How to Use Your TEFA Funds

Before you start using TEFA funds

Step 1: Access Your Odyssey Account

After receiving your award notification, you'll get login credentials for Odyssey — the online platform that manages TEFA accounts. This is where you'll:

• View your available balance
• Browse approved vendors
• Request payments to vendors
• Track your spending

Tip: Bookmark the Odyssey portal and save your login credentials securely.

Step 2: Find Approved Vendors

TEFA funds can only be used with approved vendors registered in the system. The Odyssey platform includes a vendor directory where you can search by:

• Service type (tutoring, therapy, curriculum, etc.)
• Location
• Specialty area

Use the official directory and program materials to confirm current participating providers and payment steps before you commit funds.

Step 3: Contact Vendors & Arrange Services

Once you find vendors you're interested in:

1. Contact them directly to discuss your child's needs
2. Confirm they can provide the services you need
3. Agree on scheduling and pricing
4. Confirm they're set up to receive TEFA payments

Step 4: Request Payment Through Odyssey

Here's the key thing to understand: You don't pay vendors directly.

Instead:

1. Vendor provides services to your child
2. Vendor submits an invoice through Odyssey
3. You approve the payment request in your Odyssey account
4. Texas Comptroller pays the vendor directly

No out-of-pocket costs. The money flows from your TEFA account to the vendor without you handling any funds.

A practical TEFA spending sequence

1. Start with the highest-impact need. For many families, that is reading, math intervention, executive-function support, or a therapy service that supports school access.
2. Estimate frequency before choosing vendors. Weekly tutoring, twice-weekly intervention, or therapy plus tutoring all spend very differently across the year.
3. Reserve room for reassessment. Families who commit all funds too early can get boxed in if a child needs a different service mix later in the year.

If your child needs special-needs tutoring specifically, compare this page with the approved-expenses guide and the disability-funding guide so your plan matches both the funding facts and the account workflow.

Step 5: Track Your Balance

Your Odyssey dashboard shows:

• Total award amount
• Amount spent
• Remaining balance
• Pending transactions
• Payment history

Check the official TEFA account materials for current rollover and ongoing eligibility rules before making long-term plans.

Important Rules to Remember

Using TEFA for Tutoring

Tutoring is one of the most straightforward TEFA expenses. Here's how it works with us:

1. Schedule your free consultation with us
2. We match your child with the right tutor
3. You confirm the current TEFA payment path that applies to your account
4. Sessions begin once the documentation and payment steps are clear
5. You follow the official program workflow for approvals and payments

The official TEFA process should drive the payment workflow, not marketing copy.

Questions families ask before they approve tutoring