Why an ABLE Account?
There are two basic reasons for opening an ABLE account:
- To save money without worrying about the asset limits for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and other benefits; and
- To take advantage of tax benefits.
Asset Limits
To get benefits from SSI, Medical Assistance (MA), and many other programs, you must have limited assets (cash savings, retirement funds, etc.).
Some people avoid building assets and saving up money, because they are afraid they’ll lose their benefits. Now, people with disabilities and their families can save money in an ABLE savings account without affecting SSI and other benefits, including:
- Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA)
- Medicare Savings Programs
- The Medicare Part D Extra Help/Low Income Subsidy (LIS)
- Housing Support (formerly Group Residential Housing)
- General Assistance (GA), and
- MFIP.
The goal of an ABLE account is to give people with disabilities more independence and financial security.
If you have a job, you can save money in your ABLE account without any changes in your benefits. An ABLE account also lets family and friends give you money without affecting your benefits. And any interest or other growth in the account is tax-free, as long as you spend the money from your ABLE account on disability-related expenses.
Generally, if you get SSI benefits, the help you get to pay for shelter (housing) may cause you to get lower monthly benefits. For example, if you are single, the most you can usually get in SSI benefits is $943 per month, but if your parents are helping you with your rent, your maximum SSI benefits might go down to $628.67. However, if your parents put money into your ABLE account, you can use the money from your ABLE account for your shelter expenses and your SSI benefits won’t be affected. That could make a big difference in your monthly benefits!
Note: If you want to use money from your ABLE account for housing-related expenses, make sure you take out and spend the money in the same month. Learn more about ABLE account spending rules.
Tax Benefits
ABLE accounts can have two tax benefits:
- The growth of your investments isn’t taxed, and
- If you work and save earned income in your ABLE account, you may qualify for the federal Saver’s Credit.
1. Untaxed Growth of Investments
ABLE programs typically offer multiple investment options, letting you choose from various mutual fund plans (which offer greater rewards but can go up or down, depending on the market), or savings accounts (which pay low interest, but are guaranteed by the federal government). You pay no income taxes on any growth in the value of your investments or any interest earned on your savings — so your wealth may grow faster.
However, any money taken out of an ABLE account must be spent on qualified disability-related expenses. If you take money out of your ABLE account and don’t spend it on qualified disability-related expenses, you may have to pay income tax plus a 10% penalty.
2. Saver’s Credit
If you work and save some of your earned income in an ABLE account, when you file your federal taxes you may get the Saver’s Credit (also called the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit). The Saver’s Credit cuts the amount you pay in taxes.
Deposits to an ABLE account will only qualify you for the Saver's Credit if you:
- Owe taxes
- Put money from your earned income into the ABLE account money (money from other sources, like family or friends, doesn’t count), and
- Are not also making contributions to a retirement plan. (Though you may separately qualify for the Saver’s Credit based on your retirement contributions.)
There are other requirements to get this credit. Learn more about the Saver’s Credit.
If you already have a Special Needs Trust, you may want to think about opening an ABLE account.
An ABLE account:
- Provides tax benefits (as long as an money withdrawn is spent on qualified disability-related expenses)
- Is easier (and cheaper) to open and easier to manage than a trust
- Gives you more control and more choices with your money
- Lets you use the money for housing expenses without making your SSI benefits go down
However, there are limits on how much money can be deposited in an ABLE account each calendar year. If you get SSI benefits, your SSI stops any time you have more than $100,000 in the account. Plus, each state stops letting you deposit money into your ABLE account after your account balance goes over a certain level ($200,000 – $400,000 or more, depending on the state).
And any money that’s in your ABLE account when you die is used to pay back any MA benefits you got after you opened the ABLE account. After that, the money that’s left goes through probate (a long process) before your heirs get it.
A Special Needs Trust:
- Has no limits on contributions
- Can benefit you but can be in the name of another person, which means any money in the trust when you die isn’t used to repay MA and doesn’t have to go through probate
- May offer tax benefits
The bottom line: Because there are limits on how much you can put into your ABLE account each year, you cannot replace a trust with an ABLE account. Instead, use them both as part of your overall financial strategy.
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