Give Back to School - Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

How does the Give Back to Schools program work?

Schools are credited 5% of the qualifying purchases every time schools, teachers, students, parents and school supporters give a school's Give Back to Schools program ID number when buying school and office supplies at Office Depot, OfficeMax or at officedepot.com. Schools that earn $10 or more in credits will receive a merchandise certificate to use for free supplies.

What are the valid dates of the Give Back to Schools program?

The Give Back to Schools program is valid all year! Credits for schools are tallied and issued quarterly:

January 1 - March 31

April 1 - June 30

July 1 - September 30

October 1 - December 31

Can I credit my school when making a purchase at the store, online and over the phone?

Yes! You can provide your school's ID number when making a purchase in any U.S. store (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), by placing an order with customer service at 1-800-GO-DEPOT, or by placing an order at officedepot.com.

What products qualify for the Give Back to Schools program?

Generally, basic school and office supplies are qualifying purchases. For example notebook paper, pens/pencils, note pads, binders and much more. Products that do not qualify are all technology and consumer electronic products and accessories; media and software that is not education or reference related; all furniture items and furniture accessories; all ink and toner cartridges; Gift Cards; purchases from Copy & Print Depot™ and OfficeMax Services Center; postage stamps; and purchases made to contract business accounts. Click here for a complete list of qualifying products.

What are the terms and conditions of the program?

The Give Back to Schools Program is available at Office Depot® and OfficeMax® store locations, by phone at 1-800-GO-DEPOT (800-463-3768), and online at OfficeDepot.com. Limited to Pre-K - 12th grade schools only. There are four program periods: a) January 1 through March 31; b) April 1 through June 30; c) July 1 through September 30; and d) October 1 through December 31. Five percent of qualifying school and office supply purchases (after deducting discounts and the value of any Rewards Certificates or Merchandise Cards applied to the purchase) made during each program period will be tallied under the name of each school designated by our customers. Qualifying purchases are categorized as basic school and office supplies, i.e., paper, file folders, pens, pencils, crayons, etc. Products that do not qualify are 1) all technology and consumer electronic products and accessories, media and software that is not education or reference related, 2) all furniture items and furniture accessories, 3) all ink and toner cartridges, 4) gift and prepaid cards, 5) postage stamps and 6) purchases from our print and copy centers. Purchases made to contract business accounts and by resellers do not qualify. At the end of each program period, the total credits tallied per school will be offered to that school in the form of an Office Depot® OfficeMax® Merchandise Certificate for the school's use toward the purchase of any products or services from any Office Depot® or OfficeMax® store, by phone at 1-800-GO-DEPOT (800-463-3768), or online at OfficeDepot.com. Office Depot® OfficeMax® Merchandise Certificates are for school use only, are not transferable or assignable and are not for resale or auction. Credits are only effective once the offer is accepted. Certificates will be issued 60 days after the end of each program period and will be valid for 120 days after the date of issuance. Certificates will not be offered to schools with less than $10.00 in tallied credits per program period. Visit officedepot.com/givebts for a list of qualifying products. Office Depot, Inc. will honor up to $10 million in total credits to the designated schools that opt to participate. Unaccepted/declined credits immediately expire and are void.

Office Depot, Inc. reserves the right to modify or cancel the Program at any time without prior notice. Any modification will be effective immediately upon posting of the modified terms and conditions on OfficeDepot.com/givebts.

Program Participation

How can I find my school's ID number?

Visit officedepot.com/givebts and use the search tool to find your school’s ID number. Your local store can look up school ID numbers at each register. Customer service agents at 1-800-GO-DEPOT also have the ability to search for school ID numbers.

My school does not have an ID number. What should I do?

Send your school’s name, mailing address, principal’s name and phone number to backtoschool@officedepot.com.

My school has an ID number. Will this number ever change?

No. Once the school has an ID number assigned to them, it will remain the same.

How does a school participate in the program?

The school should communicate their Give Back to Schools program ID number to parents, teachers, and school supporters. When shopping in store or online, teachers, students, parents and school supporters should give their school's Give Back to Schools Program ID number at checkout.

Is there a flyer or any promotional materials that we can use to promote this program to our community?

Yes, visit officedepot.com/givebts to download a customizable flyer to promote your school's ID number.

What schools are eligible to participate in the program?

Public and private schools with a pre-K through 12th grade curriculum are eligible to participate. School district offices, organizations, or special interest schools are not eligible.

Can my school, which is part of a contract account, receive credit through this program?

Yes, qualifying purchases made in store, by phone at 1-800-GO-DEPOT, or online at officedepot.com will count. However, purchases made by contract business accounts do not qualify.

Can the purchases my school makes qualify for the program?

Yes. However, schools purchasing with a contract business account do not qualify.

Can I give my Office Depot® OfficeMax® Rewards member number and credit my school at the same time?

Yes. You do not have to choose between earning your rewards and crediting your school. You can participate in both programs.

Can I link my school’s ID number to my web account, my Office Depot OfficeMax Rewards membership and/or my credit card?

Currently we are not able to link your accounts. You must credit each transaction with your school ID number. If you forgot to provide the school number, you can enter your transactions to credit your school anytime as long as it is still within the quarter in which you purchased. Click here to enter a delivery purchase or a store receipt.

Can I add a past purchase to credit my school?

Yes! Past purchases can be submitted to credit a school as long as they were purchased within the current calendar quarter. (Example: A purchase made on July 1st must be entered no later than September 30th.) To credit a past purchase to a school, click here. Click the corresponding tab to submit an online or in-store purchase. You will need your receipt to complete the form. 

Credits / Merchandise Certificates

When do schools receive their credit?

Schools that have earned $10 or more in credits are issued a merchandise certificate within 60 days after the end of each quarter.

   Schools Earn Credits                          Schools Receive Certificates 

   January 1 – March                               May 20 – May 31

   April 1 – June 30                                  August 20 – August 31

   July 1 – September 30                         November 20 – November 30

   October 1 – December 31                    February 20 – February 28

How do schools receive their credit?

Credits will be mailed to the school in the form of a merchandise certificate to the attention of the school principal. Merchandise certificates can be redeemed at any Office Depot or OfficeMax store in the U.S., online at officedepot.com, or by phone at 1-800-GO-DEPOT. These certificates expire 120 days after issuance. The expiration date is printed on the certificate

Can my school find out who has credited them?

We do not keep this type of information for the Give Back to Schools Program. The generated total credit amount includes all qualifying purchases made by everyone using the school’s ID number.

My company always designates a school when shopping. Can we find out how much credit the school has gotten from the orders we have placed?

We do not keep this type of information for the Give Back to Schools Program. The generated total credit amount includes all qualifying purchases made by everyone using the school's ID number.

How can I find out the amount of credits a school received?

If the school has met the minimum requirement, the principal of the school is mailed a merchandise certificate within 60 days after the end of the quarter. They will know the amount at this time.

How does the school use their merchandise certificate?

When shopping in store, present the certificate to the cashier at checkout. For online purchases, enter the certificate number and the 4 digit PIN into the designated fields located in the Redeem a Gift Card or Rewards Certificate section on the Payment page. Click Apply and complete your order. For orders placed by phone at 1-800-GO-DEPOT, simply provide the customer service agent the certificate number and the 4-digit PIN.

The certificate balance will be applied towards your order amount. An additional method of payment will be needed with any outstanding balance.

Merchandise certificates cannot be used to pay invoices.

What should a school do if they lose their merchandise certificate?

If the lost merchandise certificate has not expired, the school should send an email to backtoschool@officedepot.com. A replacement merchandise certificate may be issued for the remaining balance on the original unexpired certificate.

What should a school do if their merchandise certificate expires?

All funds on the merchandise certificates issued as part of the Give Back to Schools Program must be used by the expiration date. Unused balances on the certificates will be removed once the expiration date passes. The expiration date is printed on the front of the merchandise certificate. Expired merchandise certificates cannot be reissued.

Member Services

How does my school update their contact information?

Send an email to backtoschool@officedepot.com with current school information and the ID number if possible.

What is the mailing address for this program?

Office Depot Give Back to Schools Program

6600 North Military Trail

Boca Raton, FL 33496