The ESA money math,
before it lands.
Pick your state, enter the award and your tuition, and see exactly what lands and when, plus what each family still owes. Texas TEFA is loaded by default.
| Disbursement | Share | Into the account |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2026 | 25% | $2,618.50 |
| October 1, 2026 | 25% | $2,618.50 |
| February 1, 2027 | 50% | $5,237.00 |
These releases fund the family’s TEFA account, not your bank account. Your school collects its tuition from that account, so what you bank is the tuition figure below, not the award. Anything the award leaves over stays with the family for other approved expenses.
Spendable on other approved expenses through Odyssey, under program rules.
Funds flow through Odyssey, the certified educational assistance organization selected by the Texas Comptroller. No reimbursements; technology is capped at 10% of the award. The parent directs the payment to your school from their TEFA account on Odyssey, so each release depends on the family completing their step and on the school having confirmed enrolment.
How the ESA calculator works
Pick a state and the calculator loads that program’s award where one is published for 2026-27; where it is not, you enter your own. Then it compares the award with your annual tuition for one student. If the award covers your tuition, your school collects the full tuition and the rest of the award is not yours to invoice. If the award falls short, the family owes the difference out of pocket, and the calculator splits that into quarters.
The schedule shows when the state funds the family’s account, which is not the same as when your school is paid. Texas TEFA funds private-school accounts in three installments, 25% on July 1, 25% on October 1, and 50% on February 1, and homeschool accounts receive their full $2,000 on July 1. West Virginia deposits on its published quarterly dates. For the other states the calculator shows an even quarterly split, labeled as an estimate, because those programs set their own dates.
It is the math for one family, once. How TEFA pays your school walks through how the money moves from the account to your bank, and the free ESA invoice template shows how to put the split on a quarterly invoice.
This is one family, once. CohortLedger runs this math for every family on your roster, every quarter, and keeps the dated record a state reviewer asks for.
Texas figures verified from educationfreedom.texas.gov and comptroller.texas.gov: $10,474 per K-12 private school student, up to $30,000 for a student with a qualifying IEP on file with TEA, $2,000 per homeschool student; private-school disbursements 25% on July 1, 25% on October 1, 50% on February 1, homeschool 100% on July 1. Each other state shows its program’s verified or most recent award (AZ varies; FL, LA, and MO are not fixed for 2026-27, so you enter your own) and an estimated even quarterly split where the program sets the exact dates. West Virginia’s quarterly dates (Aug 15, Oct 15, Jan 15, Apr 15) are exact. Confirm the current-year award with your state program before quoting it. Educational information, not financial or legal advice. Corrections: hello@cohortledger.com.