Education is expensive. If you have children and you are concerned about how you will pay the school bills, you know that you cannot afford to overlook any possible option that may help you save. One savings tool that is frequently overlooked is the Education Savings Account (ESA). Here are 15 things you need to know about ESAs.
Remember those savings bonds Grandma and Grandpa bought for you every year to put away for school? If you’re like most people, you – or your parents – put them in a drawer or safety deposit box until they were needed. After all, how much is there really to do with them? The answer, at least from a tax perspective, can be surprising. Here are five things you should know about the tax treatment of Series EE Bonds.
As 2015 draws to a close, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (the PATH Act) was signed into law on Friday, December 18. Buried in this legislation, which is over 2,000 pages long, is a provision that expands your ability to take a penalty-free distribution from your IRA for higher education. We examine qualified education expenses and the addition of computer expenses in the possible penalty exceptions.
Are you facing big college tuition bills? Generally, if you take a taxable distribution from your IRA before you reach age 59 ½, you will be subject to an additional 10% early distribution penalty. However, an exception to the penalty allows you to take a penalty-free distribution from your IRA if you use the funds for qualified higher education expenses. If you decide to tap your IRA early in order to pay for education costs, you will want to avoid these four mistakes that others have made.
IRS Publication 970 explains the tax benefits that may be available to individuals who are saving for or paying education costs for themselves or certain family members such as children. It includes information on Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), qualified tuition programs (also called “529 plans”), student loan interest deductions, education savings bonds, and the education exception to the IRS 10% penalty for early IRA distributions. Read more to find out how you can use your IRA to pay for higher education.
With college expenses at some of the best schools now exceeding $60,000 per year, education related expenses are fast becoming one of the biggest obstacles many baby boomers face when saving for their own retirement. For many families, planning for a college education goes hand in hand with IRA’s and retirement planning. Below are three ways smart IRA planning can help you pay less for college.
While Roth IRAs should ideally be used for retirement, the fact that you have unrestricted access to your Roth IRA basis allows you to take a distribution at any time for any reason. Maybe you’re planning on going back to college or graduate school, but you don’t want to go in debt to pay for it. However, if you’re planning on using your Roth IRAs to pay for higher education expenses, there is a big disadvantage you need to know about before you do so. Click for more information.
The IRS just released the updated version of Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education (For use in preparing 2012 Returns). It discusses a relatively unknown savings account called a Coverdell Education Savings Account (known as a CESA or ESA). An ESA is set up to pay the qualified education expenses of a child or student, known as a designated beneficiary.
If you are thinking about going back to school but don't have the money, you can potentially use your IRA to pay for higher education expenses. Unfortunately, the distribution from your Traditional IRA will be taxable.
Can you believe it? We're now 7 full months into 2012 already. And while there's more fun in the sun to be had before summer comes to an end, August has traditionally signaled the start of the back to school season. With that in mind, we thought we'd spend a little time talking about the educational expense exception to the 10% penalty.
