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Texas TEFA for homeschool families

Education savings account · Texas · 2026-27 · checked Oct 12, 2026 against 7 sources · General information, not legal or financial advice.

Your Texas TEFA to-do

  1. Check that your child qualifies
    Homeschooled children can take part in the "homeschool/other" setting, chosen on the application. They get at most $2,000 a year, paid in one installment, even with an IEP. The setting locks when applications close: a family can later move from private school to homeschool/other (and the lower amount), but not the other way for more money.
  2. Apply (2026-27, closed)
    The 2026-27 application window opened February 4, 2026 and closed March 31, 2026. Dates for 2027-28 are not published yet (interest list on the program site).
  3. Opt in as homeschool/other for July 1 funding
    Awarded homeschool/other students must opt in by June 15 to receive funding on July 1.
  4. Opt in for mid-August funding
    Opt in by July 31 to receive funding by mid-August.
  5. Last date for the full award
    Students coming off the waitlist must confirm they have opted in as homeschool/other by Sept. 15 to receive the full award; later confirmations may be prorated.
  6. Report enrollment in public school
    Within 30 days (30 business days in the statute) after the child enrolls in a public or charter school, graduates, or otherwise becomes ineligible.
  7. Spending
    No spending deadline: money left at the end of the program year carries forward while the child stays eligible and the parent confirms continued participation.

Print the receipt checklist

What a valid Texas TEFA receipt shows, and a log to fill in.

What Texas TEFA says

Texas Education Freedom Accounts, run by Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (with Odyssey as the certified educational assistance organization).

Homeschoolers
Homeschoolers can use it
Homeschooled children can take part in the "homeschool/other" setting, chosen on the application. They get at most $2,000 a year, paid in one installment, even with an IEP. The setting locks when applications close: a family can later move from private school to homeschool/other (and the lower amount), but not the other way for more money.
Amount
WhoGradesPer year
Homeschool/otherK-12$2,000
2026-27. The cap for every child who is homeschooled or not in a participating private school, including children with an IEP. Paid all at once (July 1 or mid-August, or later and prorated for waitlist awards).
Participating private schoolPre-K-12$10,474
2026-27. 85% of the statewide average state and local funding per student, as set by TEA. Paid 25% / 25% / 50%. Not for homeschoolers.
Private school, child with an IEPPre-K-12$30,000
2026-27. Up to $30,000: the private school amount plus the IEP-based special education amount; most children get less. Needs an IEP on file with TEA by the application deadline. Not for homeschoolers (capped at $2,000).
What you can spend on
  • Tuition and fees at a private school, higher education provider, online educational course or program, or program that provides training for an industry-based credential approved by the Texas Education Agency
  • Textbooks or other instructional materials
  • Required uniforms
  • Fees for classes provided by school districts that do not qualify the child to be included in school's average daily attendance
  • Academic assessment costs
  • Private tutoring
  • Transportation to/from approved providers
  • Educational therapies not covered by any federal, state, or local government benefits (i.e, Medicaid)
  • Computer hardware or software (must not exceed 10 percent of the total amount transferred to the child's account that year)
  • Meals provided by private school
What a receipt must show
  • No reimbursement: purchases are made in the program marketplace on Odyssey and paid directly to preapproved providers and vendors; purchases made outside the marketplace are not reimbursed.
  • Each purchase request is checked by Odyssey: it must be an approved expense, from a provider or vendor in good standing, and not more than the account balance.
  • Keep the information and documentation for every program transaction: the program's auditor and the State Auditor may ask for it.
  • Funds may not be used to pay a family member, and items bought with program money may not be sold.
Where you submit
Odyssey (TEFA marketplace) · site
Direct pay: the program pays approved vendors
Learning plan
Not required
Testing
Not required
Renewal
No new application: participants in good standing stay in the program. The parent confirms during the application period that the child will continue the next year; continuing children are admitted before new applicants.
New program (Senate Bill 2, 2025): 2026-27 is the first funded year. More than 274,000 applications; awards by lottery in priority tiers by household income (tier 1: children with a disability at or below 500% FPL). From year 2, siblings of participants come first.
116,574 participating students on October 1, 2026 (all settings; no separate homeschool count published).
Children enrolled in a public or charter school during the year are removed from the program.
Rules: 34 TAC §§16.401-16.410 (adopted December 2025). Odyssey's help center (support.withodyssey.com) blocks automated reading, so the participant handbook details there were not checked.

Sources

General information, not legal or financial advice. Programs change their rules every year; check with Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (with Odyssey as the certified educational assistance organization) before you spend. If something looks wrong, tell us.

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