Savings programs established and
administered by States for the purpose
of setting aside savings for "qualified
higher education expenses".
A family member
setups and makes contributions to
a fund with one of the States
that sponsors 529 College Prepaid
Tuition and/or Savings Plans.
Accumulated funds can be used to
pay for qualified college.
For further information:
see our 529 plan center at www.SayPlanning.com for detail information and program benefits
see 529 plan center
Education
IRAs
EIRAs allow family
members to setup an custodial account
in the name of a beneficiary who will withdraw funds for the
purposes of paying qualified higher
education expenses.
The Education IRAs (EIRA) are
investment instruments for higher
education. The official name for
education IRAs is:
Coverdell Education Savings Accounts
(CESA)
For further information:
see our 529 plan center at www.SayPlanning.com for detail information and program benefits
see 529 plan center
IRA Withdrawals
You can make
withdrawals from your IRAs for qualified
higher education expenses without having to pay the 10% additional
tax.
You will owe income tax on at least
part of the amount withdrawn, but
you will not have to pay the 10%
additional tax on early withdrawals.
The IRS allows students and parents
who file and owe taxes to claim
one of two educational credits. Tax credits reduce your overall
taxes paid dollar-for-dollar:
1: Hope Tax Credit
Provides for
a maximum $1500 per year per dependent
student is available only for the first
two years of post secondary education.
The student must be enrolled at least
1/2 of the full-time workload in
a program that leads to a degree,
certificate or other educational
credential.
Credit
can only be taken for expenses covering
tuition, fees, and and books (if the book expense was paid to
the institution on condition of
enrollment) minus any scholarships
and grants received.
Room and board,
personal expenses and transportation
are non-eligible expenses.
Some restriction apply — view
the IRS topic for more information: www.irs.gov/...pubs
2: Lifetime
Learning Tax Credit
Provides for
a maximum $1000 per year per family; is available for any year of post
secondary education including graduate
work.
The student must be enrolled at an eligible
educational institution.
Credit
can only be taken for expenses covering
tuition, fees, and and books (if
the book expense was paid to the
institution on condition of enrollment)
minus any scholarships and grants
received.
Room and board, personal
expenses and transportation are
non-eligible expenses.
Some restriction apply — view
the IRS topic for more information: www.irs.gov/...pubs
note5b: review other aid options
Other Special Assistance
Veterans
Benefits:
Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) offers several programs administered
by its Education Services.
Aid is available for veterans, reservists,
National Guard persons, widows,
and orphans.
Programs detailed on the VA Education
Service Web site include the Montgomery
GI Bill (for Active and Selected
Reserves personnel), Veterans Educational
Assistance Program, Survivors' and
Dependents' Educational Assistance
Program, Work-Study, and Tutorial
Assistance:
Department of Labor program of
tuition and free assistance for
job training for the economically
disadvantaged, dislocated workers,
and others facing employment barriers: