Tania, 33, is an Uber driver and gets 20 hours free childcare a year through the Bubble Childcare app, which she estimates saves her around £300 a year
A single mum has revealed how she saves £300 a year by using free childcare offered by her work. Tania, 33, is an Uber driver and gets 20 hours free childcare a year through the Bubble Childcare app.
She estimates these free hours save her around £300 a year. Bubble is an app that allows parents to book flexible childcare, either by searching through listings for babysitters, or by posting their own request for childcare.
As an Uber driver, Tania often works irregular hours, which means she sometimes needs to find childcare in the evening for her three children, who are aged 12, 8 and 9. She said: “I tend to do quite early mornings.
“I live quite close to an airport, so I’ll start about 2am or 3am, then Uber is busiest around the school run time. My kids leave school and then they have various clubs, so that ties them up until around 6.30pm.
“They’ll come home, have dinner, then they’re in bed at 7.30pm. When I start early, I finish around 2pm or 3pm. But if there is a day when I start later, that’s when it can overlap into the evening.”
Uber gives its drivers 20 hours free childcare a year through the Bubble app – but other employers also work with Bubble, or offer similar schemes, so it is worth checking what help is available through your place of work.
For example, you may be able to use a salary sacrifice scheme in order to purchase childcare vouchers. These schemes allow you to exchange some of your salary for a non-cash benefit.
Since you give up part of your salary, you reduce the amount of Income Tax and National Insurance you pay. You may also not need to pay for childcare at all, as some children are eligible for free childcare hours – you can read more below.
Tania said: “I discovered Bubble through Uber as they were offering free hours and what I love is that it’s not traditional childcare, where I’m going to drop my kids off to a nanny or nursery.
“It’s somebody coming out to you, or picking the kids up from school or taking them out for the day. I’ll utilise my childcare by planning days out for the kids. It gives the kids an experience as well, as they aren’t tied at home while I’m working.
“I’m a single parent so there are always times where you don’t have the other parent to take them to the movies, or other things. It is very easy to use.”
How to get free childcare
Thousands more parents are now eligible for free childcare for their children thanks to the rollout of a Government scheme. Working parents of nine-month-olds can access 15 hours of free childcare a week – but this is rising to 30 hours a week from September 2025.
If your child is between the age of nine months and two years old, you must be earning the equivalent of the national minimum wage for 16 hours a week, on average, but less than £100,000 a year, to qualify for free childcare.
This applies to both parents if you’re in a couple. All parents of three and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours free childcare a week as standard, regardless of whether they are in work. Working parents with children of these ages can claim the full 30 hours if they meet the earnings criteria.
There is also the tax-free childcare scheme, which is available to children aged 11 or under, or if your child is disabled, they may qualify until September after their 16th birthday.
Tax-free childcare is an online account where for every £8 you pay in, the Government automatically adds in £2. If you’re eligible, you can get up to £500 every three months for each of your children.
This adds up to £2,000 over 12 months. For disabled children, the maximum amount you could get rises to £4,000. The money has to be spent on a registered childcare provider.