Step Up For Students · 2024–25 Season
AUP Compliance Portal
School User Guide
How to upload your documents and track your AUP engagement status
📤 Upload Documents
📁 Track Document Status
⏱ Takes about 10 minutes
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Welcome
This guide explains everything you need to do in the AUP portal. Your job is simple: upload the documents your CPA firm asks for, and check this portal to see what's still outstanding. The firm handles all the analysis and report preparation — you just need to get them the right files.
Open any web browser and go to the portal address your CPA firm provided. Enter the email address and password they set up for your school, then click Sign In.
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- Open Chrome, Safari, or Edge and go to the portal URL your firm sent you.
- Type in your school's email address and password.
- Click Sign In. You'll land on your school's home screen.
⚠️
Can't log in?
Contact your CPA firm — they control your login credentials. Do not try to create an account yourself.
After logging in, you'll see a blue welcome banner at the top of the screen. This banner always shows the most important information about your engagement.
Welcome banner — always visible at the top
School Name
Your school's name appears in large text — confirms you're logged into the right account.
In Progress / Due Date
Shows your engagement status and the deadline. The hard deadline is October 31, 2025.
Documents Received
The progress bar shows how many of your required documents have been received out of the total needed.
Two Tabs
Upload Documents — to send files. Document Status — to see what's been received and what's still needed.
The Upload Documents tab is where you send files to your firm. You can upload multiple files at once, and the portal will automatically identify most of them by their filename.
Upload Documents tab — drop zone
- Click the Upload Documents tab at the top of the page.
- Either drag your files directly from your computer onto the blue drop zone, or click the Choose Files button to browse for them.
- Each file will appear in a staging area below the drop zone. The portal will try to identify what type of document it is automatically — look for the green "Auto-detected" label.
- If the document type wasn't detected, use the dropdown menu next to the file to select what it is.
- Once all files are labeled, click Upload to send them to your firm.
✅
Any file format is accepted
PDF, Excel (.xlsx), Word (.docx), images (.jpg, .png) — upload whatever format the document is in. You don't need to convert anything.
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Name your files clearly
The portal identifies documents by filename. A file called General_Ledger_2024.xlsx will be recognized automatically. A file called scan001.pdf will not — you'll need to label it yourself from the dropdown.
After Uploading
Once uploaded, your files appear in the Files Received list at the bottom of the page. Each file shows its name, size, upload date, and which binder tab it belongs to. Your firm will be notified automatically.
Files Received list and upload confirmation
Scroll down on the Upload Documents tab to find the What to Send Us checklist. This is your master reference — every document your school is responsible for, grouped by binder section.
What to Send Us — your complete document checklist
Here is the full list of what your school needs to provide:
Status Update Communications
Tab 0 — any emails or letters from Step Up regarding your school
Signed Engagement Letter (Keith + school contact)
Tab 0 — both signatures required
DOE Letter of Compliance (2024–25)
Tab 1 — from the Florida Department of Education
QuickBooks Cash Sales by Detail — student balances (zero balance verification)
Tab 2 — exported from QuickBooks, Step Up accounts only
Bank Statements (July–June, all accounts)
Tab 3A — all 12 months, all bank accounts
Bank Reconciliation — June (required, signed)
Tab 3B — June reconciliation must be signed by school
Bank Reconciliation — Month 2 (signed)
Tab 3B — any non-consecutive month beyond June
Bank Reconciliation — Month 3 (signed)
Tab 3B — optional third month if applicable
Non-Ed Expense Listing from GL (or email confirming none)
Tab 3C — list any non-educational expenses, or email confirming there are none
Shared Cost Transactions (or email confirming none)
Tab 3D — any costs shared with other programs
Internal Controls Document (5 required items)
Tab 4 — your school's internal financial controls documentation
Board-Approved Budget (approved before July 1)
Tab 4 — must show board approval date
Board Meeting Minutes — Budget Approval Meeting
Tab 4 — minutes from the meeting where budget was approved
Board Meeting Minutes — Financial Discussion #2 & #3
Tab 4 — two additional board meetings discussing finances
Remittance Forms for All Sampled Students
Tab 4A — Step Up payment remittances for your student sample
Balance Sheet (as of June 30)
Tab 5A — year-end balance sheet
Profit & Loss Statement (July 1 – June 30)
Tab 5A — full fiscal year P&L
General Ledger (full year, all categories)
Tab 5A — exported from QuickBooks, all transactions
Enrollment Count by Grade Level
Tab 6A — total student count broken down by grade
Tuition and Fee Policy Document
Tab 6A — your published tuition schedule
Confirmation — No Scholarships Applied to Students
Tab 6A — signed confirmation
School Calendar (min 170 instructional days)
Tab 6B — full 2024–25 academic calendar
Student Handbook with Attendance Policy
Tab 6C — your current student handbook
Attendance Records for Sampled Students
Tab 6D — attendance for the specific students in your sample
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Your firm handles the report itself
Items marked green in the portal (like the AUP Report, bank rating, and educational expense listing) are prepared by your CPA firm — you don't need to provide those.
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Step Up funds only
When exporting from QuickBooks, only include transactions related to Step Up scholarship funds. VPK, parent tuition payments, and other revenue are not in scope for this engagement.
Click the Document Status tab to see a section-by-section breakdown of every document in your engagement. This is your source of truth for "have they received my stuff?"
Document Status tab — full binder view
Each item in the list shows a colored dot on the left and a tag on the right:
🟢 Your firm is handling
These are documents your CPA firm prepares — the AUP report, bank rating, expense listing, etc. You don't need to do anything for these.
🟡 Needed from you
These are documents your school needs to provide. If something shows yellow and you've already sent it, contact your firm — it may not have been received yet.
Scroll down through the Document Status tab to see all the binder sections: Report & Engagement, Letter of Compliance, Student Allocation, Bank Statements, and so on. Each section shows its own items.
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Check this tab before calling your firm
Before asking "did you get my documents?", check the Document Status tab first. If an item shows green, it's confirmed received. If it's still yellow after you've uploaded it, give it a day — then reach out to your firm if it hasn't updated.
Green dot — Your firm is handling this
You don't need to do anything. Your CPA firm prepares this item.
Yellow dot — Needed from you
Your school needs to upload or provide this document.
Gray dot — Complete
This item is done — either your firm has it or it's been confirmed received.
Progress Bar (top of page)
Shows how many of the 26 school-provided documents have been received. Your goal is to get this to 26/26 before August 15.
Due: Oct 31, 2025
Hard deadline for Step Up. Aim to have everything submitted by August 15 to give your firm time to review and file.
❓Can I upload the same file more than once? Yes. If you upload a corrected version of a file, just upload it again. Your firm will see both versions and use the most recent one.
❓What if I don't have one of the documents on the list? Email your CPA firm directly to let them know. Some items are conditional — for example, shared cost documentation is only needed if your school shares costs between programs.
❓Can I see my firm's notes about my school? No. Your firm keeps internal notes that are not visible to schools. If you have questions about your status, email them directly.
❓My document was uploaded but it still shows yellow in Document Status. Why? It may take a moment to update, or the firm may need to manually confirm receipt. If it hasn't changed after 24 hours, reach out to your firm.
❓What file types can I upload? Any format is accepted — PDF, Excel, Word, JPG, PNG, and more. No conversion needed.
❓How do I know my upload was successful? After uploading, look for a green ✅ confirmation next to each file name and check the Files Received list at the bottom of the Upload tab. If you see a red ❌, the file didn't upload — try again.
Key Dates to Remember
May 15
Student verification visits must be completed (kids check out for summer)
June 30
Fiscal year end — all year-end financial statements dated as of this date
August 15
Target: all documents submitted to guarantee the September 15 filing
November 1
Hard deadline — Step Up begins daily follow-up with non-compliant schools
Questions about your documents or this portal?
Contact your CPA firm directly — they manage your account and can answer any questions about what to send.