esadeskprogram guide
Program guide · Tennessee · 2026-27provisional

Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS)

Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS) pays vendors through Student First (Theo). Here's what a compliant invoice needs, straight from esadesk's rules data.

  • Student First (Theo)
  • Direct pay only
  • No platform fee observed
How the money moves
TNTennessee EFSprogram funds
Direct pay
Student First (Theo)the family submits your invoice
Youpaid 7–30 days after approval

The program pays you directly.

Tennessee EFS runs through the portal marketplace: the family purchases through the portal. For deliverable items like technology or uniforms the family confirms receipt; Tennessee hasn't published how or when a service provider is paid.

TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + TDOE schools-and-service-providers page — read 2026-07-30
The document

The invoice, annotated

What a Student First (Theo) reviewer looks for, region by region. Every requirement comes from the program's own documents — sources under each note.

1 Top of the page
InvoiceNo. INV-2026-0412Issued Jun 30, 2026
2 Names and identity
FromExample Learning Co.123 Main Sthello@example.com
Bill toDana JonesAccount holder
StudentRiley JonesTennessee EFS
3 The line items
DateDescriptionAmount
Jun 3, 2026Tutoring — 60 min$75.00
Jun 10–24, 2026Tutoring — 3 sessions × $75.00$225.00
4 The total
Total due$300.00
  1. 1

    Top of the page

    Number and date the document — reviewers reference both.

    • Invoice has a unique invoice number provisional
    • Invoice has an issue date provisional
    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  2. 2

    Names and identity

    The names have to line up: your business, your address, the account holder, the student.

    • Student name is on the invoice provisional
    • Vendor business name and contact info are on the invoice provisional
    • Parent / account-holder name is on the invoice provisional
    • Vendor business address is on the invoice provisional
    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  3. 3

    The line items

    Dated, described, priced — line by line.

    • Every line item has a service date provisional
    • Every line item has a description and an amount provisional
    • Each line shows its math — minutes, or quantity × unit price good practice provisional
    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  4. 4

    The total

    The math has to close.

    • Invoice total matches the sum of the lines provisional
    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
What you’ll need

The full checklist

Every check esadesk runs for Tennessee EFS, with its fix in plain words — 11 checks cited to 1 state and platform source.

Has to be right 9

  • Invoice has a unique invoice number provisional

    Add an invoice number — every claim needs one the reviewer can reference.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  • Invoice has an issue date provisional

    Add the invoice date — AZ's handbook lists it explicitly, and every platform expects it.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  • Student name is on the invoice provisional

    Add the student's name exactly as it appears in the program.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  • Vendor business name and contact info are on the invoice provisional

    Add your business name and at least one contact — email or phone.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  • Every line item has a service date provisional

    Add the date of service to every line — undated lines bounce.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  • Every line item has a description and an amount provisional

    Give every line a description and a dollar amount.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  • Parent / account-holder name is on the invoice provisional

    Add the parent's name — platforms match invoices to the account holder.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  • Vendor business address is on the invoice provisional

    Add your business address — reviewers reject invoices without it.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  • Invoice total matches the sum of the lines provisional

    The total doesn't add up to the line items — recalculate before sending.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11

Worth knowing 2

  • Each line shows its math — minutes, or quantity × unit price good practice provisional

    Not required here, but a line that shows its math gets fewer questions: add the minutes — “Math tutoring — 60 min — $80.00” — or a quantity and a unit price: “4 sessions × $80.00 = $320.00”.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11
  • Everyone serving the student meets Tennessee's licensing requirement good practice provisional

    Tennessee requires each person serving students to hold the right credential — tutors an active TN teaching license (agencies: accreditation), therapists a department-approved license. Confirm yours before you list, or the service isn't eligible.

    TDOE EFS Family Handbook 2026-27 + SBE 0520-01-24-.11

Check an invoice against these rules

The free checker runs this exact checklist — what passes, what a reviewer would bounce, and how to fix it.

Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type leaves the page.

Check a Tennessee EFS invoice