General Guiding Principles for Eligible Expenses: 

Odyssey’s approach to determining eligible expenses is to err on the side of supporting parents and students while applying standards consistently across the program. Because families educate their students in many different ways, it is not possible to create an exhaustive list of every eligible or ineligible item or service.

When evaluating an expense, Odyssey applies a simple but important distinction: whether an item is inherently educational versus a general-purpose item that may be used in an educational context. While many general-purpose items can support learning, their primary design and typical use are not educational in nature. For this reason, the ability to use an item for learning does not, by itself, make it an eligible educational expense.

Items such as power tools, firearms, and general gym equipment fall into this category. These items are broadly usable outside of an educational setting and do not allow Odyssey to reliably determine educational use across thousands of students. To ensure consistency, compliance with state law, and long-term program sustainability, Odyssey designates these types of general-purpose items as ineligible.

Parents who believe a general-purpose item not explicitly listed may meet the legal definition of an eligible educational expense may submit an appeal through the program’s formal appeals process. Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure consistency with statute and program standards. However, for items explicitly identified as ineligible in this guide, no exceptions will be made through the appeals process.

When evaluating whether a service is eligible for reimbursement, Odyssey applies a clear distinction based on when the service is delivered. Funds may only be used for services provided within the scholarship year, which ends on June 30, 2026. If a service begins before June 30, 2026, and continues beyond that date, it remains eligible for reimbursement under the 2025–2026 scholarship year.
 

Services: 

• Tickets to view sporting events:
  • Professional sports
  • College sports
• Movie and Theater tickets.
• Recreational facilities unless for physical education of the student. *
• Ski passes or lift tickets. *
• Snow sports
• Residential Treatment Facilities *
• Summer camps where the primary purpose is not academic or skill-based instruction (e.g., general day camps, recreational camps, or camps focused primarily on recreation or social activities without a structured educational curriculum).

• Overnight/sleepaway camps, regardless of educational content.

   

Subscription/Membership Services:

• Lifetime or family memberships.
• Entertainment streaming services:
  • Netflix
  • Hulu
  • HBO
  • Amazon Prime
  • etc.
• Maintenance/protection/storage plans for devices or electronics unless they come with the product. These can be purchased by the parent but will not be reimbursed.
  • Apple Care
  • Amazon warranty services
  • Cloud storage services
• Magazine subscriptions that do not have an educational focus.
  • Ineligible Examples: People, Vogue, Horse and Hound
  • Eligible Examples: Highlights, Scholastics 
• Theme/Amusement Park memberships, passes, and annual subscriptions.
• Season tickets or subscriptions to entertainment venues. *
• Insurance plans of any kind.

General Goods: 

• Games and board games that do not have a purely educational focus.
  • Ineligible Examples: Video games, board games, playing cards, trading cards
  • Eligible Examples: Learning assisting devices, educational games
• Food, meal plans, and meal kits unless explicitly included in a class provided by an instructor. 
• Furniture to include but not limited to: desks, computer stands, TV mounts, lighting and light fixtures, wall decor and gaming chairs. *
• Apparel to include but not limited to: uniforms, costumes, clothing, shoes. *
• Musical instrument purchases, rentals are eligible for the majority of the current scholarship year. *
• Power tools and general purpose hand tools.
• Playground equipment and playsets. *
• Toys without an explicit educational purpose.
• Firearms and firearm accessories. (Firearm safety courses are allowed with a legitimate service provider)
• Animals, livestock, insects, or pets of any kind.
• Wholesale-quantity and bulk purchases: All purchases must for the education of the individual student. Parents may purchase multiple consumable items for the education of their students. But, any large purchases that would indicate reselling or sharing of educational supplies will be denied. 
• Any items that were purchased with the intention or possibility of being resold or used to produce a product to be sold.
   

Electronics: 

• Smartphones
• Smart Watches
• Speakers
• CD/Cassette players
• Record Players
• Digital picture frames or calendars
• Accessories, cases, and general electronics unless explicitly included with the approved products (one line item on the receipt).
  • Ineligible examples: phone/tablet cases
  • Eligible examples: power cords, HDMI cables

Physical Education Equipment:

• Bicycles, scooters, and skateboards
• Weights, weight lifting, and general gym equipment:
  • Dumbbells
  • Barbells
  • Benches
  • Resistance bands
  • Pullup bar
• Nets and basketball hoops
• Trampolines 
• Golf clubs and bags
• Punching bags
• Rollerblades, roller-skates, and ice-skates 
• Pads (football and lacrosse)

For more information regarding Physical Education spending please review our Physical Education Spending Guidelines.

Transportation

• Plane, train, or bus passes that are not transportation to and from a qualifying provider or school.
• Fuel or gas cards for a vehicle.
• Tourism tours and passes unless part of an organized educational event such as a field trip. 

* Indicates Utah state code explicitly forbids eligibility. 

Legal Guidance for Purchasing Guidelines:

Odyssey’s Ineligible Expense Guide, as outlined above, is based on the law regarding scholarship expenses as defined in Section 53F-6-402(2), Section 53F-6-402(7), and Section 53F-6-402(20). The law gives the program manager discretion to determine expense eligibility and implement policies and procedures (as described above and according to Section 53F-6-405(1)(a)(v) and Section 53F-6-405(1)(m)). The statute also authorizes the program manager to reject non-educational expenses and reimbursements that do not meet statutory criteria as outlined by Section 53F-6-402(7)(c)-(d) and Section 53F-6-405(5)(a)(ii).

Disclaimer: Any eligibility guidance or pre-approval provided by our Smart Assistant or support team is conditional. Final eligibility determinations are made only after an expense is submitted with a valid receipt and reviewed for compliance.