OTTA_011

As the season drifts into fall, college is in full session. You’ve already covered your child’s qualified higher education expenses, including tuition, through payments from your CollegeAdvantage 529 Plan. However, your child has now decided to drop a class. Because it’s too late to join a new course, the college has sent you a refund check. As you took the money out of your Direct 529 plan, you would like to place the refund into it to continue the 529 tax advantages as well as to avoid any potential tax ramifications as the returned funds could now be considered part of your income if not re-deposited. Additionally, you are concerned that the original transaction could now be treated as a non-qualified withdrawal because the funds are no longer being used to cover qualified higher education expenses.

Thanks to new regulations established by the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act in 2015, you can recontribute those funds to your Direct 529 account. There are some guidelines to follow including: 1) The refunded amount must re-deposited within 60 days of the issuance of the refund; and 2) it must be deposited into a qualified 529 account. As the account owner, you must keep track of all the records showing the date of the refund from the eligible educational institution and then its re-contribution into the 529 plan. Additionally, you will need to maintain all documentation linking the re-contribution to the refund from the eligible educational institution. You are responsible to make sure this transaction meets the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirements and is in good order.

As you deposit the refund, you must notify OTTA that it is a re-contribution of previously withdrawn funds and the refunded amount is compliant with 60-day deadline. The notification to OTTA must include a letter of instruction signed by you detailing the account number of the 529 account from which the withdrawal was initiated along with the date and amount of the withdrawal. If these steps are not followed, the amount will be treated as a normal contribution and thus the original withdrawal may be considered a non-qualified withdrawal by the IRS. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the tax implications of any refunds and/or re-contributions.

Here are the steps to follow:

Direct 529 Plan Re-contribution

You must mail in a check as the re-contribution. Make sure to include the account number.

  1. If under $10,000, you can endorse the schools refunded check and make it payable to OTTA.
  2. If great than $10,000, you will need to cash the refund check, and then send OTTA a personal check for the re-contribution.

Guaranteed 529 Plan Re-contribution

The refund from the school CANNOT be re-contributed into the Guaranteed 529 account, because this plan has been closed to contributions since the end of 2003.Therefore, the refund must be deposited into a College Advantage Direct 529 Plan or College Advantage Advisor 529 Plan.

You must mail in a check as the re-contribution. Make sure to include the original Guaranteed account number as well as the already established Direct or Advisor account number.

  1. If under $10,000, you can endorse the schools refunded check and make it payable to OTTA.
  2. If great than $10,000, you will need to cash the refund check, and then send OTTA a personal check for the re-contribution.

If you do not have a CollegeAdvantage Direct 529 Plan, you can use your re-contribution from the Guaranteed 529 account to establish a Direct 529 account with OTTA.

Again, remember that the re-contribution must be deposited back into the 529 plan account within 60 days of the refund being issued. Otherwise, the IRS may consider the refund to be part of your income and there may tax consequences. The IRS could also treat the original withdrawal as a non-qualified withdrawal and there could be tax consequences on the first transaction as well. Consult with your tax advisor regarding the tax implications of any refunds and/or re-contributions.

Back To Top

Notice

Closing the playlist now will erase progress completed.

Lightbulb icon

529 Short Course: New Parents

5 things every new parent needs to know about saving for education

  1. Why Ohio 529?
    529s are specifically created for higher education savings. Unlike a traditional banking account, a 529 account benefits from tax-free earnings and tax-free withdrawals. For Ohio residents, there is also a state income tax deduction for those contributions.
  2. It’s simple to start.
    You can open your 529 account online in minutes with as little as $25. With ready-made portfolio options, you don’t have to be a financial expert to feel confident in your savings plan choices.
  3. Set it and forget it with automatic deposits.
    The sooner you start saving, the longer your account benefits from the Ohio 529 tax advantages as well as compound interest. Many new parents take their 529 contributions off their to-do list by setting up small automatic deposits from either their banking accounts or paycheck. Also, with our ReadySave 529 app, it’s also easy to track and adjust your account right on your mobile device.
  4. Save for college, career training, and more.
    Ohio 529 can be used at over 30,000 schools of all kinds, nationwide, including universities; community colleges; trade, technical, and vocational schools; certificate programs; and apprenticeships. Your Ohio 529 account can also pay for K-12 tuition at a public, private, or religious school. And, if it’s not needed for educational expenses, you can now roll over your 529 to a Roth IRA.
  5. Others can help.
    It’s easy for family and friends to contribute to your child’s account and receive tax benefits for themselves. You can share your account’s unique Ugift number with others to contribute online without creating their own 529 accounts. Those who live in Ohio will also receive a state income tax deduction for their contributions. Also, you can sign up to have reminder emails sent to you and loved ones for the big milestones in your child’s life.

Hoping to find gold at the end of the rainbow? If you are saving with Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage, you have the benefit of Ugift with your account, which is savings gold.

Ugift makes it easy for others to give to your Ohio 529 account. With Ugift, you generate a unique code which allows loved ones to contribute to your Ohio 529 savings plan without needing the actual account number. Once they have the Ugift code, your friends and family can visit Ugift529.com to make their online gifts directly to your 529.

When friends and family ask for gift ideas, share that you are saving for your child’s future education with Ohio 529. Then invite them to join in with gift contributions to your Ohio 529 account with Ugift. After all, a gift for your child’s education will truly last a lifetime.

The quickest and easiest way to pass along your child’s Ugift code is with the ReadySave 529 app, which you can access as an Ohio 529 CollegeAdvantage account owner. At the bottom of every page is an Ugift icon. Click on the gift symbol to view your Ugift code which you can send immediately as an invitation via texts, emails, and Facebook/Instagram chats from your phone.

Or log into your account online to view your child’s Ugift code to send to family and friends who would like to give the gift of education.

The Ugift code doesn’t expire. Which means whenever there is an occasion to celebrate­ like baby showers, holidays, birthdays, graduations, and special achievements, your family and friends can give to your Ohio 529 account. And they can choose to contribute as much as they want whenever they want. It can be a one-time gift or recurring gift; all they need is that Ugift code. Your loved ones’ contributions - whether big or small – will add up over the years. Added to the power of compound interest, these gifts will power your 529 savings to cover even more college and career training costs.

An added bonus for gift givers who live in Ohio: They are also eligible to receive a state income tax deduction for their Ohio 529 gift contributions, up to $4,000 per year, per beneficiary.

To learn more about all of the gifting options with Ohio 529 and order cards for special occasions, visit  529 Gift Central.

  • 1 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Understand the cost of delaying
  • 2 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Compare the two most common ways to save
  • 3 Thumbnail image for READ: The 5 things every new parent needs to know about saving for education
  • 4 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Wondering about flexibility?
  • 5 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Here's help figuring out how much to save.
  • 6 Thumbnail image for READ: Why a Ugift code is savings gold
  • 7 Thumbnail image for WATCH:  Concerned about annoying fees?
  • 8 Thumbnail image for WATCH: The simplest, most popular way to invest
  • 9 Thumbnail image for WATCH: Complete portfolios with predefined risk levels