Arizona ESA Contract and Renewal: Deadlines, Requirements, and What Happens If You Miss Them

What the ESA Contract Commits You To

When you sign the ESA contract with ADE, you enter a binding agreement under A.R.S. § 15-2402. The contract obligates you to:

• Provide instruction in at least reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies, and science
• Spend a portion of your annual funds across these core subjects
• Not enroll the student in any public district or charter school
• Not hold a School Tuition Organization (STO) scholarship simultaneously
• Not file a county Affidavit of Intent to Homeschool while the contract is active
• Maintain receipts, invoices, and educational documentation for a minimum of three years

An STO scholarship conflict during the ESA contract year is a material breach that can trigger account suspension, fund recoupment, and potential contract termination.

The Annual Renewal Timeline

ESA contracts are not perpetual. They renew on a yearly cycle tied to the state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30).

May 1: ADE generates electronic renewal contracts in the online portal for all active accounts in good standing.

June 30: Deadline to submit the executed renewal agreement online.

60 days after June 30 (approximately August 29): Under A.R.S. § 15-2402(F), if you have not submitted the renewal agreement by this date, ADE closes your account and reclaims all unexpended funds to the State General Fund.

The 60-day window follows the June 30 renewal deadline. If you have not submitted the renewal agreement by then, ADE closes the account and reclaims the entire unspent balance, including rollover funds accumulated over prior years.

What Happens to Rolled-Over Funds

Unspent ESA funds roll over from quarter to quarter and year to year as long as your contract stays active and renewed. The contract still requires you to spend a portion of annual funds across the core subjects. If your child's educational expenses in a given year are less than the award, the balance carries forward.

After the student completes high school, remaining funds can cover postsecondary education (tuition, required textbooks, and enrollment fees at eligible colleges, universities, or vocational schools) until the student reaches age 22 — or age 24 for students with documented severe disabilities who file an annual attestation form.

When the student finishes postsecondary education, reaches the age limit, or voluntarily exits the program, the account closes and any remaining balance returns to the state.

How to Renew Without Issues

Renewal is straightforward if your account is in good standing:

1. Log into the ADE ESA Applicant Portal after May 1
2. Review the pre-populated renewal contract
3. Confirm that all student information is current
4. Sign electronically and submit

Renewal contracts are generated for active accounts in good standing. During an active appeal regarding a disallowed expense, you remain eligible to renew; contact ADE if a pending compliance review affects your renewal.

Set a calendar reminder for mid-May. Do not wait until late June. Portal outages, document upload delays, and ADE processing queues can all push a last-minute renewal past the deadline.

Track Every Deadline in One Place

The Arizona ESA Parent Guide maps renewal windows, quarterly disbursement dates, and compliance deadlines into a single calendar — so the 60-day forfeiture clock never catches you off guard.

See more Arizona guides →