Tax Breaks to Pay For College

Section 529 plans give taxpayers the ability to invest for college and use the funds for college expenses at some point in the future tax-free.

Do you get a tax deduction for contributions to 529 plans? Not on the federal return. Your tax savings comes in the future, as any income generated by the investments made can be distributed tax-free in the future, as long as they are used for qualified educational purposes (defined below).

Some states do offer a tax deduction or tax credit on all or a portion of contributions you make to 529 plans. However, California (along with Kentucky, North Carolina, Delaware, New Jersey and Maine) do not offer such deductions or credits. That said, California does conform to federal law in that distributions used for qualified purposes are not taxed.

What are “qualified” uses of 529 plan funds? Tuition, room and board*, books, supplies, fees and computers, software and internet access

*Room and board includes the cost of housing and a meal plan at a college or university, be it on campus or off campus. However, the allowable amount under a 529 plan cannot exceed what the school’s published “cost of attendance” is. You can typically find this on a university’s website.

You have to be enrolled in school at least half-time to qualify to use 529 plan funds.

Expenses that do NOT qualify for reimbursement under a 529 Plan include travel expenses, health insurance and personal living expenses.

There are no income limits for funding the plan accounts.

What is the maximum you can put into a 529 plan? The California Scholarshare plan has an overall maximum account balance limit of $529,000, which applies to all accounts opened for a beneficiary. See www.scholarshare529.com for more information.

Can grandparents and other relatives contribute to my kids’ 529 plans? Absolutely! They do not get any tax benefits for these contributions and they are considered to be gifts*, but like with other contributions, they grow tax free, as long as the funds are eventually used for college or even a trade school or vocational school, as long as that school is eligible to participate in student aid programs offered by the Department of Education.

*The gift tax exclusion in 2023 is $17,000, up from $16,000 in 2022. That means you can give up to $17,000 per person without filing a federal gift tax return (IRS Form 709).

What happens if I can’t use the money in a 529 plan? First off, you can transfer funds from one kid’s 529 plan to another’s if you need to. That said, if you are unable to use the funds for qualified education, you can always take the money out and pay taxes on the earnings, plus a 10% penalty. And there are certain exceptions to the penalty too.

American Opportunity Credit

The American Opportunity Credit (AOC) can provide tax credits of up to $2,500 per student for the first 4 years of college. You cannot claim it for more than 4 years.

Up to 40% of the credit is refundable; the other 60% must be applied against your tax liability. The maximum credits is derived as follows: 100% of the first $2,000 in qualified expenses and 25% of the next $2,000 of qualified expenses.

Qualified expenses for the AOC includes tuition, books and fees, but DOES NOT include room and board that is allowed to be paid with 529 plan funds.

The challenge with this credit is that it phases out for single taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income between $80,000 and $90,000 and for married taxpayers, $160,000 and $180,000. If this is the case, something to consider for tax planning purposes is for the taxpayer to NOT claim the student as a dependent on their return (even if entitled to), and let the student claim the AOC credit.

Lifetime Learning Credit

If you have already used 4 years of AOC credit, you may qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC), which has no limit on the number of years to claim the credit. However, there are even lower income phaseout levels for the LLC, phasing out between $59,000 and $69,000 in modified adjusted gross income for single and $118,000 to $138,000 for married taxpayers.

Additionally, the LLC is not a refundable credit. If you don’t owe taxes, you won’t be able to use the credit. The credit is calculated at 20% of the first $10,000 in qualified education expenses. Consistent with the AOC, the student can claim the credit if the parent does not claim the student on their tax return. However, if the student owes no taxes, there’s no use to this credit.

Qualified expenses for the LLC are the same as for the AOC, except course material expenses MUST be paid to the university as a condition of enrollment.

Scholarships

Keep in mind that any scholarships and grants received must be applied against the tuition and other expenses incurred. In other words, you cannot use 529 plan funds or obtain a education tax credit on expenses paid for with scholarship funds. That would be double dipping!

Speaking of paying for college, HERE IS A LINK to an article on how to complete a FAFSA form.