You got the notification. Your child has been selected for a Texas Education Freedom account. Wow, that's huge. Congratulations. Seriously, you did the work. You applied and it paid off. Take a moment to feel incredible about that. And now let's make sure you don't leave a single dollar unspent, untracked, or at risk because getting approved is step one. Managing your account wisely, spending the money on the right things, keeping your account in good standing year after year. That is the part that most parents figure out the hard way. We're gonna make sure you figure it out the easy way. So this is episode number five in our TFA series. If you're new here, go back and listen to all the previous episodes. We cover everything from the basics to disability funding to school selection. Today, we're focused entirely on what happens after you're approved. A fast growing number of parents are starting their homeschooling journey while others have been homeschooling for years. All of these parents are asking one big question, how can I afford to homeschool? We are here to answer that important question once and for all. Hi, I'm Crystal Obby. And I'm Anthony Obby. We've been homeschooling our five kids for 13 years and we funded it. Through our online consulting business that we've been running for over 17 years now, we're combining Crystal's financial coaching expertise with my digital marketing background where I help entrepreneurs launch and sell online. We're here to help fellow homeschooling parents self-fund their homeschool journey and create lifestyle businesses. For financial freedom without a nine to five job, are you ready to start living life on your own terms and make your homeschooling experience a lot more fun? Well then sit back, crank up the volume, and enjoy this episode of Homeschool Money. Welcome to the Homeschool Money podcast. I'm your host, Anthony Oby. I'm your host, crystal Oby. Now, let's start with the money, because once you're approved, the first question every parent has is when do I actually see it and how does it work? I Your TFA funding does not arrive all at once. It comes in three rounds across the school year. The first distribution, at least 25% of your total account is made available in the Odyssey platform by July 1st. Additional funding follows by October 1st and the remaining balance by April 1st, 2027. So if your account is $10,474, you're looking at roughly $2,600 or more available in July, more in October, and the final portion in the spring. The Money lives inside the Odyssey platform. Think of it as a dedicated education spending account that you access online or through the app. You use it to make approved purchases directly through the Odyssey marketplace or to pay approved vendors and providers who are set up in the system. This is really the important point. You cannot make a purchase outside of the Odyssey system and then submit a receipt for reimbursement. That's not how the program works. All purchases must go through the approved platform. If you buy something at a store with your own credit card and expect to get paid back, that will not happen and you will have spent your own money with no benefit from the program. so before you spend a dollar, make sure the vendor or provider you want to use is set up in the Odyssey marketplace. If they're not, find out if they can register because providers can apply to join the platform. Your child's tutor, therapist, or curriculum supplier may need a gentle nudge to get registered, and the sooner that happens, the sooner you can pay them through the system. But there's good news Participants who remain in good standing do not need to reapply every year. Your account continues automatically. All the work you did this year pays off for every year your child stays in the program. All right, so let's now talk about eligible expenses in detail, because this is where families sometimes make innocent mistakes that create real problems. The five approved categories are private school, tuition and fees, educational therapies and services, curriculum and instructional materials, tutoring and supplemental education services, and technology, which is kept at 10% of your account. The detailed list of what counts within each category will be in your participant handbook from Odyssey. Read that handbook every page. It is your rule book for the year and what's in it will protect you from accidentally spending on something that isn't eligible. Hey, real quick, if you're liking the show, hit follow so you don't miss a single episode and drop a five star rating and a review to let us know that you're loving the content and tell us what topics you'd like us to cover. This will help more people find the show, and please share this episode with a friend, your co-op, or anyone who needs it. They'll be glad you did. Now, back to the show. Let's walk through some common questions parents have about what is and isn't covered. Can I use TFA money to pay a family member to tutor my child? No. The program is very clear on this. Funding cannot be used to pay any person who is related to the program participant. So a parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt, or uncle cannot be paid from the chief of funds for tutoring or any other service. It must be an independent qualified provider. Can I buy a laptop or tablet for my child? Yes, yes, and yes, technology is an approved category, but it's kept at 10% of your total account on a $10,474 account. That's just over a thousand dollars for technology purchases on a $2,000 homeschool account, that is $200. Plan your technology spending with that cap in mind. Here's another question. Can I buy general school supplies, backpacks, notebooks, pencils. General school supplies are typically not covered as a standalone category. The curriculum and instructional materials category is meant for learning materials directly tied to your child's educational program. That's textbooks, structured reading programs, science kits, math manipulatives, and similar resources. When in doubt, check the participant handbook or contact Odyssey before purchasing. What about extracurricular activities like sports? Arts and music lessons. So this is a gray area that depends entirely on how the activity is classified and whether the provider is registered in the Odyssey system. Some educational enrichment programs may qualify general recreational sports leagues or non-educational activities typically would not again. The participant handbook is your guide if it's not clearly listed as eligible. Verify before you spend money. Next question. Can I get a cash refund if I spend less than my account balance? No TFA funds can only be used for qualified education expenses within the approved platform. No provider school or vendor is permitted to give you a rebate, refund credit, or cash back of any TFA money. Any funds that remain unspent at the end of the program year are not yours to pocket. Spend thoughtfully and use every dollar on legitimate educational expenses. Never do this. Do not attempt to use TFA funds for personal expenses. Sell items purchased TFA money or arrange any kind of kickback with a provider. These actions are not gray areas. They constitute fraud and can be referred to a county or district attorney for prosecution. Your TIFA account is valuable for families with a child with a disability. It could represent tens of thousands of dollars over multiple school years. Protecting it is just as important as using it. Let's talk about how to stay in good standing and make sure your account is never at risk. Rule number one, notify the program within 30 days within rule number one. Notify the program within 30 business days if anything changes that affects your child's eligibility. If your child enrolls in a public school or charter school receives A GED, graduates or otherwise becomes ineligible, you must report it. Failure to do so and continuing to use the funds is a serious violation. When in doubt, notify them. Rule number two, keep records of every purchase. Save your receipts, screenshots of transactions, and any documentation that shows the educational purpose of each purchase. The program has. The authority to, to the program has the authority to conduct audits. If your account is reviewed, your records are your protection. Treat every purchase, like you might have to explain it to an auditor someday rule number three, stay engaged with the Odyssey platform. Log in regularly. Check your account balance, review your transaction history. Make sure every purchase that appears in your account is one you actually made. Report any discrepancies immediately to Odyssey at 7 3 7 3 7 9 23 62. Or help dot tx@withodyssey.com. And remember phone numbers and contact information like this. We're gonna share in this episode's show notes. So please check there for this type of information. Rule number four, complete any required assessments. As a T of participant you agree to share or authorize sharing of your child's assessment results with Odyssey. If the program requires your child to take a particular assessment, make sure it happens and that the results are submitted. This is part of the program's accountability structure and your agreement as a participant. Hey, friend, quick break. If you're ready to fund your homeschool without relying on a nine to five job, you have to check this out. We're giving you instant access to. Our free class is called Get 30,000 a year to Fund Your Homeschool Without a nine to five job. In just 90 minutes, you'll learn how to create consistent income. Afford a world-class education for your kids and get the lifestyle freedom you deserve, that's gonna give you more time to invest into the people that matter the most, your children. This is the system that changed everything for us, and it's changed everything for hundreds of other families too. Go to homeschool money.com to register and watch the free class on demand and get our newsletter full of tips and support. Don't wait. Your freedom starts right now. Rule number five, do not try to change your educational setting to one that requires more funding. After the application window has closed, if you selected homeschool and later want to switch to private school, the additional funding is not available mid-year. Plan your educational setting carefully before the March 17th deadline each year because that selection is binding for funding purposes. Rule number six. Remember that tifa does not guarantee private school admission year over year. Your TA account continues, but your child's enrollment at a particular school is governed by that school's own policies. Stay in communication with your school, meet their enrollment renewal deadlines, and confirm your child's placement in the Odyssey system each year there's great news families who stay in good standing do not have to go through the lottery. Again, your account renews. This is one of the most underappreciated benefits of the program once you're in, staying in is much easier than getting in. Now, let's talk about strategy because there's a difference between spending your TFA money and maximizing your T of money. The families who get the most out of this program are the ones who plan ahead and use their account, like the powerful educational tool that it is. Start by mapping out your child's educational needs for the year before the first funding round hits in July. What does your child need most? Is it specialized tutoring, therapeutic services, a curriculum, upgrade new technology, get that list written down and prioritized so that when the funds hit. You know exactly where they go. For families with a private school account at $10,474. If your tuition is less than that amount, the remaining balance doesn't disappear. It stays in your account for other approved expenses. So a child attending a school with an $8,000 tuition still has over $2,000 left to spend on tutoring, curriculum, materials, educational therapies, or technology For homeschool families, working with $2,000, think of that as a curriculum and support budget. Map out your full year curriculum costs first, then layer in any tutoring or supplemental support your child needs. Leave your 10% technology allocation, that's $200 for a specific tool that enhances your child's learning rather than a general device for families with disability funding, this is where real strategy pays off. You may have 20,000, 25,000, or close to $30,000 available. Prioritize the therapeutic services and specialized instruction that your child needs, but that has historically been out of reach financially. Speech therapy, occupational therapy, specialized reading intervention, applied behavior analysis. These are often the highest impact uses of disability funding. And here's a planning tip. Think of your tifa account, like a household budget with categories. Assign a portion to tuition, a portion to tutoring or therapy, a portion to curriculum materials, and your 10% cap to technology. Knowing your category allocations before spending season begins, prevents overspending in one area and running short in another. And don't forget, providers need to be registered in the Odyssey marketplace before you can pay them. If you have a therapist tutor or a curriculum provider you want to use, reach out to them before July and walk them through the registration process. The earlier they're set up, the earlier your child's services can begin. We wanna take a moment before our final action plan to reflect on what this series has been about, because this isn't really about money or applications or deadlines. It's about something bigger than that. Remember, Texas just put $1 billion on the table and said, parents, you decide. You decide where your child learns, you decide what resources they get. You decide what kind of education matches. Who your child actually is. This is a historic shift and it's happening right now for families who've been fighting for years to get their child with a disability, the right services. This program creates a dedicated funding stream that has never existed before in Texas. For families who knew a different school was the right fit but couldn't afford it. This program's for families who knew a different school. For families who knew a different school was the right fit but couldn't afford it. This program opens that door for homeschool families who have been doing this on a shoestring. This program says, your choice is valid, and here's some real support. We built this series because we believe informed parents are empowered parents, the families who understand this program fully. Who know the deadlines, know the documents, know the rules, and know their options. Are the families who will use every dollar and protect every benefit. If this series is helping you, the single most valuable thing you can do is share it. Share it with the parent in your school group who doesn't know about tifa yet. Share episode three with a parent that has a child with a special need in the community that you're a part of. Share episode four with every parent who is trying to figure out where to send their kid next year. These episodes are meant to travel. All right. Here is your action plan to carry you from today all the way through your first full year as a Tifa family before March 17th. apply@educationfreedom.texas.gov. Include every eligible child on one application log in private school. If there's any chance your child will attend one. Get your IEP documents in order. If your child has a disability, gather your social security number, your child's social security number, your Texas ID, and your 2024 or 2025 tax return, April through June, watch for your notification from Odyssey. Start or continue the admissions process at your chosen school research and visit schools using the TFA school finder. Select your school in the Odyssey platform by June 1st and confirm enrollment by June 15th. Okay, July through the school year. Your first round of funding arrives July 1st. Contact your child's tutor, therapists and curriculum providers now to make sure they are registered in the Odyssey Marketplace. Spend according to your pre-planned category budget. Keep records of every transaction. Stay engaged with your Odyssey account. Every year going forward, stay in good standing, notify the program of any changes to your child's eligibility within 30 business days. Complete any required assessments. Enjoy not having to reapply. Thank you for spending the last five episodes with us. This has been one of the most important series we've ever made because this program is going to change the trajectory of education for Texas families for years to come. We are grateful to be a part of that journey with you. For everything. Tifa applications, school finders, forms, and updates. Your home base is education freedom.texas.gov, and also, of course, the Homeschool Money Podcast. Listen, we'll see you in the next episode. If you like today's episode, make sure you tap the follow button so you never miss a thing, and if it help you share it with a friend or your homeschool group sharing is caring. Do you love free stuff? Like me? Sign up and watch our free games class called Get 30,000 a year to Find Your Homeschooling. With our nine to five job, when you sign up, you'll gain instant access to a class and you'll get our weekly newsletter. For tips and strategies to make your homeschooling journey affordable, go to homeschool money.com and register right now, ready to get your homeschool money. Head over to homeschool money.com to enroll in the full Homeschool Money Makeover course. You'll get the tools, templates, and step by step help to find your first $1,000 fast. And create 30,000 or much more every year. Each module of this program is designed to transform your finances and help you experience financial abundance, so you have the flexibility and lifestyle freedom to homeschool your children with a nine to five job and without sacrificing. And right now we have an amazing limited time offer that gives you huge savings and bonus gifts you're going to love. Go to homeschool may.com to enroll today, and don't forget to give us some love with the five star rating and review. It'll help more people find ourselves. Have a great day. Bye.