1. The 2026-27 Georgia Promise amount at a glance
The program site says that for the 2026-27 academic year, the scholarship provides “up to $6,500 per eligible student, paid in four quarterly installments.” For 2026-27, its FAQ adds that the amount “is set by law at a maximum of $6,500” and that the Georgia Education Savings Authority (GESA) “may withhold up to 5 percent of the scholarship proceeds for administrative purposes.” Odyssey, the program manager, lists the same $6,500 total and $1,625 quarterly payments for 2026-27.
| Item | 2026-27 school year |
|---|---|
| Maximum per student | Up to $6,500 |
| Quarterly payment | $1,625, four times a year |
| Administrative withholding | Up to 5% of the approved annual amount |
| Applied in the August or November 2026 window | Second half of the year only: up to $3,250 before any withholding |
| Rollover | Up to 50% of the funds deposited for the current school year |
| Extra amount for a disability or IEP | None |
| Taxable income to the parent | No (§ 20-2B-24(c)) |
2. The four quarterly payments
The money arrives in four parts, not all at once. Odyssey’s disbursement article (updated May 21, 2026) says the full 2026-27 amount is $6,500 and that the first quarterly disbursement of $1,625 “will be released on or after July 1, 2026.” The regulations say the quarterly payments are to be “as nearly as practical” equal.
| Spending quarter (2026-27) | Quarterly payment | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| July 1 – September 30 | July 2026 | $1,625 |
| October 1 – December 31 | October 2026 | $1,625 |
| January 1 – March 31 | January | $1,625 |
| April 1 – June 30 | April | $1,625 |
| Full school year | Up to $6,500 |
The Quarterly Opt-In. New for 2026-27, you must opt in before spending in each quarter. In your Odyssey account you confirm that your student “is not in public school and will not attend public school while using scholarship funds for this quarter.” Odyssey says that without it, no tuition payments or Marketplace purchases can be made for that quarter. The quarters run July 1 to September 30, October 1 to December 31, January 1 to March 31, and April 1 to June 30.
3. The up-to-5% administrative withholding
The regulations (Regs 15.5) let GESA “reduce the quarterly account funding by an amount sufficient to administer the program, not to exceed 5 percent of the approved annual scholarship amount.” For a full 2026-27 award of $6,500, 5% is $325, so the most that could be withheld across the year is $325.
Odyssey’s disbursement article does not say whether any withholding comes out before or after the 2026-27 quarterly figure of $1,625. Your Odyssey account shows what has actually been deposited, and Odyssey can answer questions about a specific balance.
4. Half-year awards from the later windows
In 2026, families could apply in four windows: March, May, August and November. Each window is for the next semester. GESA’s Family Handbook says: “Families that apply in the third or fourth application window will only be eligible to receive funding for the second half of the school year (beginning on or around Jan 1).”
| 2026 family window | Funding starts | 2026-27 maximum |
|---|---|---|
| March 1–31, 2026 | Fall semester | Up to $6,500 (four payments) |
| May 1–31, 2026 | Fall semester | Up to $6,500 (four payments) |
| August 1–31, 2026 | Second half of the year, on or around January 1 | Up to $3,250 (two payments) |
| November 1–30, 2026 | Second half of the year, on or around January 1 | Up to $3,250 (two payments) |
Example (for illustration): a family applies in the November 1–30, 2026 window and is approved after the window closes (approvals are not made until a window has closed). Funding starts on or around January 1, so the student can receive the January and April payments: up to $3,250 for 2026-27. That half-year figure is our arithmetic, two quarterly payments of $1,625, before any administrative withholding. The November 1–30, 2026 window is the last one for the 2026-27 school year. Only families at or below 400% of the federal poverty level are considered for spring-semester enrollment; in 2026, families above that level could be considered only in the March and May windows. GESA must publish next year’s application periods by December 15, 2026. Our application and deadlines guide covers each window.
5. One amount for every student
The Georgia Promise Scholarship has no tiers. The law and regulations set one maximum for every eligible student, and they contain no disability-based amount or priority. A child with an IEP, a 504 plan, dyslexia, ADHD or autism has the same maximum as any other student: up to $6,500 for 2026-27. Family income doesn’t change the maximum either. It affects whether and when a family can be considered (the law sets a 400% limit, with an exception), its priority for a place in the program and, if money ever falls short, how reductions are shared (see section 7). Our eligibility guide explains the priority order.
Each child has their own amount. The maximum is per eligible student, so two eligible siblings could each have up to $6,500 for 2026-27. Siblings can go on one application, and siblings are second in the program’s priority order when there are more applicants than funds. A sibling added later needs a new application or the recertification step.
The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) is a separate state program that works differently. Its maximum award is based on what the school district would spend on the services in the student’s IEP, and it is paid to a participating private school with a physical Georgia campus. The state’s 2024-25 report gives an average GSNS award of $7,767, with a range of $532 to $19,184. A student cannot receive GSNS and Promise at the same time. Our Georgia scholarships comparison explains both.
6. What happens to unused funds
Unspent money partly carries over. The law (§ 20-2B-24(d)) says: “Unused funds in an account, up to an amount not greater than 50 percent of the total funds deposited into the account for the current school year, shall roll over.” The program site gives an example: if a student is awarded $6,500 for the year (the 2026-27 maximum), the most that can roll over is $3,250.
Two account-closing rules also apply (§ 20-2B-24(d); Regs 15.7):
- an account that is inactive for two consecutive school years is closed; and
- the account of a student who graduates is closed.
In both cases, the remaining money returns to the state. A parent who doesn’t follow the program’s rules also “shall forfeit the account” (§ 20-2B-22(h)).
7. How the amount is set, and future years
The Promise law (§ 20-2B-24(a)) sets three money rules:
- The award. $6,500 “for the first school year” (2025-26), with later years adjusted by a formula tied to the state’s Quality Basic Education (QBE) base amount, plus “austerity adjustments, if any.”
- A program cap. Total program money may not exceed 1 percent of the total QBE appropriation from the previous fiscal year.
- A shortfall rule. If money falls short, the reduction for families at or below 400% of the federal poverty level may be no more than half the reduction for families above it.
The state budget for the 2026-27 school year (HB 974) provides $100,000,000 for the Promise Scholarship. The budget describes its change to that line as aligning funds “to meet prior year utilization and provide funding for 80% growth.”
Next year’s amount has not been published. GESA’s Family Handbook says funding amounts “may change each year” and “may increase or decrease in future years based on the state’s education funding formula.” Until GESA posts a new figure, the only confirmed amount is up to $6,500 for 2026-27.
8. Taxes and paying with your own money
Taxes. The Promise law says scholarship funds are not taxable income to the parent (§ 20-2B-24(c)). For questions about your own return, ask a tax professional.
Your own money. Nothing in the law or regulations stops a family from paying for education costs “from a source other than the account funds” (§ 20-2B-24(e); Regs 16.6). What Promise won’t do is pay you back. The Family Handbook says families “will not be reimbursed for any purchases made outside of the Marketplace, with the exception of eligible transportation expenses,” and transportation is limited to up to $500 a year for 2026-27, for ride-share or public transit only. So if you plan to use Promise funds for something, buy it through the Odyssey Marketplace, and don’t pay the invoice yourself first.
9. Planning a tutoring budget
Odyssey’s price caps for Georgia Promise (updated July 19, 2026) apply to devices such as laptops and tablets; no cap is listed for tutoring. That means your child’s whole 2026-27 amount could go toward tutoring if that is what your child needs most, within three rules:
- Who teaches. Tutoring must be “provided by an educator certified by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission” (GaPSC).
- What subject. Only core subjects are eligible.
- Where you buy. Tutoring is bought through the Odyssey Marketplace; it is not reimbursed.
A practical way to plan:
- Start from your child’s maximum for 2026-27 (or the half-year amount if you applied in August or November) and any rollover in your Odyssey account.
- Decide what tutoring should accomplish this year, such as reading fluency or math foundations, and how many sessions a week that realistically takes.
- Plan quarter by quarter, since funds arrive in four payments and you complete the Quarterly Opt-In before spending each quarter.
- Leave room for curriculum and other expenses, keeping in mind that at most half of a year’s deposits roll over.
Providers may not charge Promise families higher fees than other families (Regs 14.4.3). 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. In a free consultation we can help you think through how much support your child may need before you commit any of your Promise funds. Our guide to paying for tutoring with Georgia Promise walks through the Marketplace steps.