Education Planning Common Questions |
My child will be going to college next year and using 529 funds to pay expenses – what do I need to do?
Answer
Now would be a good time to review the terms, conditions, and procedures of your 529 plan. Not all plans are alike. So don't assume that the procedures your sister follows for her Iowa state savings plan will be the same for your Rhode Island state savings plan (or prepaid tuition plan). At a minimum, you should investigate the following issues.
First, bear in mind that you'll probably have to notify the 529 plan administrator that your child will be making a withdrawal for college expenses. In most prepaid tuition plans, the payout procedures are standardized. For example, some prepaid tuition plans require that all plan withdrawals must occur within 10 years of the time the beneficiary starts college. State savings plan procedures can differ considerably from plan to plan, though. No matter what your plan, consider the following questions:
- What education expenses does the plan consider "qualified"?
- When must you notify the plan administrator that you wish to withdraw funds from the plan?
- How do you document that the withdrawal has been used to pay qualified education expenses? How soon must you provide this documentation?
- Are college expenses paid directly from the plan to the educational institution, or is the beneficiary reimbursed for expenses? How long will reimbursement take?
- Is a minimum withdrawal amount required, or is there a limit on the number of withdrawals per semester?
- Does the state's definition of "eligible educational institution" differ from the federal definition, and does your child's college satisfy the definition?
- Does the plan require a minimum level of attendance (e.g., half-time enrollment) for qualified expenses other than room and board?
Second, make sure you understand how a qualified withdrawal from a 529 plan will affect your child's state income taxes. Some states exempt a plan's earnings from income tax if used to pay qualified education expenses. Other states tax the earnings. And remember – you're entitled only to the state tax benefits (if any) offered by the state in which you reside.
Third, explore how a withdrawal from a 529 plan will affect your child's eligibility for financial aid from the college as well as federal financial aid. For federal financial aid purposes, the earnings from a plan withdrawal this year may be treated as student income next year.
And finally, investigate how to coordinate a 529 plan withdrawal with the Hope credit and Lifetime Learning credit (which you may be able to claim on your federal income tax return) to maximize your income tax benefit. Although you may claim one of these education credits in the same year you withdraw funds from a 529 plan, your 529 plan withdrawal may not be completely tax free on your federal income tax return that year.
