Home / Can I buy…? / Travel costs for teachers or tutors
Are travel costs for teachers or tutors ESA eligible in Arizona?
No. Travel costs for teachers or tutors are on the unallowable purchases list in the SY2025-26 ESA Parent Handbook. Buying them with ESA funds risks the expense being disallowed and repayment being required.
Why ADE says no to tutor travel fees
The ESA pays for instruction delivered, not for the instructor's commute. Travel costs for teachers and tutors — mileage fees, travel surcharges — are named as unallowable even when every minute of the lesson itself qualifies.
The mistake families make
The in-home tutor's invoice. Mobile tutors and traveling music teachers often bill a standard travel fee per visit, one quiet line under the lesson charges. The lesson lines are payable; that line is not — and an invoice paid whole puts the difference on the account.
The allowable path nearby
Ask the provider to fold travel into their hourly rate (a higher all-in lesson price is just their price) or bill the travel line to you separately and personally. Through Pay Vendor, review the invoice before submitting; on the debit card, ask for the corrected invoice before paying.
People also check
- Tutoring or teaching services — fully allowable; the rate, not the mileage
- Cancellation and late fees — the other invoice line to catch before paying
- Educational therapies (ABA, OT, speech, and more) — same discipline applies to therapist invoices
Not sure about another item? Get an instant verdict with the official rule behind it — free.
Homeschool like the state isn't watching. Because we are.
Educational information based on the official ADE Parent Handbook SY2025-26 — not legal advice. Final allowability is determined by ADE. Verify against the official database at azed.gov/esa/esa-allowable-items.