Where do I apply to be a ESA+ vendor?

Start from the official North Carolina program page: https://k12.ncseaa.edu/the-education-student-accounts/current-families/service-providers/enrollment/

How do ESA+ providers get paid?

After the service, give the parent an invoice. The parent submits it in ClassWallet, ESA+ staff review it, and if approved the funds move to your bank account. If it's rejected, nothing transfers and the parent gets an explanation. Payment agreements and insurance explanations of benefits aren't accepted. Every invoice needs the student's name as it appears in MyPortal, the parent of record's name, your enrolled provider name, the date(s) of service, the type of service and the amount due.

How to become an ESA+ vendor in North Carolina

North Carolina's ESA+ pays for education and support services for K-12 students with disabilities. Providers enroll with the NC State Education Assistance Authority (SEAA) through its Provider Portal, then families pay your invoices through ClassWallet after SEAA staff review them.

Official vendor registration Build a compliant invoice Build my document checklist

Checked against official sources on Oct 9, 2026

Run by

NC State Education Assistance Authority, paid via ClassWallet

Enrollment time

About 2 weeks after documents are in1

Card fee

2.5% on ESA+ debit, only as an invoice line item2

Provider types

4 with their own documents

Who can apply

ESA+ covers therapy, tutoring, 1:1 classroom aides and transportation for K-12 students with disabilities. Create an account in the Provider Portal (it takes under 5 minutes), upload your documents, and watch for notifications.3
Submit copies of the actual credentials, not screenshots of a website verification page. The only exception is Registered Behavior Technicians certified through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.3
Companies whose providers are all credentialed can enroll once as a facility by signing the Facility Service Provider Agreement, which affirms each teacher, tutor and therapist holds acceptable credentials.3
Enrolled providers appear in SEAA's searchable Provider Database for families. SEAA doesn't market providers beyond that.1

Documents by provider type

Tutors and teachers

A teaching certificate from North Carolina or another state (it doesn't have to be current), or a bachelor's degree. Services must support math, science, English language arts, social studies, foreign language, music or art. Sign the Individual Service Provider agreement.3

Educational therapists

An individual license or accreditation recognized by a state, regional or national body that governs your field of therapy, plus the Individual Service Provider agreement.3

1:1 classroom aides

At least a high school diploma. You must work in a classroom or educational setting and can't be an employee or contractor of the student's school.3

Transportation

A copy of a current business license issued by the North Carolina Secretary of State.3

How you get paid

1After the service, give the parent an invoice. The parent submits it in ClassWallet, ESA+ staff review it, and if approved the funds move to your bank account. If it's rejected, nothing transfers and the parent gets an explanation. Payment agreements and insurance explanations of benefits aren't accepted.4
2Every invoice needs the student's name as it appears in MyPortal, the parent of record's name, your enrolled provider name, the date(s) of service, the type of service and the amount due.5
3Dates of service can be written as a date (9/12/2026), a month (September 2026) or a semester (Fall Semester 2026). Families can prepay for a month or a semester, but not for the whole year in the fall.5
4Therapists: describe the therapy in words ("Occupational Therapy", "Applied Behavior Analysis"), not with codes or acronyms.5
5Track status in ClassWallet's Payment Reports.4

Build a compliant invoice

What trips providers up

ESA+ pays for services delivered directly to the student only. Parent consultations, IEP meeting attendance, administrative fees and test-scoring fees are rejected, and providers can't charge for equipment or materials.6
If the parent already paid you out of pocket, ESA+ can't pay you for that service. There are no reimbursements.2
All invoices for the school year must be submitted before ESA+ closes ClassWallet in mid-June. Summer services can be prepaid before then, or paid for July and August after it reopens.2

Sources

1.ESA+ service providers, NC State Education Assistance Authority, updated Oct 9, 2026
2.ESA+ Invoices for Services (August 2026), NC State Education Assistance Authority, p. 3, updated Aug 11, 2026
3.ESA+ provider enrollment, NC State Education Assistance Authority, updated Oct 9, 2026
4.ESA+ Invoices for Services (August 2026), NC State Education Assistance Authority, p. 1, updated Aug 11, 2026
5.ESA+ Invoices for Services (August 2026), NC State Education Assistance Authority, p. 2, updated Aug 11, 2026
6.ESA+ Invoices for Services (August 2026), NC State Education Assistance Authority, p. 4, updated Aug 11, 2026

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Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0

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