One of the most common points of confusion for new Step Up providers is figuring out whether they need a business account, a personal account, or both. Here's the distinction, straight from Step Up's own Provider Handbook.
The short answer: A business account is for the entity that gets paid. A personal account is for the credentialed individual who actually delivers the service. Many providers need both, linked together, and payments only ever go to the business account, never to an individual.
As of this writing (July 2026), this reflects Step Up's published Non-School Provider Handbook. Confirm current account setup steps at stepupforstudents.org before applying, since requirements can change between school years.
What a business account is for
According to Step Up's Provider Handbook, you should create a business account if:
- You own or operate a business that will bill for services, or
- You contract with or employ service providers whose services to students will be payable to the business
All payments through EMA are issued to the business account. This is true even if a specific individual employee actually performed the service.
(Source: Step Up For Students Non-School Provider Handbook, current as of July 3, 2026)
What a personal account is for
A personal account exists to hold and verify an individual's credentials. Step Up's handbook specifies that all employees of a business who provide services requiring individual credentials must create a personal account, separate from the business account itself.
Once created, a personal account must be linked to an approved business account before that individual can be paid for services. The handbook describes this as a two-step process: the individual requests to join the business account (through the "Businesses" tab in EMA, using "Find Businesses"), and then the business account owner approves and connects that request.
(Source: Step Up For Students Non-School Provider Handbook, current as of July 3, 2026)
Do you need one, or both?
Based on Step Up's handbook, here's how this typically breaks down:
- Solo providers who are personally credentialed (an independent tutor, for example) may need to create both a personal account (to hold their credentials) and a business account (to actually receive payment), since a personal account alone cannot receive payment for services.
- Businesses with multiple credentialed employees need one business account, plus a separate personal account for each employee whose services require individual credentials, each linked back to the business account.
- Schools should not create personal or business provider accounts at all, per Step Up's handbook, this structure is specifically for non-school providers.
A detail worth double-checking before you start
Step Up's handbook specifically flags that the phone number used for two-step verification when logging into EMA must be able to receive a text message or call with a verification code, phone numbers answered only by an automated recording will not work. This is a small detail that can otherwise stall account setup for reasons that aren't obvious from the error message alone.
(Source: Step Up For Students Non-School Provider Handbook, current as of July 3, 2026)
The bottom line
The business account is where the money goes. The personal account is where an individual's credentials live. If you're a credentialed solo provider, you likely need both, linked together, before you can actually get paid. Getting this structure right the first time avoids a delayed approval down the line.
Once your EMA accounts are set up, list your business free on Florida Education Vendors to start building visibility with scholarship families while your Step Up approval is in process.
Sources cited in this article: Step Up For Students Non-School Provider Handbook, current as of July 3, 2026.