Florida PEP Reimbursement Deadline: When You MUST Submit to Get Paid

The deadline to submit Florida PEP reimbursement requests for the 2025–2026 school year is July 31, 2026. Miss this date and you permanently lose the funds for those purchases. No extensions, no exceptions.

What the Deadline Actually Means

July 31 is the last day you can submit a reimbursement request for any purchase made during the July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026 school year. Even if your receipt is perfect and the item is fully eligible, submitting on August 1 means you get nothing back.

Why Families Miss It Every Year

• The school year ends June 30, so many parents assume that's the submission deadline too
• Summer is chaotic: vacations, loose receipts, and "I'll do it next week"
• New families often don't know a hard deadline exists until it's already passed

How to Never Miss It

1. Set a reminder for July 15: two weeks of buffer is enough to gather missing receipts.
2. Do a mid-year sweep in January: catch unsubmitted purchases before they pile up.
3. Submit as you buy, not at year-end: this is the single most effective habit change.
4. In June, log into EMA and confirm every purchase from the year is in the system.

Important: Step Up's processing volume peaks May–July. If you submit on July 31, you may not receive your reimbursement until late September, but as long as you submitted before the deadline, you're eligible.