529 Plans: Saving for College, Retirement, and Now Elder Care?

News May 16, 2023 at 02:16 PM
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Argentum, a group for assisted living facilities, has a proposal that could make 529 college savings plans a more powerful retirement planning vehicle.

The group wants Congress to let care recipients and families use leftover 529 plan assets to pay for long-term care.

"A possible approach could allow individuals to pay for long-term care with their 529 plans after a certain age, without a tax penalty," the group says in a new discussion of long-term care funding ideas.

The Alexandria, Virginia-based group has a significant presence on Capitol Hill: Its political action committee contributed $159,500 to candidates during the 2021 election cycle. It gave $5,000 to the reelection campaign for Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who serves as the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

What It Means

Finding new ways to help your clients pay for long-term care is a hot topic.

Argentum and Assisted Living Care

Argentum notes that assisted living communities care for about 1 million U.S. residents and that the communities help keep the residents from needing skilled nursing care, which is typically more expensive.

Medicaid pays for nursing home care but traditionally has not paid for assisted living facility care.

Argentum itself represents facilities that employ 1.6 million people.

Argentum's Ideas

The group says Congress should modernize long-term care insurance rules, create incentives for employers to offer LTCI coverage and provide tax credits for family caregivers.

Congress should also support formal care worker training programs and help would-be care workers in other countries immigrate to the United States, the group says.

The 529 Proposal

The 529 plan proposal is part of a list of proposals for changing the tax code to help care recipients and families pay for care.

The list includes three existing House bills and their Senate companions.

The House bills are H.R. 6271, which would let people pay for health insurance with health savings account cash; H.R. 71017, which would provide a $2,500-per-year income tax break for 401(k) plan and IRA distributions used to pay long-term care insurance premiums; and H.R. 2898, which would let HSA holders spend HSA cash on home care.

Argentum notes that the 529 proposal is not in a bill at this time.

Today, a 529 plan owner can use the plan to pay for qualified educational expenses, such as tuition, room and board.

The Secure Act 2.0 recently turned 529 plans into a retirement planning vehicle by letting the owners roll unused 529 plan assets into a Roth IRA once the plan is 15 years old.

"While 529 plans are useful for many, some individuals do not use all or any of the savings on qualified expenses," Argentum says.

Letting the owners use the assets to pay for care could expand care funding options, the group adds.

(Image: Shutterstock)

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