SECTION 529 PLANS CAN NOW BE USED FOR PRIVATE ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL TUITION--
For many years, parents and grandparents have been using tax-favored Section 529 plans to build up funds for the college education of their children and grandchildren. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has expanded the use of these programs . Under the TCJA, you can tap into a Section 529 plan to pay tuition expenses at many elementary and secondary schools.
Each
state sets the contribution limits for its Section 529 plans (Ohio $462,000 per
beneficiary). In many states, you can easily salt away the full amount needed
to pay for a full ride.
Best
of all there’s no current tax on the build-up of funds within the account for
your child. And any distributions are tax-free as long as they are used to pay
for qualified expenses like tuition.
Now
the TCJA is opening up Section 529 plans to pre-college schooling. Beginning in
2018, the definition of qualified expenses is broadened to include tuition for
enrollment at an elementary or secondary public, private or religious school. The
new law limits the tax-free distributions to $10,000 a year for K-12 tuition.
Be
aware that transfers to a Section 529 plan for your child are subject to gift
tax. Normally, you can give each recipient an amount up to the annual gift tax
exclusion without having to file a Gift Tax Return. The exclusion for is 2018
is $15,000 per recipient ($30,000 for joint gifts by a married couple). But a
special rule allows you to contribute an amount equal to five years worth of
gifts to a Section 529 plan in just one year. So you can effectively transfer
up to $75,000 to your child’s account ($150,000 by a married couple) without
having to file a Gift Tax Return. And
the new TCJA estate tax limits mean that, even if you have to file Gift Tax
Returns, you will not pay any Gift Tax until your total lifetime gifts exceed
$11.2 million.
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