Step Up reimbursement: the invoice pack

What this is / who it is for

This playbook is the template pack for FES-UA reimbursement. You already have a scholarship account. You paid a school, a therapist, or a vendor. Now the invoice and the proof of payment have to match what the handbook asks for.

It is navigation, not a promise that Step Up will pay any request. Step Up “reserves the right to close or deny any reimbursement request submitted for payment.” If you need a FACTS export, use FACTS invoices for reimbursement.

The clocks the handbook actually prints

Proof of payment, for every category

The handbook’s “Supporting Documentation for Proof of Payment” section says these documents can show you paid:

• A receipt with the complete transaction date (MM/DD/YY) and the amount paid.
• An invoice with the complete transaction date (MM/DD/YY) that shows it was paid in full. Paid in full can be a “paid in full” stamp, the invoice amount and the payment amount, or a zero balance.

Receipts and invoices must include a clear breakdown of costs: base cost, taxes, fees, and the total paid. Cash purchases from private sellers who are not affiliated with a company or institution will be denied. Handwritten notes and unofficial documents will be denied. You cannot submit costs that another agency already paid (health insurance, an HSA, School Readiness).

2026-27 FES-UA Family Handbook (WEB). Verified August 18, 2026.

Invoice fields the handbook requires

Specialized services (therapies and similar)

The invoice or receipt on business letterhead must include:

• Scholarship student’s first and last name
• Time period of service rendered (date range, or a term such as Semester 1)
• Type of service rendered
• Amount due for the service
• First and last name of the service provider
• Service provider’s license number
• Method of payment

If the invoice uses medical billing codes instead of the type of service, processing can be delayed.

Tuition and fees at an eligible private school

A complete invoice and proof of payment must contain:

• School’s published tuition and fee rates
• Annual tuition rate for the scholarship student
• Name and address of the private school
• Scholarship student’s first and last name (must match Step Up records; nicknames are not accepted)
• Time period of service rendered
• School year the payment is for
• Method of payment
• Itemized charges for each tuition or fee payment

If the school uses a tuition management system (the handbook names FACTS, Blackbaud, and TADS), the billing statement should include school name and address, the student’s name as listed in EMA, a description of each payment, the amount of each transaction, and the date of full payment (MM/DD/YY). If the system groups siblings, submit a school invoice instead. Only the annual fee for use of the billing service is eligible as that system’s own fee. Lunch and before- and after-school care are not eligible.

Instructional materials or curriculum

• Item(s) purchased
• Full date of purchase, including year
• Amount, including item price, subtotal, taxes, fees, discounts, and total
• Method of payment

Place of purchase is no longer on the 2026-27 instructional materials required field list.

How to submit

1. Confirm the purchase is an eligible use in the current FES-UA Purchasing Guide.
2. Build one request per student and, when you can, per category.
3. Upload the invoice or receipt plus proof of payment in EMA.
4. Watch the status: Submitted, In Review, Approved, Denied, or On Hold.
5. If it is On Hold, answer inside 30 days. The 60-day review clock restarts when they have the new files.
6. If it is Denied, you get one appeal. Open the original request in EMA and use the red APPEAL button. Email and phone appeals are not reviewed.

Private-school tuition invoices that the school posts in EMA are a different path. Parents must approve those invoices in EMA within 30 days or the invoice is deleted.

Attestation, Hybrid, and Prepaid 529

Beginning 2026-27, complete a Public School Attestation in EMA before each quarterly distribution. Windows: Q1 renewal August 15 / new September 15 (if you have both, both by August 15); Q2 November 15; Q3 February 15; Q4 April 15. Q1 public-school withdrawal by July 31, 2026. The 2025-26 100 percent / 50 percent proration is deleted. As of August 18, 2026, the SUFS site banner still said Q1 attestation was open for August and September funded students.

Hybrid eligible private school tuition and fees are eligible. Students in person at least two full school days a week must submit a Student Learning Plan for the remaining time. Hybrid is not in the Service Marketplace for UA. Reimbursement is denied if the SLP is missing.

Prepaid 529 reimbursement closed June 30, 2026. Direct pay only. If the scholarship account is closed, 529 funds moved in must be returned to the state.

The FES-UA balance must be $50,000 or less by each attestation date or the next quarter can be blocked. The $50,000 cap still exists.

Footnote, this year only: Private School Q1 EMA enrollment dates were extended to June 26, 2026 (renewal) and July 24, 2026 (new). The 2026-27 WEB handbook still prints June 15 / July 15. UA and PEP students do not need EMA school enrollment. State both dates, dated August 18, 2026.

Fill-in invoice template

Fields required by the Specialized Services list are unmarked. Optional fields that help you, but are not in that handbook list, are marked (optional).

What this is not

• It is not a guarantee of payment or of any dollar amount. The handbook lets Step Up deny a request.
• It is not a trick for getting around the Purchasing Guide. If an item is not eligible, a prettier invoice will not make it eligible.
• It is not legal advice. For a clawback or a suspension, talk to Step Up in writing.

Common questions

Sources

• 2026-27 FES-UA Family Handbook (WEB): reimbursement timeline, 60-day review, proof of payment, category invoice fields, red APPEAL button. The Hubfs FES-UA-Parent-Handbook.pdf is still 2025-26 (Effective April 2026). Do not cite it as 2026-27.
• FCSUA FES-UA Purchasing Guidelines 2026-2027
• Community-reported Step Up complaints and tips: longer waits some parents describe; not official policy

Where to go next