#529educationalaccount

In December 2022, Congress passed the SECURE Act 2.0. It introduced two new rules relating to 529 plans and student debt that will take effect in 2024.

The first provision allows for tax- and penalty-free rollovers from a 529 plan to a Roth IRA. The second provision allows student loan payments made by employees to qualify for employer retirement matching contributions. The overall goal is to help young adults start saving for retirement.

New 529 Rollover Option

529 plans are tax-advantaged savings accounts specifically geared to saving for college. In an effort to broaden the flexibility of 529 plans in situations where families have extra funds in an account, Congress created a new rollover option.

Starting in 2024, 529 plan beneficiaries can roll over up to $35,000 to a Roth IRA over their lifetimes. The rollover is not subject to taxes or a penalty that would typically apply to a non-education use of funds. This new rollover option can allow a young adult to get a head start on saving for retirement.

Here’s how it will work:

• The beneficiary of the 529 plan must be the owner of the Roth IRA.
• Any rollover is subject to annual Roth IRA contribution limits, so a beneficiary can’t roll over $35,000 all at once. For example, in 2023, the Roth IRA contribution limit is $6,500 (for people under age 50) or earned income, whichever is less. If the limit remains the same in 2024, a beneficiary would be able to roll over up to $6,500. If the beneficiary earns $4,000 in total income in 2024, then the maximum amount that could be rolled over is $4,000.
• In order for the rollover to be tax- and penalty-free, the 529 plan must have been open for at least 15 years. If the 529 account owner (typically a parent) changes the beneficiary of the 529 plan at any point, this will restart the 15-year clock.
• Contributions to a 529 plan made within five years of the rollover date can’t be rolled over — only 529 contributions made outside of the five-year window can be rolled over to the Roth IRA.

New Option for Employer Treatment of Employee Student Loan Payments

In addition to making 529 plans more flexible with a new rollover option, the SECURE 2.0 legislation seeks to help employees who have student loans and are making monthly loan payments. Employees with student loan debt often have to prioritize repaying their loans over contributing to their workplace retirement plan, which can mean missing out on potential employer retirement matching contributions. Starting in 2024, employers will have the option to treat an employee’s student loan payments as payments made to a qualified retirement plan (student loan payments will be considered “elective deferrals”), which would make those contributions eligible for an employer retirement match (if the employer offers this benefit).

Our team of Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) professionalsis here to construct your comprehensive financial plan and help you start saving for retirement.

Prepared by Broadridge. Edited by BFSG. Copyright 2023.

Disclosure: BFSG does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to BFSG’s website or blog or incorporated herein and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. Please remember that different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including those undertaken or recommended by Company), will be profitable or equal any historical performance level(s). Please see important disclosure information here.

Withdrawals from 529 educational accounts owned by grandparents and others outside the nuclear family will soon have no impact whatsoever on federal financial aid eligibility due to new changes to the forthcoming simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Previously, those withdrawals had to be reported two years later on the FAFSA as student income. Read here for more information on how 529 educational accounts impact financial aid.

This means funds in grandparent 529 plans won’t be counted at all — not when the FAFSA is filled out and not later when distributions are made to cover eligible college expenses.  Keep in mind, however, that grandparent 529 plans are still considered on the CSS Profile (an additional financial aid form used by about 200 private colleges to award their institutional aid).

The new FAFSA form will not be released until October 1, 2022, therefore, until income reporting changes take effect, grandparent 529 plan distributions may count as untaxed income on a student’s FAFSA. We will keep an eye out for when this new rule will apply to your situation and plan. 

With a 529 plan, you can build an educational legacy for your grandchild while taking advantage of tax and estate planning benefits.  If you want to find out more about 529s or how these new rules may apply to your situation, give us a call.

Sources: JP Morgan, Forbes, and Savingforcollege.com

Disclosure: BFSG does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to BFSG’s website or blog or incorporated herein and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. Please see important disclosure information here.

For many families, saving for kids’ education has become a priority and for a good reason. The average tuition for the 2021 school year ranged from approximately $11,000 (for in-state colleges) to over $41,000 (for private colleges)¹. That is approximately 2.5 times what the cost was in the early 2000s, so it would be fair to expect this cost to be substantially higher in the future.

For those parents who are eager to start saving for college, BFSG’s Certified Financial Planners™ often recommend 529 accounts. A 529 account is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage savings for future education expenses.² However, some parents are reluctant to open a 529 account because they are afraid their children may not be able to take advantage of financial aid. This is not entirely true and with the right planning, 529 accounts generally have a marginal impact on the amount of aid you receive.

529 accounts owned by a parent are considered a parent asset for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The first $10,000 of a 529 account is excluded from FAFSA and only 5.64% of the account’s value beyond that amount will impact a student’s financial aid package. Therefore, this is a small negative impact considering the potential tax-free investment gains that are expected from a 529 account. In addition, the earnings and withdrawals of a parent-owned 529 account will not be reported on FASFA.

On the other hand, 529 accounts owned by relatives such as grandparents are subject to different rules. The account value is not counted as an asset on the FAFSA form as it would for a custodial parent but the withdrawals from the 529 account will be considered non-taxable income for the student and up to 50% of the value of the withdrawal could impact financial aid. For example, if a grandparent pays the private school tuition of $41,000 from a 529 account, that amount may reduce financial aid by as much as $20,500! However, there are effective strategies that can be incorporated to minimize this impact on financial aid eligibility. Please reach out to your financial advisor at BFSG to find the best strategy for your circumstances.

In short, for a typical family, kids’ college education expenses can be the second most expensive investment after a purchase of a home. A 529 account is an effective and useful tool to help you invest and pay for your kids’ education with minimal impact to financial aid eligibility. It is important to invest early to take advantage of tax-free compounding gains and incorporate a strategy to maximize your financial aid package.

Check out our webinar “A Definitive Guide for Education Planning” to learn about the best ways to save for college.

1. Source: 20 Years of college expense (https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2017-09-20/see-20-years-of-tuition-growth-at-national-universities)

2. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “An Introduction to 529 Plans” (https://www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubsintro529htm.html#:~:text=A%20529%20plan%20is%20a,of%20the%20Internal%20Revenue%20Code)

Disclosure: BFSG does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to BFSG’s web site or blog or incorporated herein and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. Please see important disclosure information here.