Let’s get right to it. Why are we even talking about opening a 529 plan for your kids? The cost of college is skyrocketing.
More than ever, starting to save for your kids’ college seems daunting. 40 years ago, the average cost per year of a four-year college was just over $10,000. This included tuition, fees, and room and board (adjusted for inflation). (according to the National Center for Education Statistics). Over the last few years, the average cost per year has hit just around $28,000. And what about private universities we wonder? It’s coming in just shy of $50,000 per year. Yikes!
If you have a few kids and hope they go to college one day, it could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is where it pays to plan ahead.
What is a 529 plan?
A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan specifically for your kids’ future education expenses. These plans are commonly referred to as “college savings plans” since funds are generally used for college. But you can use this money for broader education expenses than just a 4-year college. This includes anything from college tuition and room and board, to K–12 tuition, apprenticeships, and student loan repayments.
There are 2 main types of 529 plans: prepaid tuition plans and education savings plans. These plans are state-sponsored. All states sponsor at least one kind of 529. There are also a group of private universities that sponsor prepaid tuition plans.
Prepaid Tuition Plan
A prepaid tuition plan lets you purchase credits at participating colleges for future tuition fees at current prices. Usually the participating colleges are public and in-state. Most of these plans are sponsored by a state government and have residency requirements for the saver and beneficiary.
Prepaid tuition plans do not cover things like room and board or K-12 education.
This plan is more limited and holds some risk. If the plan’s sponsor goes into financial distress, you may lose money. To get the full benefit, the beneficiary is limited to the participating university. If your child decides to attend a school outside of the participating schools, the plan may pay less than for a participating university.
Education Savings Plan
An education savings plan is an investment account that can be used for future higher education costs, including tuition, fees and room and board. They can also be used to pay up to $10,000 per year per beneficiary for tuition at any K-12 school (public, private or religious).
You can choose to invest in a range of portfolio options, including mutual funds, ETFs, and index funds. (As with most investments, investments in 529 education savings plans may lose some or all of the money invested.)
Education savings plans are also sponsored by state governments. However, unlike prepaid tuition plans, very few have in-state residency requirements.
Why is a 529 account beneficial?
529 plans are beneficial, because you don’t have to pay any income taxes on the earnings from your investments. When you withdraw money for qualified expenses, your money will be federal income and mos of the time state income tax-free.
How to set up a 529 plan
Almost anyone can open a 529 plan account. To open an account, you have to be at least 18 years old, be a US resident, have a US address, and a Social Security number or Tax ID. There are no income restrictions on 529 accounts.
Here’s a list of the most popular 529 plans out there.
You can also give money to an existing 529 plan account without needing to open a new one on the beneficiary’s behalf. If you have friends or family who want to contribute to your kids’ education costs, they can do that pretty easily.
Unlike some other types of investment accounts for minors, the 529 account owner always has control of the money. You are making the investment decisions and can change the beneficiary if plans change.
Avoiding Fees
Fees differ across the types of accounts out there. Look out for enrollment and application fees, account maintenance fees, program management fees, and asset management fees.
There are education savings plans out there where you can invest without paying additional broker fees. Some education savings plans will waive maintenance fees if you maintain a substantial account balance, set up automatic contributions, elect for electronic delivery of documents, or are a resident of the state that sponsors the plan.
Possible 529 Penalties
You can withdraw money from a 529 plan at any time. But if you don’t use the money for qualified education expenses, you have to pay tax on the earnings. That includes federal income tax, potentially state and local tax, and a 10% federal penalty tax. In other words, you should really try to not touch the money in your 529 plan unless you are using it for education costs! The tax penalties add up, making the return on your investment lower.
There are a few exceptions where you wouldn’t have to pay the 10% federal penalty tax. Those include if the beneficiary receives a scholarship or attends a US military academy. While you wouldn’t have to pay the penalty in these cases, you would still have to pay other federal, state, and local taxes.
529 isn’t just for college
The world is changing, and there are legitimate arguments for not spending $120,000 at a 4-year university. What if your child decides he or she doesn’t want to go to college? Don’t worry, all that money you’ve saved in your 529 plan isn’t all for naught.
The assets in your 529 can also be used for two-year associate degree programs, trade schools, and vocational schools. So if your child wants to be a cosmetologist or a plumber, you can still help them pay for the training with a 529 plan.
If you want to see if specific training is qualified for 529 assets, you can do a little research. Savingforcollege.com has a tool that helps you determine if a particular training program qualifies.
Changing Beneficiaries
Another flexible thing about 529 plans is that you as the account owner can change beneficiaries. If one child decides not to use the funds, you can update your beneficiary to pay for another child’s education expenses. You can even make yourself the beneficiary and knock out some of your own schooling or student loans.
When can you set up a 529 plan?
To start a 529 plan, you need a beneficiary. That means you can’t open an account for a future child, even if you have plans to have a child. The beneficiary needs to have a Social Security or Tax ID number.
However, you could set up a 529 and make the beneficiary yourself. Since you can change beneficiaries, you can update the beneficiary as your child later on when they are born.
529 plan contribution limits
Unlike other tax-advantaged investment accounts like Roth IRAs or 401ks, 529 accounts don’t have a specified contribution limit set by the IRS. Many 529 plans have significantly high contribution limits.
One thing to keep in mind is that contributing to a 529 plan is considered a gift for tax purposes. (You are gifting your beneficiary education after all!) In 2022, you can give up to $16,000 to one individual without having tax consequences. The gift tax is individual. So if you have a spouse, each of you can gift $16,000 to the same individual. For example, if you are married and have three kids, you can contribute up to $96,000 in your kids’ 529 accounts per year without tax consequences.
In total, contributions to a 529 plan are limited by state based on the expected cost of higher education expenses. This limit typically ranges from $250,000 to $550,000.
Monthly contribution amounts for 529 accounts
It doesn’t take much to start contributing to a 529 plan. You can open and contribute regularly to an account with as little as $20-25 in some instances.
We recommend you set up an automatic monthly withdrawal from a bank account or a payroll deduction to contribute regularly to your 529.
If you open an account for your newborn child, you should aim to contribute a few hundred dollars per month into their 529. Here are the recommended contributions for different institutions. $250/month for an in-state public university, $450/month for an out-of-state public university, and $550/month for a private un university.