Can a relative be a student's provider?
Most programs bar a student's relatives from being paid as that student's provider. The definitions of "relative" differ.
| Program | Rule |
|---|---|
| West VirginiaHope Scholarship | No. Account holders and immediate family can't teach or tutor their own children for Hope funds, and the definition reaches cousins, in-laws and their spouses.1 |
| ArizonaArizona ESA | Account holders and parents can't be paid from their students' ESA funds, and providers can't share, refund or rebate funds to the family.2 |
| GeorgiaPromise Scholarship | No. Therapies provided by the student's family don't count: parents, stepparents, guardians, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and first cousins.3 |
| WyomingWyoming ESA | No. Immediate family (parents, step-parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and first cousins) can't serve as the student's provider.4 |
| MissouriMOScholars | No. Vendors can't pay or reimburse anyone related to the student within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity.5 |
| IowaStudents First ESA | No. Services or products billed by family members (parents through first cousins) are ineligible.6 |
| UtahUtah Fits All | Not for their own child. A homeschool parent can't be paid to teach their own child but can serve other UFA students; a private-school owner can't use their child's scholarship at their own school.7 |
| TexasTEFA | Not published by the program in a source we can cite. |
| LouisianaGATOR | Not published by the program in a source we can cite. |
"Not published" means we couldn't find the rule in the program's official materials, not that no rule exists. Check with the program before relying on it.
Sources
- 1. Hope Scholarship Education Service Provider Handbook, WV Hope Scholarship provider handbook, p. 16, updated Aug 27, 2026
- 2. Arizona ESA 2025-2026 Parent Handbook, Arizona Dept. of Education, handbook p. 20, updated Jun 26, 2025
- 3. Georgia Promise Scholarship Program Vendor Service Provider Eligibility, Odyssey help center, updated Aug 1, 2026
- 4. Becoming an Approved Education Service Provider ESP, Odyssey help center, updated May 21, 2026
- 5. How to Become a Vendor or Service Provider for MOScholars, Odyssey help center, updated Jun 12, 2026
- 6. Iowa s Students First ESA Program Eligible and Ineligible Expenses, Odyssey help center, updated Jun 2, 2026
- 7. Can a Parent Be a Provider or Work at a School Their Child Attends With the Utah Fits All Scholarship, Odyssey help center, updated Mar 8, 2026