EFTC participation, state by state
The Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) is the first federal tax credit scholarship program in U.S. history, beginning January 1, 2027. For families in a given state to access EFTC scholarships, the governor (or whoever state law designates) must opt their state in, one year at a time. Here’s where every state stands.
As of October 1, 2026, 30 states have opted in to the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (§25F). One more state has announced they will opt in. 2 governors have vetoed an opt-in bill, 4 states have declined, and 14 have not yet decided. The program begins January 1, 2027.
What the rules say: under Treasury’s temporary regulations (October 1, 2026), a state takes part in 2027 only if it files an advance election by January 1, 2027 and submits its SGO list to the IRS by February 15, 2027. Donors in any state can give to an SGO in any participating state; under the proposed regulations, scholarships go to students who live in the state whose list the SGO is on.
Opted in: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.
Note on the count: the IRS’s official published list currently names 30 states, the same 30 this tracker counts. Kentucky, the last state that was in by legislative override without a federal filing, completed its election on July 22, 2026 and appeared on the IRS list on July 27. New York has publicly committed but not formally filed, so it is counted here as announced, not opted in.
Click any state to see its status, governor, and what to do next.
States that have opted in (30)
These states have opted in to EFTC. Under Treasury's temporary regulations (October 2026), each completes its 2027 election by submitting its list of qualifying Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) to the IRS by February 15, 2027, and elects again each year. Scholarships become available to families who live in these states once the program begins January 1, 2027.
- AlabamaALGov. Kay Ivey
- AlaskaAKGov. Mike Dunleavy
- ArkansasARGov. Sarah Huckabee SandersOpted in · 2026-01-16
- ColoradoCOGov. Jared PolisOpted in · 2025-12-05
- FloridaFLGov. Ron DeSantisOpted in · 2026-01-28
- GeorgiaGAGov. Brian Kemp
- IdahoIDGov. Brad Little
- IndianaINGov. Mike BraunOpted in · 2026-01-22
- IowaIAGov. Kim ReynoldsOpted in · 2026-01-05
- KansasKSGov. Laura Kelly (vetoed the opt-in)Opted in by legislative override · 2026-04-13
- KentuckyKYGov. Andy Beshear (vetoed the opt-in)Opted in by legislative override · 2026-03-17
- LouisianaLAGov. Jeff LandryOpted in · 2025-12-17
- MississippiMSGov. Tate Reeves
- MissouriMOGov. Mike Kehoe
- MontanaMTGov. Greg Gianforte
- NebraskaNEGov. Jim PillenOpted in · 2025-09-29
- NevadaNVGov. Joe Lombardo
- New HampshireNHGov. Kelly AyotteOpted in · 2026-01-29
- North CarolinaNCGov. Josh Stein (vetoed the opt-in)Opted in by legislative override · 2026-06-03
- North DakotaNDGov. Kelly ArmstrongOpted in · 2026-01-26
- OhioOHGov. Mike DeWine
- OklahomaOKGov. Kevin Stitt
- South CarolinaSCGov. Henry McMaster
- South DakotaSDGov. Larry Rhoden
- TennesseeTNGov. Bill LeeOpted in by statute · 2026-05-05
- TexasTXGov. Greg AbbottOpted in · 2025-12-10
- UtahUTGov. Spencer Cox
- VirginiaVAGov. Abigail Spanberger (inherited it)Opted in by Gov. Glenn Youngkin · 2026-01-01
- West VirginiaWVGov. Patrick Morrisey
- WyomingWYGov. Mark Gordon
States that have announced they will opt in (1)
Governors of these states have publicly announced they intend to participate but have not yet formally finalized their opt-in. To take part in 2027, a state must file an advance election with the IRS by January 1, 2027 and submit its SGO list by February 15, 2027.
States that have not yet decided (14)
Governors of these states have not yet announced a decision. Time is short: under Treasury's temporary regulations, a state must file an advance election with the IRS by January 1, 2027 to take part in 2027.
- CaliforniaCAGov. Gavin Newsom
- ConnecticutCTGov. Ned Lamont
- DelawareDEGov. Matt Meyer
- District of ColumbiaDCGov. Muriel Bowser
- IllinoisILGov. JB Pritzker
- MaineMEGov. Janet Mills
- MarylandMDGov. Wes Moore
- MassachusettsMAGov. Maura Healey
- MichiganMIGov. Gretchen Whitmer
- New JerseyNJGov. Mikie Sherrill
- PennsylvaniaPAGov. Josh Shapiro
- Rhode IslandRIGov. Dan McKee
- VermontVTGov. Phil Scott
- WashingtonWAGov. Bob Ferguson
States where the governor vetoed an opt-in bill (2)
In these states, the legislature passed an opt-in bill but the governor vetoed it. Without a veto override or a governor reversal, families in these states will not be eligible for EFTC scholarships.
States that have declined to participate (4)
Governors of these states have stated their states will not participate. Families here will not be eligible for EFTC scholarships unless the decision is reversed. States elect one calendar year at a time, so a later year remains open.
Don’t see your state opted in?
Click your state above to see who your governor is, what their current position is, and how to make your voice heard before the January 1, 2027 deadline for a state to elect into the program’s first year.

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