Florida ESA and voucher money for homeschoolers
Personalized Education Program (PEP), Florida Tax Credit Scholarship: what taking the money does to your homeschool status, then the amount, who can apply, what it buys and how vendors are approved.
This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Florida's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.
Deadlines, forms and amounts checked on against the sources linked on this page.
What taking the money does to your homeschool status
A program exists, and taking the money changes your homeschool status. Taking PEP ends your home education program. A student in a home education program is not eligible, and a family that was homeschooling must end that status with the school district. PEP families register with a scholarship-funding organization, send it a student learning plan each year, and take a norm-referenced test every year.
Source: Florida Statutes 1002.395, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (legislature); Step Up For Students: PEP family handbook
- How much
- Set each year by the Legislature in the state budget, and listed by county and grade in Step Up For Students' table. An account may not hold more than $24,000.Source: Step Up For Students: 2026–27 scholarship amounts by district (PDF); Florida Statutes 1002.395, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (legislature)
- Who can apply
- Students in kindergarten through grade 12 who are not enrolled full time in a public or private school, regardless of income, up to a yearly number of scholarships. The law's cap is repealed July 1, 2027.Source: Step Up For Students (Florida scholarship-funding organization): Personalized Education Program; Florida Statutes 1002.395, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (legislature)
- What it can pay for
- Instructional materials, curriculum, part-time tutoring, testing fees and services from a public school, among others. Not digital devices such as laptops and computers, and not training or conferences for parents.Source: Step Up For Students (Florida scholarship-funding organization): Personalized Education Program; Step Up For Students: PEP family handbook
- How vendors and providers are approved
- Step Up For Students runs the marketplace: products through MyScholarShop, and services such as tutoring from pre-approved providers. Providers create an account; product vendors are vetted before they appear.Source: Step Up For Students: PEP family handbook; Step Up For Students: become a service provider; Step Up For Students: vendors
- How and when to apply
- 2026–27 applications ran February 1 to April 30, 2026 and are closed. No 2027–28 dates were posted when we checked.Source: Step Up For Students (Florida scholarship-funding organization): Personalized Education Program
The program's own page: Personalized Education Program (PEP), Florida Tax Credit Scholarship. Programs change their amounts, dates and rules every year, so read the current handbook before you apply or spend.
Before you decide
- Read what the money changes first. In some states taking it means you are no longer homeschooling under the homeschool law, and the program's own rules (an agreement, tests, a learning plan) apply instead.
- Keep every receipt and the program's approval emails; programs ask for them.
- Peabody Teach is free and sells nothing, so it is not a vendor in any program and has no stake in what you buy. There are no affiliate links on this page.
Florida checklist for this year · ESA and voucher money in every state
Where this comes from
- Florida Statutes 1002.41, Home education programs (legislature) (the law)
- Florida Statutes 1003.21, School attendance (legislature) (the law)
- Florida Statutes 1002.01, Definitions (legislature) (the law)
- Florida Statutes 1002.395, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (legislature) (the law)
- Step Up For Students: 2026–27 scholarship amounts by district (PDF) (other)
- Step Up For Students (Florida scholarship-funding organization): Personalized Education Program (other)
- Step Up For Students: PEP family handbook (other)
- Step Up For Students: become a service provider (other)
- Step Up For Students: vendors (other)
Checked on October 29, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and forms change; confirm a date with your school district or the state agency before you rely on it. For legal advice, ask a lawyer licensed in Florida; homeschool legal-help organizations and your state's homeschool groups can also point you to help. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.