Arizona ESA Invoicing: How to Bill a Class That Spans Two Quarters

Your fall enrichment class starts September 9 and runs through mid November. Some of those sessions fall in the Arizona ESA first quarter, which ends September 30. The rest fall in the second quarter. If you send one ESA invoice for the whole class, ClassWallet will not be able to pay it in full, because it can only draw on the funds sitting in a family's account for the current quarter. The fix is to split the class into one invoice per quarter. Here is how to do that correctly.

Why a single invoice does not work across quarters

ESA funds load into a family's ClassWallet account once per quarter. The 2025-2026 ESA Parent Handbook lists the funding dates, and second quarter funds are deposited between October 15 and October 31. Unspent funds roll over, so nothing is lost, but the money for October sessions is simply not in the account in September.

ClassWallet pays an invoice against what is available at the time ESA staff approve it. A September invoice that also bills October and November sessions asks ClassWallet to pay from money that has not arrived yet. In practice that invoice stalls or comes back for correction. The handbook also requires every invoice to itemize the services with their dates of service, so an October session listed on a first quarter invoice has nothing to draw on until second quarter funds land.

The clean approach is one invoice per quarter, each listing only that quarter's session dates.

The Arizona ESA quarters

The handbook divides the year into four quarters:

• First quarter: July 1 through September 30
• Second quarter: October 1 through December 31
• Third quarter: January 1 through March 31
• Fourth quarter: April 1 through June 30

Funds for each quarter are deposited in the back half of that quarter's first month. First quarter funds load between July 15 and July 31, second quarter funds between October 15 and October 31, and so on.

What about the October 31 deadline

The October 31 and January 31 dates you may have heard about are the ESA debit card transaction deadlines. If a family pays you with their ESA debit card and does not submit documentation by then, they can be required to repay the undocumented amount. Reimbursement submitters have until the end of the contract year.

ClassWallet Pay for Services, the direct vendor payment method most enrichment teachers are paid through, has no quarterly submission deadline. The family uploads your invoice, ESA staff approve it, and ClassWallet pays you in 2 to 10 business days. Send each quarter's invoice within that quarter or shortly after it closes anyway, so the session dates stay current and the family's funds are still there.

One note on where this guidance comes from. The handbook does not spell out how to handle a class that runs across two quarters, so this is a gray area. The steps below reflect how quarterly funding works and what experienced ESA teachers do, not a written ADE rule. If a family's situation is unusual, confirm with ADE at ESACallCenter@azed.gov or 602-364-1969, or ask your ClassWallet contact.

Step by step: splitting the invoice

1. Pull up your class session dates. Separate the sessions dated on or before September 30 from the sessions dated October 1 or later.

2. Build the first invoice for the first quarter sessions only. If you charge a flat class price, divide it by the total number of sessions and multiply by the number of first quarter sessions. If you charge a per session rate, multiply that rate by the first quarter session count. List every first quarter session date on the invoice.

3. Send the first invoice now. First quarter funds are already loaded, so it can be paid right away.

4. Build the second invoice for the second quarter sessions using the same math. List only the October and later dates.

5. Send the second invoice after October 15, once second quarter funds are deposited. Sending it earlier means it sits with nothing to pay against and starts to look overdue.

6. Mark each invoice paid once ClassWallet releases the funds to you.

If your class continues into a third quarter, repeat the pattern. Each quarter gets its own invoice with its own dates.

Common mistakes

One invoice for the whole class run. ClassWallet cannot pay an October amount from first quarter funds. The invoice stalls or comes back for correction, and you spend time chasing it.

Sending the second quarter invoice too early. If you send it in September, before funds load in the second half of October, it has nothing to draw on. It shows as unpaid and can read as a missed payment.

Session dates that cross the boundary on one invoice. If your first quarter invoice lists an October 8 session, that line cannot be paid from first quarter funds. Keep each invoice's dates inside one quarter.

Forgetting the second invoice. The first half gets paid and the second half never gets billed. Put a reminder on your calendar for mid October.

Assuming the October 31 deadline applies to every family. It applies to ESA debit card purchases. Pay for Services invoices are not on that clock. Bill promptly anyway.

Setting classes up to make this easier

You can avoid the split on some classes by keeping them inside one quarter. A six week class that runs through October and November stays in the second quarter. A class that starts in mid September and runs eight weeks will cross into October regardless, so plan on two invoices from the start. Either way, keep your session list dated and current, so that when invoicing time comes you can sort sessions by quarter in seconds instead of rebuilding the schedule from memory.

If you are still setting up your vendor account, our guide on what to do before fall enrollment covers the pieces that need to be in place first. For every field a ClassWallet invoice has to include so it does not get rejected on a technicality, see ESA invoice requirements for Arizona enrichment teachers.

Common questions

Can I send one ESA invoice for a class that runs all semester?

No. ClassWallet pays from the funds in a family's account for the current quarter, and each quarter's funds do not load until the back half of that quarter's first month. Split the class into one invoice per quarter, and list only that quarter's session dates on each.

When do second quarter ESA funds become available?

The 2025-2026 handbook lists second quarter funding dates as October 15 through October 31. Wait until funds are deposited before sending a second quarter invoice, so it can be paid rather than sitting unpaid.

Does the October 31 ESA deadline apply to my invoices?

The October 31 quarterly deadline is for ESA debit card transactions. If your families pay you through ClassWallet Pay for Services, the standard method for enrichment providers, there is no quarterly submission deadline on your invoices. Send each quarter's invoice promptly anyway so the dates stay current.

Pydia helps Arizona enrichment teachers manage enrollment, track students, and generate ClassWallet-compliant invoices automatically. Apply to join Pydia.