The Students First Act , introduced by Governor Reynolds and signed into law on January 24, , makes state funding available to support the success of every K student in Iowa. The bill established a framework and funding for education savings accounts ESAs , which may be used by eligible families to cover tuition, fees, and other qualified education expenses at accredited nonpublic schools in Iowa. Iowa Administrative Code specifies definitions for the program, eligibility requirements for participation, parameters for the application process, and program administration and accountability.
Application Help: help. The application window for the school year is open from a. June 30, Apply Now. Funds are held in an education savings account ESA to be used for tuition, fees, and other eligible qualified education expenses. The state contracted with Odyssey for ESA program administration, including applications, financial transactions, compliance, fraud prevention and customer service. Odyssey securely administers funds and provides families with direct customer service and support.
Answers to frequently asked questions will be posted regularly on this webpage. Send your questions to studentsfirst iowa. If a student attended an accredited nonpublic school in , in any grade K, even for a single day or in a part-time program, the parent or guardian should say "Yes" to the question of whether or not the student attended an accredited nonpublic school in What information do I need to set up an ESA for my child?
What information will be used to verify Iowa residency? Details of approved documents to submit for residency verification are listed below. How do I know if my family meets the income requirements to be eligible for the ESA? In the school year, only families whose children were enrolled in an Iowa accredited nonpublic school in the school year but did not receive and use an ESA will need to meet income eligibility requirements.
See matrix below. Will ESA Funds need to be reported as taxable income? For Iowa tax purposes, ESA funds are not taxable income if the funds are used for eligible educational expenses e. See Eligible and Ineligible Expenses. For federal tax purposes, ESA funds are treated differently.
