Redirect up to $1,700 of your federal taxes to scholarships for kids in your community. It costs you nothing — that money was going to Washington, D.C. anyway.
Questions first? Ask TESSA — instant answers, any hour.
Calculate now → give in January → claim the credit at tax time.
The Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) reduces your federal taxes dollar for dollar, up to $1,700 per taxpayer per year. What you can redirect depends on what you owe — two questions and you’ll have your number.
Want the full picture — carryforward rules, married-couple math, what to hand your CPA? We’ll email you a personalized report.
We’ll text your report plus a heads-up when the EFTC goes live. Consent isn’t a condition of anything; msg & data rates may apply; reply STOP to end, HELP for help.
Estimates use 2026 standard deduction and tax brackets. For educational purposes only — not tax advice. Bring your report to a qualified tax professional.
Scholarships help kids in any school setting — private, public, or homeschool. They provide free access to world-class learning software that can bring a student back to grade level and take them beyond it. Students using the system have earned 4s and 5s on AP exams and scored 1500+ on the SAT. If a student doesn’t advance, the scholarship money returns to the fund. Scholarships can also cover tuition, tutoring, and other approved education expenses.
Personal, tutor-level learning in math and reading that meets each child where they are — and goes wherever they go, whatever school they attend.
Tuition, tutoring, and other approved education expenses.
A giving circle is you plus the people you know, funding scholarships together. You start it in about two minutes — we even write the message you send your friends.
Your circle’s intent guides the fund. Scholarships are awarded based on the fund’s eligibility criteria, through an open application process. If scholarship funds can’t be allocated within the circle’s group within one year, they revert to the general scholarship fund.
Applications open when the EFTC goes live on January 1, 2027. Register now and you’re first in line — we’ll text you the moment applications open in your state. Most working families qualify.
Registering puts you on the list — it isn’t an application and doesn’t guarantee a scholarship. We’ll text and email you when applications open; msg & data rates may apply, reply STOP to end, HELP for help. Consent isn’t a condition of anything.
Hometown Scholarships is a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit, applying for approved scholarship-granting status in every state that opts in. Our operating costs are covered by founding donors — the fund is built so your gift goes to scholarships in your community, not to overhead.
Yes. What matters is your total federal tax liability for the year — not whether you owe a balance in April. If your withholding covered a $6,000 tax bill, you had $6,000 of liability, and the credit reduces it dollar for dollar. The result shows up as a bigger refund.
Give up to what you owe and use the full credit this year — or give more and carry the unused credit forward for up to five years.
Amounts above $1,700 aren’t eligible for the credit. You can still give them — they may qualify as an ordinary charitable deduction if you itemize. Ask your tax professional.
Honest answer: the IRS hasn’t settled it yet. The law caps the credit at $1,700 per taxpayer, and Treasury hasn’t said whether a joint return counts as one taxpayer or two. Our calculator uses the conservative $1,700 until there’s guidance — if it goes the other way, couples will be able to do $3,400. Your report will cover both readings.
A normal donation is a deduction — it reduces your taxable income. The EFTC reduces your federal taxes by every dollar you gave, up to $1,700. Not a deduction. The whole dollar.
The EFTC goes live January 1, 2027. Use the calculator now, and we’ll email you the moment giving opens.
Families apply directly to the fund. Scholarships are awarded based on the fund’s eligibility criteria, through an open application process. Most working families qualify.
If they’re eligible, yes — on the same terms as everyone else’s. Nobody can buy priority with a gift; that’s what makes the fund fair.
You can still give and claim the credit — your gift funds scholarships for kids in participating states until yours joins. About 30 states are in so far; see the live map.
