In the News

There are 13 million college savings accounts in this country, and more than half received at least one deposit in 2016. Those are decent numbers, and growing—but they cover just a tiny fraction of the country’s college-bound population.

A current bill in the House of Representatives aims to change that. Supporters of H.R. 529 say it could address both a lack of awareness of the plans—by encouraging employers to add 529 plans to their benefits package—as well as inflexible spending rules, by offering more ways to use 529 funds without getting hit with a penalty.

The bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) and Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), would let companies contribute up to a $100 match to employee 529 plans without counting it as taxable compensation, and would offer a tax credit to small businesses to help offset the costs of setting up a payroll deduction system. (The bill also provides for similar payroll matches for ABLE account contributions.)

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