529 plans are vehicles tailor-made for college savings. But some parents like the flexibility of using Roth IRAs. So how does a favorite of the college savings world stack up against a favorite of the retirement savings world when it comes to putting money aside for college?
Contributions
529 Plans: People at all income levels can contribute to a 529 plan. Lifetime contribution limits are high, typically $300,000 and up. And if certain requirements are met, 529 plans let you gift large lump sums gift-tax free—up to five years worth of the $14,000 annual gift tax exclusion, which would be up to $70,000 for single filers and $140,000 for married joint filers (in 2014).
Roth IRAs: Not everyone is eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA. Income must be below $129,000 for single filers or $191,000 for joint filers (in 2014). In addition, Roth IRAs have annual contribution limits—$5,500 per year, or $6,500 if you’re age 50 or older (in 2014).
Bottom Line: Only 529 plans offer unlimited eligibility and the ability to make large lump-sum gifts in a single year.
Federal Tax Benefits
529 Plans: Earnings accumulate tax deferred and are tax free if account funds are used to pay the beneficiary’s qualified education expenses (a broad term that includes tuition, fees, room, board, and books). States generally follow this tax treatment, and some offer an additional tax benefit: a deduction for 529 plan contributions. But if 529 plan funds are used for any other purpose, the earnings portion of the withdrawal is subject to income tax and a 10% federal tax penalty. Essentially, Uncle Sam is telling you to use the money for college.
Roth IRAs: Earnings in a Roth IRA also accumulate tax deferred and are tax free if a distribution is qualified. A distribution is qualified if a five-year holding period is met and the distribution is made: (1) after age 59½, (2) due to a qualifying disability, (3) to pay certain first-time homebuyer expenses, or (4) by your beneficiary after your death. If your distribution is not qualified, the earnings portion is subject to income tax and, if you’re younger than 59½, a 10% early-withdrawal penalty (unless an exception to the penalty applies). Again, Uncle Sam is encouraging you to wait and use the money for retirement. One exception to the early-withdrawal penalty is when a withdrawal is used to pay college expenses. So it comes down to your age. Once you’ve met both the age 59½ and five-year holding requirements, money you withdraw from your Roth IRA to pay your child’s college expenses is tax free. But if you withdraw funds before age 59½ to pay college expenses—the likely scenario for most parents—you might owe income tax on the earnings but not an early-withdrawal penalty. (Nonqualified distributions draw out contributions first and earnings last, so you could withdraw up to the amount of your contributions and not owe income tax.)
Bottom Line: 529 plans offer more potential tax benefits if the funds are used for college. But Roth IRAs offer greater flexibility for parents over age 59½ who are paying college bills.
Investment Choices
529 Plans: With a 529 plan, you’re limited to the investment options offered by the plan. Most plans offer a range of static and age-based portfolios (where the underlying investments automatically become more conservative as the beneficiary gets closer to college) with different levels of risk, fees, and management goals. If you’re unhappy with the market performance of the option(s) you’ve chosen, you can generally change the investment options for your future contributions at any time. But you can change the options for your existing contributions only once per year (per federal law).
Roth IRAs: With a Roth IRA, you can generally choose from a wide range of investments, and you can typically buy and sell investments whenever you like.
Bottom Line: The 529 plan rule of “one investment change per year” on existing contributions may restrict your ability to respond to changing market conditions.
Financial Aid
529 Plans: Under federal aid rules, 529 accounts are counted as parental assets (assuming the parent is the account owner), and 5.6% of parental assets are deemed available for college expenses each year. Colleges also consider the value of 529 plans when distributing their own institutional aid.
Roth IRAs: Under federal aid rules, retirement assets are not counted at all, so Roth IRAs don’t impact federal aid in any way. However, colleges may consider retirement plan balances when distributing their own aid.
Bottom Line: Only 529 plans count in both federal and college financial aid calculations.
If you have questions, contact the experts at Henssler Financial:
- Experts Request Form
- Email: experts@henssler.com
- Phone: 770-429-9166