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Tennessee ESA and voucher money for homeschoolers

Individualized Education Account (IEA) Program: 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 Tennessee'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 is open to homeschool families. A student in the IEA can be independently home schooled, but still follows the home school law, including the district's Intent to Home School form. You sign an account holder contract, spend at least half the money each year, and students in the tested grades take an approved test.

Source: Tennessee Department of Education: IEA Program Handbook 2026–27 (PDF); Tennessee Department of Education: IEA for parents and students

How much
Set by a formula from the state's base funding and average special education funds; we found no dollar figure on the Department's pages.Source: Tennessee Department of Education: IEA Program Handbook 2026–27 (PDF)
Who can apply
Students with a qualifying disability who spent the previous school year in a Tennessee public school (or are entering kindergarten or new to the state). A child already home schooling is not eligible.Source: Tennessee Department of Education: Individualized Education Account Program; Tennessee Department of Education: IEA general questions and answers (PDF)
What it can pay for
Home school curricula, tutoring, educational therapies, approved technology and more. Not musical instruments or uniforms, and not family members as tutors or therapists.Source: Tennessee Department of Education: IEA for parents and students; Tennessee Department of Education: IEA Program Handbook 2026–27 (PDF)
How vendors and providers are approved
The Department does not approve providers or publish a list. Money comes on a prepaid debit card, and tutoring and therapy need the Department's pre-approval each year.Source: Tennessee Department of Education: IEA general questions and answers (PDF); Tennessee Department of Education: IEA Program Handbook 2026–27 (PDF)
How and when to apply
2026–27 applications ran February 17 to April 17, 2026; 2027–28 applications are expected to open February 16, 2027.Source: Tennessee Department of Education: IEA student application and renewal

The program's own page: Individualized Education Account (IEA) Program. 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.

Tennessee checklist for this year · ESA and voucher money in every state

Where this comes from

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 Tennessee; 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.