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PA ABLE

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PA resident benefits

The Pennsylvania ABLE Savings Program is offered through the National ABLE Alliance. The program is a tax-advantaged savings program offered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to assist individuals with disabilities and their families in saving for disability-related expenses without jeopardizing their government benefits.

OVERVIEW

Program type

ABLE Savings plan

Investment manager

BlackRock, Capital Group, Fifth Third Bank, Schwab and Vanguard as the investment managers or providers of their respective Underlying Investments.

Inception

2017

State agency

PA Treasury

Program manager

Ascensus College Savings Recordkeeping Services, LLC

Manager contract term

MORE INFORMATION

Eligibility

State residency requirements:

Who can be a participant/owner in the program?

An account owner must be an eligible individual under Section 529A as well as a U.S. Citizen or resident alien with a SSI/TIN number and valid permanent U.S. street address.

Program restrictions:

To be eligible for an ABLE savings plan, an individual must have been diagnosed with a disability before age 26, and be eligible to receive benefits under Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Individuals who are not receiving SSI and/or SSDI may still be eligible if they meet the age requirement and have been diagnosed by a licensed physician and received a letter of certification.

Did you know?

The plan can be used to pay for qualified disability expenses.
This can include education, job training and support, healthcare and financial management.
Savings in an ABLE account will not impact eligibility to receive government benefits.
The first $100,000 is exempt from the Supplemental Security Income limit, and beneficiaries will continue to receive Medicaid regardless of account size.
Residents are not limited to investing in their own state's ABLE plan.
Another state may offer a plan with better suited investment options, lower fees or preferred features.
Visit this plan's website to learn more.

Contributions

Maximum contributions:

Annual contribution limit is currently $19,000 from all sources. If the beneficiary works, the beneficiary can also contribute part, or all, of their income to their ABLE account. This additional contribution is limited to the poverty-line amount for a one-person household. For 2025, this amount is $15,060. The designated beneficiary is not, however, eligible to make this additional contribution if their employer contributes to a workplace retirement plan on their behalf.

ABLE account beneficiaries can qualify for the Saver's Credit based on contributions they make to their ABLE accounts. Up to $2,000 of these contributions may qualify for this special credit designed to help low- and moderate-income workers.

There is also a lifetime account limit of $511,758, at which point no new contributions may be made but the account may continue to grow and accrue earnings.

Minimum contributions:

The initial and additional contribution minimum is $25.

Investment Options

Target-Risk Options:

Select among 7 portfolio options: Aggressive Option, Moderately Aggressive Option, Growth Option, Moderate Option, Moderately Conservative Option, Conservative Option or Money Market Option.

Bank Money Market Investment / Checking Option:

The Checking Account Option invests 100% of its assets in FDIC-insured checking accounts held at Fifth Third Bank.

Fees & Expenses

Enrollment or application fee:

None

Account maintenance fee:

$56, assessed at $14 per calendar quarter. The Annual Account Maintenance Fee will be $31.00 if Electronic Delivery is established for the Account, and will be withdrawn from the Account in the amount of $7.75 quarterly. The Plan may also reduce the Annual Account Maintenance Fee an additional $5.00 per year if the Account Owner or Authorized Individual is a resident of the State.

$2 monthly service charge for investments in the Checking Option, waived for accounts with an average daily balance of more than $250.

Program management fees:

0.26% for all investment options

Expenses of the underlying investments:

Ranges from 0.05% to 0.10%, depending on the selected investment option

Total asset-based expense ratio:

0.31% - 0.36%, depending on the selected investment option

Fees or restrictions on the number of disbursements

None, but there is a $25 fee on all outgoing wires and overnight delivery

Taxes and other Benefits

Program match on contributions:

None

State tax deduction or credit for contributions:

Contributions of up to $19,000 per year can be deducted on Pennsylvania state income taxes, and PA ABLE account owners pay no federal or state income tax on account growth or qualified withdrawals.

State tax recapture provisions:

None

State tax treatment of qualified distributions:

When withdrawn, earnings are exempt from Pennsylvania income tax if they are used for qualified disability expenses.

State tax treatment of rollovers:

When withdrawn, earnings are exempt from Pennsylvania income tax if they are used for rollovers into another state's ABLE plan or transfers to another PA ABLE account.

Medicaid eligibility

The CMS guidance can be found at Implications of the ABLE Act for State Medicaid Programs on the CMS website. Please consult with your state's Medicaid office with any additional questions.

Medicaid recapture provisions

Pennsylvania's Enabling Law prohibits the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, the state agency responsible for administering Medical Assistance (Medicaid), from filing a claim against a PA ABLE account or its proceeds. However, federal Medicaid regulations override the state law's prohibition on filing a claim against the proceeds once they are transferred to the account owner's estate. Repayment may be postponed if the account owner is survived by a spouse or a child under the age of 21 or who has a disability.

Is there a debit card/ purchasing card available, and if so, at what cost?

Yes, a Debit Mastercard with no annual fee is available

Statutory protection of an account from creditors:

Distributions & Terminations

To whom are distributions made payable:

Qualified withdrawals may be paid directly to the account owner or to a designated third party.

Account Changes

Policy regarding participant/owner changes:

The account owner may be changed if the new account owner is an eligible individual and is a sibling of the current account owner. If the new account owner is not a sibling of the current account owner, the change will be considered a non-qualified withdrawal, any account earnings may be subject to federal and state taxes and a federal penalty and the contribution into the new account will be subject to the annual account contribution limit (currently $14,000). Additionally the amount in the account may be considered an asset of the former account owner and could impact that individual's means-tested benefits.

Documents, Access & Reporting

Does participant have online password-protected access to account?

Yes

Can the complete enrollment process including funding be done online?

Yes

Documents and other services accessible or downloadable on the program's public Web site:

Contact

Website:

http://www.paable.gov/

Email:

info@paable.gov

A good place to start:

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