Q: What is the Florida Prepaid College Fund?

A: The Florida Prepaid College Fund allows families to prepay future college costs. Families using the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES-UA) may submit service orders to contribute to either an Investment 529 Plan or a Prepaid 529 Plan.

Q: What changes are happening to Prepaid 529 Plan reimbursement options?

A: Step Up is phasing out the reimbursement option for Prepaid 529 Plan contributions:

June 30, 2026 is the final deadline to submit reimbursement requests.

• Requests submitted on or before June 30, 2026, are eligible for processing.
• Requests submitted after June 30, 2026, will be denied.
• Any reimbursement already pending as of June 30 will still be processed.

Q: What is the new contribution option for the Prepaid 529 Plan?

A: A new option allows families to contribute directly using Direct Pay through their EMA account.

Q: What do I need to do before contributing scholarship funds?

A; To use FES-UA funds for a 529 plan, you must:

• Have a Florida Prepaid 529 Plan or Investment 529 Plan set up for your student.
• Ensure the student’s name on the 529 account exactly matches the scholarship student’s name.

Q: What is the difference between an Investment 529 Plan and a Prepaid 529 Plan?

A: Use these guidelines about differences between the plans:

Investment 529 Plan (Florida 529 Savings Program):

• Flexible and affordable way to save for college
• Earnings grow tax-free
• Contributions are made via Direct Pay only

Prepaid 529 Plan (Stanley G. Tate Plan):

• Locks in future college costs at current prices
• Contribution options include:
• Direct Pay (new)
• Out-of-pocket payment with reimbursement (ending June 30, 2026)

Q: How do I make contributions through EMA?

A: You can submit a service order through your EMA account using Direct Pay (for both plans) or reimbursement (Prepaid Plan only until June 30, 2026).

Q: When are contribution requests due?

A: Follow these deadlines:

• Submit requests by the 14th of each month to be processed that same month.
• Requests submitted after the 14th will be processed the following month.

Q: When will payments be applied to the account?

A: Payments submitted by the 14th are typically applied to the student’s Florida Prepaid account by the 20th of the same month.

Q: What are these plans called in the EMA Marketplace?

A: Use these names for each plan in EMA:

• Investment 529 Plan → Florida 529 Savings Program
• Prepaid 529 Plan → Stanley G. Tate (Prepaid 529 Plan)

Q: Where can I learn more about these plans?

A: Helpful YouTube videos about the Florida 529 Savings Plan and Florida Prepaid College Fund are available in both English and Spanish.