Provider accounts, staff and multiple locations on the scholarship platforms. Each answer names the programs and scholarship organizations it applies to and links to the statute, State Board item or SFO handbook it comes from. Questions are written the way providers search for them.
We are not your scholarship organization and can't see your account. For decisions about your provider approval or payments, contact your SFO: Step Up For Students, AAA Scholarship Foundation or Sunshine State Kids Foundation.
Do I need a business account or a personal account in EMA?
"All service providers must have a Business Account in EMA unless they are an 'individual' whose credentials have been approved but they will be working for a different business."1 A Personal account holds an individual's credentials, links to an approved business, and cannot receive payment or invoice.2 Categories where individuals submit credentials (tutoring, choice navigator, specialized services, music and art therapy, electives, job coach, home-education evaluation and most testing) need a linked Personal account, while VPK, horse therapy, HEIPs, VIPs, online course providers and public schools are approved at the business level.345 Schools create neither; they are invited after FDOE approval (see V090).2
I’m a solo tutor can I get paid into my personal account?
No. All direct-pay payments go by ACH into a Business account, so a solo tutor creates both a Business and a Personal account.12 SUFS says this is "the only instance when two accounts will fall under the same login name."2
I don't have an EIN can I use my SSN for EMA?
Yes. Individuals and sole proprietors may use personal details, with an SSN if they have no EIN, on the electronic W-9 in Direct Pay setup.65 SUFS says it will never ask for a password, SSN or banking details by email, phone or text, so enter them only inside EMA.7
What business name do I enter for direct pay in EMA?
Enter the company name exactly as it appears on your IRS EIN Verification Letter, including any DBA and c/o lines.6 IRS validation "may take up to 24 hours," and a green banner confirms it.6 Schools and businesses follow the same three Direct Pay steps: company information, ACH banking, then the W-9.6
How do I add my tutors or therapists to my EMA business?
Your Business account must be submitted and approved first; each staff member then creates a Personal account, gets it approved, and uses Businesses → Find Businesses to request to join.25 Any user on your Business account accepts or declines under Service Providers → Requests to Join, and each service is still approved separately.2 You must have approved service providers attached before submitting service offerings, and SUFS's set-up deck says to delete anyone who no longer works for you.45
Can one tutor work for more than one business or can I have two business accounts in EMA?
Yes to both. An individual may link to more than one Business, and a provider may hold more than one Business account, for example with separate EINs or banking.1 One Business may also offer several service categories as long as the qualified individuals are linked.1
How do I list multiple locations in EMA?
Give each location its own contact information and email so families find the right one.2 All locations sit under the same tax ID and bank account; if you need separate tax IDs or banking, use separate Business accounts.21 Each location lists its address, phone and operating hours, which are contact hours ("This is not a scheduler").5
Who on my team can log into our EMA business account?
According to SUFS's set-up deck, Users get their own login and can change the account, including banking, while Contacts have no login and only receive communications.5 Each person needs a unique email and phone, which cannot double as a guardian (parent) account email.58 The two-step verification phone must accept a text or call; numbers answered by an automated recording fail.2 Changing banking information limits account access until it is corrected.5
I’m already a provider in another state's Step Up program do I need a Florida account?
Yes. SUFS says providers with an account in another state's SUFS program, such as West Virginia, "still need to create an account in Florida."25 Florida approval then follows the same Business and Personal account steps as any new provider (see V001).2
Can I log into a family's EMA account to help them?
No. Asking for a family's EMA username or password, or accessing a student's application or account, "may result in loss of provider participation and/or scholarship eligibility and funding for the student, as well as financial or criminal penalties."7 SUFS tells families that using third-party services to access their account violates its user agreement.9 Families must not share EMA logins with a school or provider.10
More provider questions
- Getting approved
- Credentials and screening
- Getting paid
- Pricing and invoicing
- Which programs can pay you
- Working with each SFO
- Private-school participation and payments
- Federal tax-credit scholarships
See also: all Florida K-12 scholarship programs, award amounts and deadlines.
Sources
- SUFS, "Becoming a Step Up For Students Provider — Frequently Asked Questions" (2026) · Q1–Q11 and "A few reminders" · verified on
- SUFS, 2026-2027 Non-School Provider Handbook · "Setting Up An Account In EMA › Account Types" · verified on
- SUFS, 2026-2027 Non-School Provider Handbook · "Payment Options › Direct Payment For Services" · verified on
- SUFS, "Set Up a Provider Account in EMA" flowchart · p. 1 · verified on
- SUFS, "EMA Account Set-Up for Providers" webinar deck (undated, 2023-24 era; still linked from the 2026-27 NSPH) · Parts I–III · verified on
- SUFS, "Direct Pay Set Up Guide — Step-By-Step Instructions for Schools & Business Providers" (2025-26 training folder) · Steps 1–3 · verified on
- SUFS, 2026-2027 Non-School Provider Handbook · "Data Confidentiality"; "Data Security" · verified on
- SUFS, 2026-2027 Private School Provider Handbook · "Setting Up An Account In EMA"; "Adding Tuition & Fees In EMA" (eligible and prohibited fees) · verified on
- Step Up For Students, EMA page (same notice on School Resources and Privacy Policy pages) · "Security Reminder" · verified on
- SUFS 2026-27 Private School Family Handbook · "Data Confidentiality"; "Actions That May Lead To Loss of The Scholarship" · verified on