U.S. school choice tax credit scholarship program

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  • U.S. school choice tax credit scholarship program

See also: State participation in the federal K-12 education tax credit program, School choice in the United States, School choice glossary, Impact of school choice on rural school districts

What is the U.S. school choice tax credit scholarship program?
The U.S. school choice tax credit scholarship is a nonrefundable tax credit enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), allowing individuals to receive federal tax credits for donations up to $1,700 to authorized scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs). It is a dollar-for-dollar nonrefundable tax credit, meaning individuals can lower their federal tax liability by the amount donated to an SGO; if a taxpayer donates more than $1,700, they will not receive a refund. It is the first federally funded program providing public money for private educational expenses, though states are not required to participate. States opt into the program by submitting a list of SGOs that taxpayers can donate to in order to receive the federal tax credit.

Why does it matter?
Debates about school choice center on how public money should be spent on education. This tax credit program allows money donated to SGOs to provide scholarships for public or private educational expenses. The U.S. Treasury must issue regulations for the program, which could establish requirements for participating states and shape how the program runs. The regulations were pending as of October 16, 2025.

Where's the fight?
The U.S. Treasury could issue regulations that shape how the program runs, what the requirements are for participating states, or who can benefit from the program. The regulations, once issued, could affect state participation.

What are the arguments?
Debates about the tax credit program revolve around whether or not states should opt in.

• Proponents of opting in argue that it can benefit students in all educational sectors with little to no costs to state governments, it can augment public school education, and it can provide more educational options for low-income families.
• Opponents to opting in to the program argue that it disproportionately benefits the wealthy, is unconstitutional, will be rife with fraud, and encourages resource reallocation away from public schools.

Dive deeper:

• How it works
  • Tax credit policies.
  • Student eligibility and scholarship use policies.
  • State participation policies.
  • Requirements for scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs).
  • Regulations implementing the program.
• Participating states.
• Arguments about the U.S. school choice tax credit scholarship program
• Reform proposals
• Noteworthy events

How it works

The U.S. school choice tax credit scholarship is a nonrefundable tax credit, allowing individuals to receive federal tax credits for donations up to $1,700 to authorized scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs). It is a dollar-for-dollar nonrefundable tax credit, meaning individuals can lower their federal tax liability by $1 for every $1 donated to accredited SGOs; if a taxpayer donates more than $1,700, they will not receive a tax refund. The total amount of credits the program can offer is not capped

SGOs distribute the donated scholarship funds to eligible families, which can be used on a variety of private or public educational expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring services, textbooks, and more. In order to qualify for scholarships, students had to live in households earning no more than 300% of the area's median gross income and be eligible to enroll in K-12 schools. The program will take effect January 1, 2027.

States must opt into the program by submitting to the U.S. Treasury a list of SGOs that taxpayers can donate to to receive the nonrefundable tax credit. Students in states that do not opt in cannot receive scholarships funded under the program, but donors in those states can still receive a federal tax credit by donating to SGOs in participating states. As enacted, the program will not affect state budgets.

Tax credit policies

Section 70411 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) created a federal, nonrefundable education tax credit scholarship program. The provisions are as follows:

• Donors can lower their federal tax liability by $1 for every $1 donated to accredited Scholarship-Granting Organizations (SGOs) up to $1,700 starting January 1, 2027. The total amount of credits the program can offer is not capped.

Student eligibility and scholarship use policies

• The scholarships would be available to families making 300% of the median income in the region. The scholarships could be used to pay private school tuition, hire tutors, and purchase textbooks and other supplies. SGOs can provide scholarships only to students in their state.
• Scholarships can be used to cover public, private, or religious education expenses, defined further in U.S. Code 530(b)(3)(A).

State participation policies

• States can elect to participate in the program; they are not required to. To participate, states must submit to the U.S. Department of the Treasury a list of the scholarship-granting organizations that meet the requirements described in the bill and are located in the state by January 1 of each year.
  • Those who can opt into the program include the governor or other individuals, agencies, or entities designated under each state's law to make elections on behalf of the State regarding Federal tax benefits. When submitting a list of qualified SGOs to the U.S. Treasury Department, the submitting entity must include certification that they are qualified to opt into the program on the state's behalf.

Requirements for scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs)

The OBBBA included requirements and parameters for SGOs.

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(d) Requirements for Scholarship Granting Organizations.— “(1) In general.—An organization meets the requirements of this subsection if— “(A) such organization provides scholarships to 10 or more students who do not all attend the same school, “(B) such organization spends not less than 90 percent of the income of the organization on scholarships for eligible students, “(C) such organization does not provide scholarships for any expenses other than qualified elementary or secondary education expenses, “(D) such organization provides a scholarship to eligible students with a priority for— “(i) students awarded a scholarship the previous school year, and “(ii) after application of clause (i), any eligible students who have a sibling who was awarded a scholarship from such organization, “(E) such organization does not earmark or set aside contributions for scholarships on behalf of any particular student, and “(F) such organization— “(i) verifies the annual household income and family size of eligible students who apply for scholarships to ensure such students meet the requirement of subsection (c)(2)(A), and “(ii) limits the awarding of scholarships to eligible students who are a member of a household for which the income does not exceed the amount established under subsection (c)(2)(A). “(2) Prohibition on self-dealing.— “(A) In general.—A scholarship granting organization may not award a scholarship to any disqualified person. “(B) Disqualified person.—For purposes of this paragraph, a disqualified person shall be determined pursuant to rules similar to the rules of section 4946.

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Full text of the statute

The text of the statute creating the federal tax credit scholarship program is as follows:<ref name=OBBBA>

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SEC. 70411. TAX CREDIT FOR CONTRIBUTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS TO SCHOLARSHIP GRANTING ORGANIZATIONS. (a) Allowance of Credit for Contributions of Individuals to Scholarship Granting Organizations.— (1) In general.—Subpart A of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 is amended by inserting after section 25E the following new section: “SEC. 25F. 26 USC 25F. QUALIFIED ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS. “(a) Allowance of Credit.—In the case of an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States (within the meaning of section 7701(a)(9)), there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed by this chapter for the taxable year an amount equal to the aggregate amount of qualified contributions made by the taxpayer during the taxable year. “(b) Limitations.— “(1) In general.—The credit allowed under subsection (a) to any taxpayer for any taxable year shall not exceed $1,700. “(2) Reduction based on state credit.—The amount allowed as a credit under subsection (a) for a taxable year shall be reduced by the amount allowed as a credit on any State tax return of the taxpayer for qualified contributions made by the taxpayer during the taxable year. “(c) Definitions.—For purposes of this section— “(1) Covered state.—The term ‘covered State’ means one of the States, or the District of Columbia, that, for a calendar year, voluntarily elects to participate under this section and to identify scholarship granting organizations in the State, in accordance with subsection (g). “(2) Eligible student.—The term ‘eligible student’ means an individual who— “(A) is a member of a household with an income which, for the calendar year prior to the date of the application for a scholarship, is not greater than 300 percent of the area median gross income (as such term is used in section 42), and “(B) is eligible to enroll in a public elementary or secondary school. “(3) Qualified contribution.—The term ‘qualified contribution’ means a charitable contribution of cash to a scholarship granting organization that uses the contribution to fund scholarships for eligible students solely within the State in which the organization is listed pursuant to subsection (g). “(4) Qualified elementary or secondary education expense.—The term ‘qualified elementary or secondary education expense’ means any expense of an eligible student which is described in section 530(b)(3)(A). “(5) Scholarship granting organization.—The term ‘scholarship granting organization’ means any organization— “(A) which— “(i) is described in section 501(c)(3) and exempt from tax under section 501(a), and “(ii) is not a private foundation, “(B) which prevents the co-mingling of qualified contributions with other amounts by maintaining one or more separate accounts exclusively for qualified contributions, “(C) which satisfies the requirements of subsection (d), and “(D) which is included on the list submitted for the applicable covered State under subsection (g) for the applicable year. “(d) Requirements for Scholarship Granting Organizations.— “(1) In general.—An organization meets the requirements of this subsection if— “(A) such organization provides scholarships to 10 or more students who do not all attend the same school, “(B) such organization spends not less than 90 percent of the income of the organization on scholarships for eligible students, “(C) such organization does not provide scholarships for any expenses other than qualified elementary or secondary education expenses, “(D) such organization provides a scholarship to eligible students with a priority for— “(i) students awarded a scholarship the previous school year, and “(ii) after application of clause (i), any eligible students who have a sibling who was awarded a scholarship from such organization, “(E) such organization does not earmark or set aside contributions for scholarships on behalf of any particular student, and “(F) such organization— “(i) verifies the annual household income and family size of eligible students who apply for scholarships to ensure such students meet the requirement of subsection (c)(2)(A), and “(ii) limits the awarding of scholarships to eligible students who are a member of a household for which the income does not exceed the amount established under subsection (c)(2)(A). “(2) Prohibition on self-dealing.— “(A) In general.—A scholarship granting organization may not award a scholarship to any disqualified person. “(B) Disqualified person.—For purposes of this paragraph, a disqualified person shall be determined pursuant to rules similar to the rules of section 4946. “(e) Denial of Double Benefit.—Any qualified contribution for which a credit is allowed under this section shall not be taken into account as a charitable contribution for purposes of section 170. “(f) Carryforward of Unused Credit.— “(1) In general.—If the credit allowable under subsection (a) for any taxable year exceeds the limitation imposed by section 26(a) for such taxable year reduced by the sum of the credits allowable under this subpart (other than this section, section 23, and section 25D), such excess shall be carried to the succeeding taxable year and added to the credit allowable under subsection (a) for such taxable year. “(2) Limitation.—No credit may be carried forward under this subsection to any taxable year following the fifth taxable year after the taxable year in which the credit arose. For purposes of the preceding sentence, credits shall be treated as used on a first-in first-out basis. “(g) State List of Scholarship Granting Organizations.— “(1) List.— “(A) Deadlines. In general.—Not later than January 1 of each calendar year (or, with respect to the first calendar year for which this section applies, as early as practicable), a State that voluntarily elects to participate under this section shall provide to the Secretary a list of the scholarship granting organizations that meet the requirements described in subsection (c)(5) and are located in the State. “(B) Process.—The election under this paragraph shall be made by the Governor of the State or by such other individual, agency, or entity as is designated under State law to make such elections on behalf of the State with respect to Federal tax benefits. “(2) Certification.—Each list submitted under paragraph (1) shall include a certification that the individual, agency, or entity submitting such list on behalf of the State has the authority to perform this function. “(h) Regulations and Guidance.—The Secretary shall issue such regulations or other guidance as the Secretary determines necessary to carry out the purposes of this section, including regulations or other guidance— “(1) providing for enforcement of the requirements under subsections (d) and (g), and “(2) with respect to recordkeeping or information reporting for purposes of administering the requirements of this section.” “Sec. 25F.  Qualified elementary and secondary education scholarships.”. (b) Exclusion From Gross Income for Scholarships for Qualified Elementary or Secondary Education Expenses of Eligible Students.— (1) In general.—Part III of subchapter B of chapter 1 is amended by inserting before section 140 the following new section: “SEC. 139K. 26 USC 139K. SCHOLARSHIPS FOR QUALIFIED ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY EDUCATION EXPENSES OF ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. “(a) In General.—In the case of an individual, gross income shall not include any amounts provided to such individual or any dependent of such individual pursuant to a scholarship for qualified elementary or secondary education expenses of an eligible student which is provided by a scholarship granting organization. “(b) Definitions.—In this section, the terms ‘qualified elementary or secondary education expense’, ‘eligible student’, and ‘scholarship granting organization’ have the same meaning given such terms under section 25F(c).” . (2) Conforming amendment.—The table of sections for part III of subchapter B of chapter 1 26 USC prec. 101. is amended by inserting before the item relating to section 140 the following new item: “Sec. 139K.  Scholarships for qualified elementary or secondary education expenses of eligible students.”. (c) 26 USC 25 note. Effective Date.— (1) In general.—Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years ending after December 31, 2026. (2) Exclusion from gross income.—The amendments made by subsection (b) shall apply to amounts received after December 31, 2026, in taxable years ending after such date.

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Regulations implementing the program

Regulations implementing the education tax credit scholarship program from the U.S. Department of the Treasury are pending as of October 9, 2025.

Participating states

See also: State participation in the federal K-12 education tax credit program

As of October 9, 2025, one state—Nebraska—had elected to participate in the program. The table below includes all states that have made an official move to participate in the tax credit program, whether successful or not.

Status of states opting in to federal school choice tax credit

State	Legislation	Status	Date
Nebraska	EO 25-14	Adopted	September 29, 2025

States where legislation to opt into the federal school choice tax credit was vetoed

State	Legislation	Status	Date
North Carolina	HB 87	Vetoed	August 6, 2025

Gubernatorial statements regarding state participation

This section contains gubernatorial statements on their states' participation in the federal K-12 education tax credit scholarship program. These statements do not constitute official action.

New Mexico

• Chalkbeat reported that New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said she would not opt into the program.

Oregon

• Chalkbeat reported that Oregon Governor Tina Kotek (D) said she would not opt into the program.

Tennessee

• Education Week reported that a spokesperson for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) said the state will opt into the program.

Wisconsin

• The Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) said he will not opt in to the federal program. Wisconsin lawmakers said they will introduce legislation to opt into the program.

Arguments about the U.S. school choice tax credit scholarship program

This section contains arguments about the federal school choice tax credit scholarship program.

Support for opting in to the program

This section details arguments in support of the program.

• This program can provide public school students with extra resources.

  Supporters argue that since the OBBB allows scholarships to be used for public school expenses, public school students could augment their education with resources to help them succeed.

• This program allows low-income families the chance to choose a school that best fits their needs.

  Supporters argue that this program gives public funds to families who cannot afford to choose a school other than public options that don't increase monthly expenses.

• Scholarships can benefit students in all educational sectors at no expense to state governments.

  Supporters of the program argue that since the federal government gets a decrease in tax revenue from this program— not state governments— states stand only to gain from the program. Critics of private school choice argue that those programs can reallocate resources away from public schools, while supporters of the federal education tax credit program argue that those concerns do not apply to this program, since they say no resources are lost, only gained from donors to be used for public, private, or religious educational expenses.

Opposition to opting in to the program

This section details arguments in opposition to the program.

• This program disproportionately benefits the wealthy.

  Critics argue that since the program applies to families earning no more than 300% of the area's median gross income, this includes several wealthy families in wealthy areas.

• This program diverts funds from public schools.

  Critics argue that by incentivizing scholarships for private school educational expenses, this program will divert funds from public schools with declining enrollment due to private options becoming accessible.

• The federal education tax credit scholarship is unconstitutional.

  Critics argue that the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government specific, enumerated powers that do not include education, and that this program constitutes federal overreach.

• The statute did not contain enough accountability measures for SGOs.

  Critics argue that the statute is vague and does not establish enough accountability measures for SGOs, and that the program will be rife with fraud as a result.

Reform proposals

This section includes opinions and ideas about how the federal education tax credit scholarship program should run.

The Treasury should maintain a consistent standard for including scholarship-granting organizations

Jorge Ezra argued that, when creating regulations for the federal education tax credit scholarship program, the U.S. Department of the Treasury should establish uniform federal standards to determine which SGOS may participate, so governors or states cannot recognize or exclude qualified organizations based on political considerations.

The Treasury should be flexible in program design to let SGOs support diverse educational experiences

Jorge Ezra argued that the Treasury should not impose rigid programmatic requirements that limit the ability of SGOs to meet diverse educational needs by limiting SGOs' discretion over which qualified expenses to fund, how to distribute scholarships, and what amounts to offer. He argued that American social, political, and cultural structures are shifting. and that education policy must make room for reinvention.

States should be prohibited from adding their own regulations for the program

Robert Enlow, CEO of EdChoice, argued that the Treasury must prohibit states from adding or creating their own regulations for the program. He argued this could allow states to subject private and homeschoolers to state regulations.

Governors must allow scholarships for educational services across all school sectors

Robert Enlow, CEO of EdChoice, argued that governors should not be able to limit who can receive scholarships. Enlow argued that states should be prohibited from allowing the scholarship for public school students, but not charter or private school students.

States must have maximum flexibility

Robert Luebke argued that regulators protect state authority and provide the flexibility to administer existing programs. States must also be allowed to create a tax credit program for district and charter schools that assist students with tutoring, testing, or other services.

States must be able to add eligibility and accountability requirements

Robert Luebke argued that states must also be able to decide accountability requirements, testing requirements, and metrics to assess academic progress for schools that enroll scholarship students. He argued that without that ability, federal regulators with less knowledge of the local landscape would fill that gap.

Regulations must protect religious freedom and institutional autonomy

Robert Luebke argued that federal regulations must honor religious freedom and institutional autonomy, ensuring that religious schools can administer schools in ways consistent with their values and mission.

Noteworthy events

This section includes noteworthy events related to the federal education tax credit scholarship program.

Nebraska governor opts into federal education tax credit scholarship program

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen (R) signed Executive Order 25-14 on September 29, 2025, to opt into the federal education tax credit scholarship program. Nebraska is the first state to officially opt in to the program.

North Carolina governor vetoes bill opting into federal education tax credit scholarship program

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein (D) vetoed the Educational Choice for Children Act on August 6, 2025, which was designed to opt the state into the federal private school choice tax credit program. The North Carolina Senate passed the Educational Choice for Children Act 30-19 along party lines on July 29, 2025, with Democrats opposing it and Republicans supporting it. The North Carolina House of Representatives passed it 69-47 on July 30, 2025, with one Democrat joining all Republicans supporting it, and all other Democrats opposing it. Stein said in his veto message that he planned to opt the state into the program once the federal government issued what he called sound guidance for the program.

See also

• State participation in the federal K-12 education tax credit program
• School choice in the United States
• Impact of school choice on rural school districts