Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship Program (HB 1133)
What is the Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship Program (HB 1133)?
Passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue on May 14, 2008, the Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship Program (HB 1133) allows individual corporate citizens to receive an income tax credit for donations to student scholarship organizations (SSOs). These SSOs will then use these donations to grant scholarships for public school students to attend the qualified private school of their parent's choice.
Donations are made to specific SSOs. Each SSO will decide which students receive the scholarships and in what amounts. However, donations cannot be designated to benefit a specific child and SSOs cannot serve only one private school.
To learn more about what the Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship program means for private schools in Georgia, click on the links below:
Becoming a Qualified School Participating SSOs Helpful Documents
Becoming a Qualified School
Unlike other school choice programs, there is not a formal approval process in order for a private school to accept a Tuition Tax Credit scholarship granted by an SSO. However, there are minimum requirements that schools must meet. They include:
- Accreditation - Schools must be accredited or in the process of becoming accredited by one or more of the following accreditation agencies:
- Location - All schools must be physically located in Georgia
- Federal and State Laws - All schools must adhere to the provisions of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and satisfy all private school requirements prescribed in Georgia state law.
Participating SSOs
We recommend that if your school is considering accepting students with using a Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship that you speak with various SSOs. This can help you better understand which SSOs can best serve incoming students. Click here to download a list of SSOs in Georgia.
Helpful Documents
As all educators know, knowledge is empowering. At the Center for an Educated Georgia, we are here to empower schools to answer questions and educate their community about the Tuition Tax Credit Scholarship program.
Feel free to download our HB 1133 brochure for parents, schools, and prospective donors for use in educating school supporters, incoming families and yourself on how the program works. If you have additional questions, feel free to contact us.