South Carolina education service provider bonds.
From $125.
Under South Carolina's Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF), an education service provider that expects to receive $50,000 or more in ESTF funds must file a surety bond with the Department of Education to show financial viability. Pricing starts from $125 — no credit check up to $25,000, and your exact price appears at the application.
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How much does a South Carolina education service provider bond cost?
1% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, from $125. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard ESTF provider bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the Department of Education. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your provider details, the bond amount the Department requires, and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
No credit check up to $25,000. Above $25,000, a soft pull may add a short review.
File with the Department of Education
Submit the executed bond to the State Department of Education before the start of the school year to participate as an ESTF provider. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the ESTF provider bond actually covers
South Carolina's Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) gives eligible families scholarship funds to spend on approved educational expenses with participating education service providers — tutoring, therapy, curriculum, technology, and similar services. The program requires providers handling meaningful sums to demonstrate financial viability.
Under the ESTF statute, a provider must file a surety bond with the Department of Education before the school year if it expects to receive $50,000 or more in ESTF funds during the year. After the first year, the bond is required of providers who received more than $50,000 in the prior school year.
The bond protects scholarship families and the State if a provider fails to deliver the services the funds were paid for. If the surety pays a valid claim, the provider repays the surety — it is a financial-viability guarantee, not insurance for the provider. Enter the amount the Department requires and your exact price — from $125 — appears at the application, with no credit check up to $25,000 to fill out.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the Department of Education. Submit the executed bond to the State Department of Education before the start of the school year to participate as an ESTF provider. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount plus a $25 fee, $125 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $25,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with the bond amount the Department requires — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file with the Department of Education.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other South Carolina bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
ESTF provider bond, issued today.
Pricing from $125. Enter the amount the Department requires and file before the school year.