FES-UA & PEP Renewal Guide
The annual deadlines, the funding cliff, and how to keep your child's scholarship year after year.
Getting the scholarship was step one. Keeping it means renewing every year — and the renewal calendar has real cliffs.
💡 Quick Answer: How Does Renewal Work?
Both FES-UA and PEP require a complete application every year in your EMA account. For 2026-27, the renewal window ran February 1 – April 30, 2026 (now closed), with an accept-or-decline deadline of May 31, 2026. Accept by September 30 and you get 100% of funding; by December 15, only 50%; after January 15, 2027, nothing for the year. Unused funds roll over — up to $50,000 (FES-UA) or $24,000 (PEP) — but two straight years with zero spending closes the account.
Florida's FES-UA and PEP scholarships are not "set it and forget it" programs. Per the 2026-27 FES-UA Family Handbook, Step Up For Students requires parents and guardians to submit a complete scholarship application each year through their EMA account — and the PEP Family Handbook applies the same annual cycle, with two extra requirements of its own.
The stakes are concrete. Renew late and you're treated as a brand-new applicant. Accept late and your award is prorated — down to 50%, then to zero. Even a fully funded account can close if it sits unused for two fiscal years.
This guide covers the full 2026-27 renewal cycle: dates, deposits, rollover rules, PEP's extra filings, and the events that end eligibility. New to the program? Start with our eligibility guide and application walkthrough instead.
The Renewal Window and the Proration Cliff
For the 2026-27 school year, the renewal window for both FES-UA and PEP ran February 1 – April 30, 2026 — and it is now closed. Step Up does not promise the same dates every year, so the safe habit is: watch EMA and Step Up announcements each January for the next cycle's window.
Submitting the application is only half of renewal. Once awarded, you must accept or decline the scholarship in EMA. For 2026-27 renewals, that acceptance deadline was May 31, 2026. And here is where the calendar gets teeth — when you accept determines how much funding your child receives:
| If you accept… | Your 2026-27 funding |
|---|---|
| By September 30, 2026 | 100% of the award |
| By December 15, 2026 | 50% of the award |
| Not awarded/accepted after January 15, 2027 | No funding for 2026-27 |
Not sure you'll use it? Step Up asks unsure renewal families to decline in EMA by 5 p.m. ET on June 15, 2026 rather than hold the award. Why it matters: if a student who accepted is later found enrolled full-time in a Florida public school, the scholarship is forfeited for the entire school year — not just the semester.
Source: 2026-27 FES-UA Family Handbook; Step Up FAQs; Fla. Stat. 1002.394
Renewing Families vs. New Applicants
The handbook defines a renewing student as one who was funded for Quarter 4 in the prior school year for the same scholarship they're applying to, and whose award was not revoked. If that's your child, renewal is genuinely easier than the first application:
What renewing families do
- Submit the renewal application in EMA during the window (Feb 1 – Apr 30 for 2026-27)
- Accept or decline the award by the renewal deadline (May 31, 2026)
- Skip re-uploading documentation — proof of age, residency, Social Security number, and the qualifying diagnosis or IEP were submitted once and stay on file
What new applicants do
- Upload proof of age, Florida residency, Social Security number, and the qualifying diagnosis or IEP
- Meet the new-applicant deadlines — for 2026-27, submit by November 15, 2026 and accept by December 15, 2026
- Wait for Quarter 1 funding a month later than renewals (September 1 vs. August 1 — more in Section 3)
The age-6 exception: if your child originally qualified under the "high-risk" category and turns 6 on or before September 1, renewal is not automatic — you must submit documentation of a different eligible condition to keep the scholarship. If that applies to your family, get the evaluation and paperwork moving well before the renewal window.
One more reason the April 30 date matters: a renewal application submitted after the deadline is "considered a new application" — you lose renewal priority and join the new-applicant queue with its later funding start.
Source: 2026-27 FES-UA Family Handbook
The Deposit Schedule and How Funds Get Spent
Both programs are funded as education savings accounts with quarterly deposits. The 2026-27 schedule from the FES-UA and PEP handbooks:
| Quarter | Quarter dates | Renewal students | New students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Jul 1 – Sep 30 | August 1 | September 1 |
| Q2 | Oct 1 – Dec 31 | November 1 | |
| Q3 | Jan 1 – Mar 31 | February 1 | |
| Q4 | Apr 1 – Jun 30 | April 1 | |
Read the dates carefully: these are the dates the State of Florida delivers funds to Step Up. Step Up then deposits into student accounts within two weeks. So renewing families should plan on funding beginning around early-to-mid August — not money in hand on August 1. Renewing on time is what earns the August start; new applicants wait until September.
Four ways to spend, and their deadlines
1. Direct billing to schools. Give the school your student's Award ID; the school enrolls the student in EMA and generates quarterly invoices. After both school and parent approve, Step Up pays tuition and fees within seven business days. You owe any tuition above the scholarship (rollover funds can cover the gap).
2. Direct pay to providers (PEP). PEP families can direct-bill services such as tutoring through "Find Providers" on the EMA Marketplace — no out-of-pocket step at all. (Our EMA provider guide walks through it.)
3. MyScholarShop. The in-EMA catalog for direct purchase of eligible materials and curriculum, shipped to the address on file.
4. Reimbursement. Pay out of pocket and submit in EMA. Allow up to 60 days for review and processing once all documentation is in; payment comes by direct deposit (ACH), PayPal, or check.
📅 The 2026-27 spending deadlines
- ✓Purchases must occur July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027
- ✓Reimbursement requests for 2026-27 funds due by July 31, 2027
- ✓PEP pre-authorization requests due by May 28, 2027
Rollover, Balance Caps, and the Inactivity Rule
Good news first: unspent funds roll over. The handbooks state that unspent scholarship funds may be rolled over from one school year to the next as long as the student continues to meet scholarship requirements, and Fla. Stat. 1002.394 keeps funds available "until the account balance is expended" or the account closes.
$50,000
FES-UA balance cap
No further deposits are made if the account balance would exceed it
$24,000
PEP balance cap
Same rule — deposits pause at the cap, they don't disappear forever
Rollover has a flip side. There are two ways an account with money in it can be closed with funds reverting to the state:
Two zero-spend years. Two consecutive fiscal years (July 1 – June 30) with no spending activity closes the account. Even one small eligible purchase a year keeps the account alive.
Three post-graduation years (FES-UA). The account closes if three consecutive years pass after high school graduation without postsecondary enrollment.
For strategies on using a growing balance well — and staying under the cap — see our guide to managing your FES-UA balance.
Source: FES-UA Family Handbook; PEP Family Handbook; Fla. Stat. 1002.394
PEP-Only Renewal Requirements
PEP families follow the same window and acceptance dates as FES-UA — but the PEP handbook adds two renewal gates FES-UA families don't have, and one of them is unforgiving.
Gate 1: The Student Learning Plan (SLP)
Every PEP family must submit an SLP in EMA every year — a customized plan you develop annually to guide instruction and address your student's academic needs. For 2026-27, the deadline was May 31, 2026, and the handbook is blunt about the consequence:
"If the initial SLP is submitted after May 31, 2026, the student will be ineligible for funding for the school year." Not late funding. Not reduced funding. No funding — for the whole year.
Hybrid-school PEP students must also detail in the SLP how learning time is spent off-campus.
Gate 2: The annual assessment
PEP students in grades K-12 must take a nationally norm-referenced test from the state-approved list (or the statewide assessment) each year, and the results must be submitted in EMA before renewal funding for the following year. No results on file, no next-year funding.
What PEP renewal does NOT require
A home education evaluation is not required for new or renewal PEP applications — per Step Up's FAQ, the SLP and the annual assessment are the obligations. (Families sometimes conflate PEP with traditional Florida home-education rules; the paperwork lists are different.)
For contrast: most FES-UA families file no SLP at all — only Hybrid-school FES-UA students attending in person two or more full days a week submit one before quarterly funding releases. And FES-UA's testing rule is narrower: it applies to students in grades 3-10 attending an eligible private school on scholarship funds, with an exemption for students with disabilities for whom standardized testing is not appropriate. Weighing the two programs? See FES-UA vs FES-EO vs PEP.
Source: 2026-27 PEP Family Handbook; Step Up FAQs
What Ends Eligibility
Renewal keeps the scholarship alive — but certain events end it regardless of how carefully you renew:
Full-time public school enrollment
This is checked automatically through the state's FTE crosscheck. If the crosscheck shows a scholarship student enrolled full-time in a Florida public school, the account cannot be funded — and a student found enrolled after accepting the award forfeits the scholarship for the entire school year. (PEP students may enroll part-time at eligible private schools; full-time is only allowed at a Hybrid eligible private school.)
Graduation or aging out
Under Fla. Stat. 1002.394, FES-UA eligibility ends when the student "graduates from high school or attains 22 years of age, whichever occurs first" (younger than 22 as of September 1). For PEP — and FTC/FES-EO — the age limit is 21. Funds received while the student was eligible remain in the EMA account after eligibility ends, subject to the closure rules in Section 4.
Fraud, abuse, or account-sharing
A Commissioner of Education finding of fraud or abuse closes the account and funds revert to the state. Listed violations include taking possession of funds via refund, resale, rebate, or credit — and letting another party manage your EMA account.
About your award amount at renewal
FES-UA awards are set by county, grade, and matrix level — and the matrix level is assigned by your local school district, never chosen by the parent and never set by Step Up. If you believe your child's needs have grown, you can request a reevaluation: the district must conduct a meeting and develop an IEP and matrix of services within 30 days of your request.
Once DOE assigns the year's award, later changes to grade level or county don't change that year's amount — and amounts are reset annually by the Legislature. See requesting a higher matrix code.
Source: Fla. Stat. 1002.394; FES-UA Family Handbook; PEP Family Handbook
Common Renewal Mistakes
Every one of these comes straight from the rules above — and every one is avoidable:
Renewing after April 30. Your application becomes a "new application" — renewal priority gone, funding start pushed back.
Accepting late. 100% by September 30 became 50% by December 15 and zero after January 15, 2027. Accept as soon as you're awarded.
Holding an award "just in case," then enrolling in public school. The FTE crosscheck will find it, and the scholarship is forfeited for the entire year. If unsure, decline by the June 15 guidance date instead.
PEP families missing the May 31 SLP. The harshest deadline in either program — a late initial SLP means no funding for the whole school year.
PEP families sitting on test results. Norm-referenced results must be in EMA before next year's renewal funding. Upload them as soon as you have them.
Letting the account go dormant. Two consecutive fiscal years with zero spending closes the account and sends the balance back to the state.
Blowing the back-end deadlines. 2026-27 reimbursement requests are due by July 31, 2027; PEP pre-authorization requests by May 28, 2027.
Outsourcing your EMA login. Letting another party manage your EMA account is a listed violation that can cost the scholarship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to renew my child's FES-UA scholarship every year?
Yes. Step Up For Students requires parents to submit a complete scholarship application every year through their EMA account. For 2026-27, the renewal window ran February 1 through April 30, 2026. The window generally opens in early February — watch EMA and Step Up announcements each January for the next cycle's dates.
What happens if I miss the April 30 renewal deadline?
Your application is considered a new application — you lose renewal priority and are treated like a first-time applicant. For 2026-27, new applicants had to submit by November 15, 2026 and accept by December 15, 2026, and later acceptance means reduced or no funding for the year.
When do renewal families have to accept the award?
For 2026-27, renewal families had to accept or decline the award in EMA by May 31, 2026. Acceptance timing also controls how much funding you receive: accept by September 30, 2026 for 100% of funding; by December 15, 2026 for 50%; students not awarded and accepted after January 15, 2027 receive no 2026-27 funding at all.
Do we have to re-upload my child's diagnosis or IEP to renew?
Generally no — most renewal families submit documentation only once, and it stays on file. The exception: a student who qualified under the high-risk category and turns 6 on or before September 1 must submit documentation of a different eligible condition to renew.
Do unused FES-UA or PEP funds roll over?
Yes. Unspent scholarship funds roll over from one school year to the next as long as the student continues to meet scholarship requirements. But deposits stop if the account balance would exceed the cap: $50,000 for FES-UA and $24,000 for PEP.
Can we lose the account by not spending it?
Yes. Two consecutive fiscal years (July 1 through June 30) with no spending activity closes the account, and remaining funds revert to the state. FES-UA accounts also close if three consecutive years pass after high school graduation without postsecondary enrollment.
When will 2026-27 funds arrive in our EMA account?
Quarterly. The state delivers Quarter 1 funds to Step Up on August 1 for renewing students and September 1 for new students, then November 1, February 1, and April 1 for the remaining quarters. Step Up then deposits the funds into student accounts within two weeks of receiving each installment — so plan on funding beginning around early-to-mid August for renewals, not money in hand on August 1.
What does a PEP family have to file that an FES-UA family doesn't?
Two things: an annual Student Learning Plan submitted in EMA — due May 31, 2026 for this year, and if the initial SLP is submitted late the student is ineligible for funding for the entire school year — plus annual norm-referenced test results submitted in EMA before renewal funding for the following year. A home education evaluation is not required for new or renewal PEP applications.
Can I choose or change my child's matrix level to raise the award?
No. The matrix level is assigned only by your local school district — Step Up For Students cannot create or change matrix levels. You can request a reevaluation: the district must conduct a meeting and develop an IEP and matrix of services within 30 days of your request. Once the year's award is assigned, moving counties or changing grade level does not change that year's amount.
Renewed? Put the Funds to Work.
A renewed scholarship — and any rolled-over balance — can fund one-on-one specialized tutoring through EMA. We're a registered Step Up provider, so you can book sessions with no out-of-pocket cost.
Our tutors are certified in special education and work with FES-UA and PEP families across Florida.
Book a Free Consultation →Last updated: July 2026
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Managing Your FES-UA Balance
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FES-UA vs FES-EO vs PEP
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FES-UA Eligibility: Complete 2026 Guide
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