HB 215 and HB 455 Utah: The Laws Behind the Fits All Scholarship

The Utah Fits All Scholarship wasn't created by a single law and left alone. It was built by HB 215, then modified by three subsequent bills that changed spending rules, administrative oversight, and even what counts as a "home-based scholarship student." If you're trying to understand why the program works the way it does, these four bills are the statutory foundation.

HB 215 (2023) — Program Creation

House Bill 215, passed during the 2023 General Session, created the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program. The statutory framework is codified in Utah Code §§ 53F-6-401 through 53F-6-417. It established the basic structure: K–12 Utah residents receive scholarship funds deposited into digital wallet accounts to spend on qualifying private school tuition, curriculum, tutoring, and educational services.

The initial appropriation was $80 million, supporting approximately 10,000 awards.

HB 529 (2024) — Administrative Refinements

The 2024 session's HB 529 refined administrative oversight. It updated reporting timelines, clarified account rollover rules, and adjusted internal oversight protocols. No major changes to spending categories or eligibility.

HB 455 (2025) — Spending Caps and Restrictions

This is the bill that changed daily life for scholarship families. HB 455:

• Capped extracurricular spending at 20% of the annual award — $800 on a $4,000 award, $1,600 on $8,000
• Capped physical education spending at a separate 20% of the annual award
• Prohibited ski lift passes, furniture, recreational equipment, and musical instruments — categories that had been gray areas or loosely enforced
• Created the Utah Fits All Scholarship Restricted Account — a dedicated financial structure for the program
• Tightened tax verification requirements and restricted high-value luxury goods

If you're reading advice from 2023 or early 2024 about what you can buy with UFA funds, it's likely pre-HB 455 and no longer accurate.

HB 467 (2026) — Definitions and Dispute Resolution

The most recent legislative session added:

• Updated statutory definitions for home-based scholarship students
• Formal dispute resolution protocols — if your application is denied due to an administrative error, the program manager must immediately reinstate eligibility and issue an award (or place you at the top of the waitlist)
• Public school athletics access — starting in the 2026–27 academic year, scholarship recipients can participate in public school athletics and extracurricular activities in their resident district under the same rules as traditional homeschool students

Why This Matters for Your Family

Each legislative session has narrowed what the scholarship covers while expanding other rights. The spending caps from HB 455 catch families who relied on earlier, more permissive interpretations. The dispute resolution from HB 467 protects families from administrative errors that previously had no formal appeal path.

The Utah Fits All Scholarship Parent Guide is built on the current statutory framework through all four bills, so every spending rule and deadline reflects what's actually enforceable today — not what was true two years ago.

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