inputs, UI and game systems. It’s a brilliant stepping stone into professional game development and often offered as a residential option for older campers. 

Python OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) (ages 11–16)

For students who already know the Python basics, this course introduces object-oriented programming – using classes, objects and more advanced structures. They might build graphical interfaces or data-driven programs, taking an important step towards real-world software development. 

A.I. Machine Learning (ages 12–16)

This advanced camp turns confident Python coders into budding AI developers. Using tools like Google Colab and TensorFlow, students build classifiers, image recognition systems, chatbots and more, exploring neural networks, natural language processing and modern machine learning techniques in a very hands-on way. 

Hackathon Cyber Security (ages 12–16)

Focused on ethical hacking and cyber security, this course teaches how systems can be attacked – and how to protect them. Students work through challenges, learn about security weaknesses and safe hacking techniques, and build a strong awareness of online safety and digital security.

6. Turn your Tax-Free Childcare into a summer of tech

So, can you use Tax-Free Childcare for summer camps and holiday clubs?

Yes – and if your child is into tech, gaming, coding or robotics, it can open the door to a week they’ll talk about all year.

With FunTech you get:

• Approved childcare that accepts Tax-Free Childcare across Virtual, Flexi, In-Person and Residential summer camps ([funtech.co.uk][4])
• Small, tutor-led classes focused on real tech skills
• A welcoming, friendly atmosphere where kids make new friends who love the same things

Ready to put your tax-free childcare summer camps budget to good use?

Browse all FunTech summer courses: click here. 

If you’re unsure which course best fits your child’s age and interests, FunTech’s team are happy to help – you can call, email or request a callback directly from the website.