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.

What if my program changes a rule mid-year?

A record you already made should not quietly re-read itself. Each rule we hold carries the date and version it was taken from, and what you logged stays attached to the wording that was current at the time. When we take an update in, you can see that it changed and what it changed from.

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.

No. Not to advertisers, not to data brokers, and not to vendors who would like to reach families with education money to spend. We do not hand your records to your program either — exports go to you, and you decide who sees them.

Can I get my records out again?

Yes, at any time, including on your way out. Every receipt you upload stays downloadable and every summary exports with the files attached. Records you may have to produce a year from now should not be locked inside somebody's product.

We have not set the price yet, and we would rather say so than post a number we already plan to change. Everyone on the early-access list hears it from us before we open.

Do I need to be good with computers?

If you can take a photo and open an email, you can use it. It is built for a phone first, because a phone is what you are holding when the receipt is in your hand.

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.

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. CheckFirst ESA 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

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

The money arrives. The rulebook does not.

Most families learn how their program works one rejection at a time. The handbook is a PDF on a state website. The funding platform shows a balance and a list of transactions, and nothing at all about the thing you are standing in a store holding.

You spend first and find out later

A submitted purchase can come back long after the term has moved on. The money is already gone, and the answer is not yours to argue with.

The categories are where it goes wrong

Two families can buy the same thing and hear two different answers, because it was filed under a different category or bought at a different point in the year.

Documentation arrives as a deadline

Nobody asks you for one receipt. They ask for all of them, at once, with a date on it — and a camera roll is not a filing system.

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 that file themselves

Photograph a receipt and the vendor, date, total and line items are filled in for you to confirm. The photo stays attached to the record, because a summary is not what anyone asks you to produce.

Limits you can see coming

Each child's remaining balance and category limits update as you log purchases, so a limit shows up as something approaching rather than something you discover 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.

Both parents, one set of records

Invite the other adult in the house and you both see the same balances and the same receipts. Nobody logs the same purchase twice, and nobody has to ask whether it was logged.

A separate file per child

Each child's award, categories and receipts stay their own. One trip to one store can be split between them, so the records still stand up on their own afterwards.

How it works

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.
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.
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 the rules come from

A rule you cannot check is worth nothing. Everything CheckFirst ESA shows you is taken from a document your own program published, and it arrives with the receipt for itself.

We would rather show you a gap than fill one. Where a program has not published an answer, the product says there is no published rule and points you at who to ask. It does not reason its way to one.

Entered by hand, from the source

Each program's handbook and guidance is read and transcribed by a person. No model writes a rule, and nothing is filled in from general knowledge of how these programs usually work.
Every rule carries its citation

The document, the section, and a link, shown next to the wording itself. You can open the original in one tap and read it for yourself.
Versions are kept, not overwritten

What you logged stays attached to the wording that was current when you logged it. A record made in the fall still reads the way it read in the fall.

What CheckFirst ESA does not do

This list matters more than the feature list. A tool that overstates what it knows about your money is worse than no tool at all.

It does not decide

No screen will tell you a purchase is fine. It shows you the published rule and where to read it. Your program administrator decides, every time.

It does not touch your funds

No bank connection, no card linking, no account numbers, and no access to your funding platform. Nothing here can move a dollar.

It is not advice

Not tax advice, and not advice from an attorney. It is a record-keeping tool that shows you what a document says.

It does not sell you on

Your records are not a product. No advertisers, no data brokers, and no selling your household to vendors who would like to reach families with money to spend.

Where we are starting

We are adding states one program at a time. Each page below links through to that program's own official pages, which stay the authority on what your family can do. Not listed? Add your email below and tell us your state.

Arizona In private beta
Arkansas In private beta
Florida In private beta
Texas Coming soon
West Virginia Coming soon

See every state we cover

Get early access

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

Email address

Your state (optional)

Children in a program (optional)

Which program? (optional)

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.

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

What happens after you join

One email, right away. You click a link to confirm the address is yours. Until you do, you are not on the list.
Then nothing. No newsletter, no drip sequence, no product updates you did not ask for.
One email when we open to families in your program, with the price and how to start. Every message we send has a one-click way out.

Your state and program are optional, and they are the main thing we use to decide which program to add next.

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.
What if my program changes a rule mid-year?: A record you already made should not quietly re-read itself. Each rule we hold carries the date and version it was taken from, and what you logged stays attached to the wording that was current at the time. When we take an update in, you can see that it changed and what it changed from.
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.
Do you sell my data?: No. Not to advertisers, not to data brokers, and not to vendors who would like to reach families with education money to spend. We do not hand your records to your program either — exports go to you, and you decide who sees them.
Can I get my records out again?: Yes, at any time, including on your way out. Every receipt you upload stays downloadable and every summary exports with the files attached. Records you may have to produce a year from now should not be locked inside somebody's product.
What does it cost?: We have not set the price yet, and we would rather say so than post a number we already plan to change. Everyone on the early-access list hears it from us before we open.
Do I need to be good with computers?: If you can take a photo and open an email, you can use it. It is built for a phone first, because a phone is what you are holding when the receipt is in your hand.
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.