Skip to the sign-up form
Check First Get early access

Know if an ESA purchase fits the rules before you buy

Education savings account money comes with a rulebook, and the platform that holds your funds rarely explains it. Check First keeps your receipts in order, tracks what is left in each category, and shows you what your program's own published rules say — with a link to the page they came from.

Get early access See how it works

Check First is an organizing tool, not your program administrator. Every decision about your funds is made by your program, not by us.

What it does

Check before you spend

Describe what you want to buy and see what your program's published rules say about it, with the exact rule and a link to its source. You decide with the rulebook in front of you instead of guessing in a store aisle.

Receipts and category limits

Photograph a receipt and the details are filled in for you to confirm. Each child's remaining balance and category limits update as you log them, so you can see a limit coming instead of finding out in month eight.

Reporting-ready records

When your program asks for documentation, export a clean summary with every receipt attached — in about the time it takes to find the folder you meant to keep them in.

How it works

  1. Add your children and programs

    A first name or nickname is all we need. Tell us which program each child is in and roughly what their award is.

  2. Snap receipts as you go

    Take a photo at the register or forward the order confirmation later. Line items, totals and dates are filled in for you to confirm.

  3. Check, track, and report

    Ask about a purchase before you make it, watch your category limits, and export everything when a deadline comes around.

Where we are starting

We are opening with a small number of state programs, because getting one program's rules exactly right matters more than covering every state badly. Tell us which program you are in below — that is how we decide what to add next.

Get early access

Tell us where you are and we will let you know when Check First opens to families in your program. No spam, and you can leave at any time.

The name you see on your funding platform is fine.

We will send one email to confirm it is you. Nothing else until we open in your state.

Check First is an organizing tool, not your program administrator. Rules can change; always confirm with your program.

Questions

Can it tell me yes or no on a purchase?
No. It shows you what your program's own published rules say, quotes the relevant one, and links you to the source document. Your program administrator makes every decision about your funds — we are a record-keeping tool, and we say so on every screen that shows you a rule.
Where do the rules come from?
From each program's published handbook and guidance, entered by hand and cited line by line, with the source shown next to it. Nothing is generated or guessed. When a program updates its rules, the version you saw is recorded alongside what you logged.
Does it connect to my funding platform?
No. You upload receipts and set the status yourself. Those platforms do not offer a way to connect, and we would rather be honest about that than pretend to a sync that does not exist.
What do you store about my children?
A first name or nickname and a grade level. No birthdates, no last names, no school or student identifiers. Children do not get accounts and there is nothing in the product aimed at them.
Is my state supported?
We are starting with a small number of programs so we can get the rules right rather than cover everything badly. Add your email above and tell us your state — that is how we choose what to add next.