Does the Tennessee IEA cover it?
The allowable-expense list is short; the questions families actually have are specific. Here's a direct answer for each of the purchases people ask about most — and what makes a borderline one approvable.
Reviewed September 2026 against Tennessee Department of Education guidance for the 2026-27 school year. IEA rules, amounts, and deadlines are set annually — confirm current details in the official IEA handbook before you act on them.
- Homeschool curriculumYesYes. Curriculum and individualized instructional materials are an allowable IEA expense, and this is the main reason IEA — unlike the Education Freedom Scholarship — works for families teaching at home.
- Private school tuitionYesYes, at a participating non-public school — tuition and required fees are the program's single largest allowable expense category.
- TutoringYesYes. Tutoring services from an individual or an organization are explicitly allowable, and for many homeschooling IEA families they are the second-biggest line item after curriculum.
- Speech therapyYesYes. Services from a licensed or accredited practitioner are allowable, and speech-language therapy is one of the most common IEA-funded services.
- Occupational & physical therapyYesYes, when delivered by a licensed or accredited practitioner — OT and PT fall in the same allowable-services category as speech therapy.
- ABA & behavioral therapyIt dependsOften yes — behavioral services from a licensed or accredited practitioner are allowable — but ABA is also the service most likely to be covered by insurance, and the program expects the educational connection to be clear.
- Computers & technologyIt dependsYes, when the hardware or software is required by the student's education plan — but technology with no documented instructional purpose is one of the clearest prohibited uses.
- Online & virtual programsIt dependsUsually yes as individualized instruction or curriculum — but a fully online school only works cleanly if it is either a participating school or a course provider you can document like any other curriculum purchase.
- Co-ops & hybrid programsIt dependsFrequently yes — the instruction a co-op, tutorial, or hybrid program provides can qualify as tutoring or individualized instruction — but only if the program can invoice and document properly.
- Testing & exam feesYesYes. Fees for nationally recognized norm-referenced tests, AP exams, and college entrance exams are an allowable IEA expense.
- TransportationIt dependsLimited transportation to and from an approved provider or participating school is allowable, but it is capped and narrowly defined — everyday family driving is not covered.
- Music, art & sportsIt dependsSometimes — instruction in a subject like music or art can qualify as individualized instruction, but purely recreational activities and outings are prohibited.
- College & dual enrollmentIt dependsOften yes for high school students taking courses as part of their education plan, and the program has historically allowed certain higher-education-related costs in a student's final years — but confirm the current rules before enrolling.
- Summer programs & campsIt dependsAcademic summer instruction and continued therapy generally qualify; recreational camp does not.
The rule behind all of these
Nearly every answer on this page comes down to two questions: does the purchase fall inside one of the program's allowable categories, and can you document that it does? Families lose far more expenses to missing paperwork than to genuinely prohibited purchases. When something is ambiguous, ask the program in writing before you spend — a pre-purchase answer is cheap, and a denied reimbursement is not.
See the full allowable-expense listFind providers in Tennessee
Tutors, therapists, and schools listed in this directory are a starting point. Confirm with each provider that they can invoice or receipt an IEA purchase before you commit.
Keep reading
- Who qualifies for an IEAQualifying disability categories, the active IEP requirement, the prior-year public school rule, and its exceptions.
- How much the award is worthHow the amount is calculated from state and local per-pupil funding, how it's disbursed, and what happens to unused funds.
- What IEA funds can buyAllowable expense categories including homeschool curricula, tutoring, and therapies — plus what's off limits and what you must document.
- How to apply for an IEAThe application sequence, required documents, the IEA portal, deadlines, renewal, and what to do if you're denied.
- IEA vs. the Education Freedom ScholarshipTwo very different Tennessee programs, side by side — and a plain decision guide for which one fits your family.