1. The basic rule for any Georgia Promise expense
Georgia Promise money can be spent only on “qualified education expenses,” a list written into the law (§ 20-2B-21(10)) and repeated in the 2026-27 regulations. When you accept the scholarship, you sign an agreement to use the funds only for those expenses, and a parent who does not follow the rules “shall forfeit the account” (§ 20-2B-22(h)). In practice, three things need to be true:
- It is on the qualified list (section 2), and it is for your participating child’s education.
- It is bought in the Odyssey Marketplace from an approved school, service provider or vendor. GESA’s vendor handbook says offerings “must be pre-approved by GESA prior to their inclusion on the program marketplace,” and Odyssey reviews each offering before it is listed.
- It is not billed by a family member. The rules say expenses “for services or products billed by family members are not included.”
Odyssey’s list of what is not allowed ends with a catch-all: “Any purchase not explicitly approved as a qualified education expense.” So if an item isn’t clearly covered, check with Odyssey before you buy (section 9).
GESA’s Eligible Expense List is still titled “2025/26” (list as of May 8, 2025), and its Service Provider/Vendor Handbook is dated June 25, 2025. They are the versions GESA still links. The 2026-27 regulations (effective July 1, 2026) and Odyssey’s Georgia help articles are the more recent sources, and this guide relies on them where they differ.
2. The qualified expense list
The law and the 2026-27 regulations list eight kinds of qualified education expenses:
| Qualified expense | What to know | |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Tuition, fees and required textbooks | For eligible core and CTAE (career, technical and agricultural education) courses at a participating school, an accredited community college or postsecondary institution, or a nonpublic online learning program or course |
| (b) | Tutoring | “Tutoring services provided by an educator certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission” (regulations); GESA’s provider handbook limits tutoring to core subjects |
| (c) | Curriculum | Including required supplemental materials, “as approved by the Authority” (GESA) |
| (d) | Physician and therapy services | From a physician or therapist licensed under Georgia law, including occupational, behavioral, physical or speech-language therapies |
| (e) | Transportation | Up to $500 per year (2026-27) to a fee-for-service transportation provider |
| (f) | Account fees | Fees for managing the account |
| (g) | Other authorized expenses | “Other expenses authorized by the State Board of Education or the Authority” |
| (h) | Parent review committee items | Individual expenses authorized by a majority of the parent review committee |
Your child’s award is the overall limit: up to $6,500 for the 2026-27 school year, paid in four quarterly payments of $1,625, or up to $3,250 for a student funded only for the second half of the year. See our 2026-27 amount guide for how those figures work.
3. Tutoring: the GaPSC and core-subject rules
Tutoring is clearly covered, but Georgia attaches two conditions. First, the law and regulations require “tutoring services provided by an educator certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission” (GaPSC), Georgia’s teacher-certification agency. A certificate from another state does not count. Second, GESA’s vendor handbook marks tutoring with a note: “Only expenses for core subjects are eligible.”
Odyssey’s Georgia Marketplace has these tutoring categories (updated July 7, 2026):
- English / Language Arts / Reading Tutoring
- Math Tutoring
- Science Tutoring
- Social Studies Tutoring
- AP Tutoring and Foreign Language Tutoring
- Tutoring Aides
A few more rules shape what you’ll see when you shop:
- Subject and grade must match the tutor’s certificate. Odyssey says: “Tutors may only provide services listed on their certification and for the grade levels covered.”
- The tutor is named. Odyssey requires an offering to “include the tutor’s name and certification within the offering description.”
- One category per offering. Each Georgia offering sits in a single category, such as Math Tutoring.
- Online counts. Each offering must state its delivery method: in person, virtual or hybrid.
- No special-education category. Odyssey’s categories are by subject, so tutoring for a child with an IEP, dyslexia or ADHD is listed under a subject, such as reading or math.
- No price cap. Odyssey’s price-caps article lists caps for devices, not for tutoring.
Special Ed Resource is an approved provider in the Georgia Promise Scholarship Odyssey Marketplace, with approved tutoring offerings there. Tutoring paid with Georgia Promise must be provided by an educator certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC), and each Marketplace offering names its tutor. Our guide to paying for tutoring with Georgia Promise explains how ordering works, and our guide to finding a Promise tutor for a child with an IEP covers what to check in a listing.
4. Tutoring vs. therapy
Georgia treats tutoring and therapy as two different qualified expenses, with different credential rules:
| Tutoring | Therapy | |
|---|---|---|
| In the regulations | Expense (b): “Tutoring services provided by an educator certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission” | Expense (d): “Services from a physician or therapist licensed pursuant to Chapter 10A, 28, 33, 34, or 44 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia” |
| Who provides it | An educator holding a GaPSC certificate for that subject and grade | A physician or therapist licensed under Georgia law |
| Marketplace categories | Subject tutoring (ELA/reading, math, science, social studies and others) | Occupational Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy |
| What it is | Academic instruction in core subjects | Clinical services such as speech-language or occupational therapy |
Why it matters: if your child needs speech-language or occupational therapy, look for a licensed provider in the therapy categories; a tutor is not a substitute. If your child needs academic help, such as reading support for dyslexia or math foundations, that is tutoring. Both are qualified expenses, so one award can cover both.
We stay in the tutoring category. Our teachers are certified in special education and provide academic tutoring only; we don’t offer therapy, speech services, diagnosis or evaluations.
5. Curriculum and device price caps
Curriculum, including required supplemental materials, is a qualified expense “as approved by the Authority.” Devices are allowed within Odyssey’s price caps for Georgia Promise (article updated July 19, 2026):
| Item (Odyssey, July 2026) | Price cap |
|---|---|
| Laptop | Up to $1,000 |
| Tablet | Up to $500 |
| Desktop | Up to $500 |
| Monitor, printer, calculator | Up to $200 each |
| Tutoring | No cap listed |
This is a summary of the main caps in Odyssey’s July 2026 article, not the full list. Read the article itself before you buy technology, and check its “updated” date, since Odyssey revises its guidance during the year.
6. Tuition, courses and online programs
Expense (a) covers tuition, fees and required textbooks for eligible core and CTAE courses at three kinds of places:
- A participating private school. Under the law, a participating school must be located in Georgia (§ 20-2B-23(a)(6)). Private schools apply to GESA in their own windows; in 2026 they are February 1–28 and October 1–31.
- An accredited community college or other postsecondary institution.
- A nonpublic online learning program or course. GESA’s vendor handbook requires accreditation, for example by a private-school or postsecondary accreditor, DEAC, or “A state-sanctioned accrediting agency for online programs.” This route is for courses, not one-to-one tutoring.
A Promise student may not enroll in a public school, including a charter school, even part time. The one exception in the law is part-time enrollment in a college and career academy approved as a service provider.
7. Transportation: the one paid-back expense
Promise pays schools, providers and vendors through the Odyssey Marketplace. It pays families back for only one kind of expense: transportation. Odyssey’s transportation article (updated August 1, 2026) sets the rules for 2026-27:
- up to $500 per year;
- ride-share or public transit only, such as MARTA; and
- no gas or mileage.
For everything else, the Family Handbook is clear: “Families will not be reimbursed for any purchases made outside of the Marketplace, with the exception of eligible transportation expenses.” You can still pay for education costs with your own money (§ 20-2B-24(e)); Promise simply won’t pay you back for them.
8. What Georgia Promise does not cover
The law, the regulations and Odyssey’s guidance rule out these uses:
- Family members. Services or products billed by family members, or by businesses they own.
- After-school care. Odyssey says it is not an eligible expense.
- Late fees. Odyssey lists them as not allowed.
- Anything not explicitly approved as a qualified education expense.
- Purchases outside the Marketplace, other than eligible transportation. They are not paid back, including tutoring.
- Tutoring outside the rules: tutoring in non-core subjects, or by a tutor without a GaPSC certificate covering that subject and grade.
- Preschool. The program starts at kindergarten; for 2026-27 a student must be at least 5 by September 1, 2026. We tutor children from age 3.5, but preschool tutoring is private pay.
Some rules protect families from offers that look generous but aren’t allowed:
- A school or provider “shall not refund, rebate, or share account funds with a parent or student in any manner” (§ 20-2B-23(d)). Be wary of any cash-back offer tied to Promise funds.
- A provider may not charge Promise families higher fees, or fees that apply only to them (Regs 14.4.3).
Our own IEP Momentum membership, our homeschool plan and Homeschool Momentum are paid directly to Special Ed Resource; we don’t claim Georgia Promise funds cover them.
9. Checking an expense before you buy
Because Promise pays only through the Marketplace and won’t pay families back for tutoring or most other purchases, the time to check is before you order. A quick checklist:
- Have you completed this quarter’s Quarterly Opt-In? Without it, no Marketplace purchases can be made for the quarter.
- Is the item or service on the qualified list (section 2), and is it for your participating child?
- Are you buying it in the Odyssey Marketplace from an approved provider or vendor?
- For tutoring: is it a core subject, and does the listing name a tutor whose GaPSC certificate covers that subject and your child’s grade?
- For devices: is the price within Odyssey’s cap?
- Is anyone in your family billing for it, or offering you money back? If so, it isn’t allowed.
Two more cautions. Odyssey says, “Do not pay any invoices out of pocket if you plan to use your Georgia Promise Scholarship funds for that purchase.” And Odyssey keeps a “No Cancelation Policy” for products and services: a service order is cancelled only if the vendor authorizes it, and refunds go through Odyssey. If you’re unsure about an item, ask the Odyssey Support Team (help@mygeorgiapromise.org, 470-470-7057) or search the Odyssey Georgia help center first.
If tutoring is part of your plan, you’re welcome to book a free consultation with our team to talk through your child’s needs before you spend any of your Promise funds.