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We are from the government and we are here to help. Most of us would scream in fear and run the other way like Homer Simpson. Alas, the IRS is saying such words and they are actually true regarding a tax credit you can claim.

If you are hunting for tax deductions when preparing your taxes, you are looking for the wrong thing. The things you really want to find are tax credits. Tax deductions are Hondas to the Ferrari of a tax credit.

A tax credit is incredibly valuable because it is deducted from the actual tax amount you owe the IRS. A tax deduction, on the other hand, is deducted from your gross income. This effectively means the tax credit is going to reduce your tax bill more than a deduction.

At this point, you are probably wondering how this relates to summer camp fun for the kids. Well, most working parents send kids to summer camps. If you child is under 13, you are in for some excellent tax news.

You can claim the cost of camp as part of the child care credit. Oddly, this can only be claimed for a day camp. If the kids stay overnight, the cost does not qualify. Why this is so is very unclear.

The credit is generally 20 to 35 percent of expenses. The amount is capped at $3000 in expenses for one child and up to $6000 for two or more. So, you could effectively claim a credit of $600 for one child with a 20 percent designation.

Income is also a factor in figuring the credit as you might expect. The 35 percent rate applies if your income is under $15,000. The 20 percent rate, if your income is over $43,000. The percentage moves down as your income increases.

As always, reading the instructions from the IRS is advisable. In this case, we are talking about publication 503. You can download it directly form the website of the IRS, but be warned it is written in tax lingo to a certain extent.

If you like paying the IRS, completely ignore this article. If you feel Uncle Sam is getting more than his fair share, see if you can claim this tax credit and make sure to look for others as well.