ABLE Accounts

If you have a disability that meets Social Security’s standards (there are separate disability standards for children or youth, for adults, and for blindness) and your disability began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account. An ABLE account is a financial account that can help you:

• Build assets in an account that has tax advantages. Your investments in an ABLE account won’t be taxed, so your wealth will grow faster. Plus, If you work and save earned income in your ABLE account, you may qualify for the federal Saver’s Credit.
• Use your savings on many types of expenses. There are rules about spending the money in your ABLE account, but there’s also a lot of flexibility.
• Save up money without losing benefits. Many benefits programs have resource limits, but:
  • You can have up to $100,000 in your ABLE account and keep getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, as long as you meet all other SSI rules. If you go over $100,000, SSI benefits will stop, but they will start up again if your ABLE account drops back below $100,000 and you won't have to reapply.
  • For Medi-Cal and CalFresh, the money in your account will not affect your benefits, no matter how much you have.
  • The money in your ABLE account may not be counted for some other benefits. Check with program representatives to make sure.

The bottom line: An ABLE account means that you can save up money without losing your benefits. It also lets family and friends give you money without affecting your benefits.

Note: When you die, if your estate goes through probate the money in your ABLE Account might be used to repay certain types of Medi-Cal expenses. Learn more about Medi-Cal Estate Recovery.

Opening an ABLE Account

There are a few main rules for opening an ABLE account:

• You can only open an account through a state-designated program or institution.
  • California's ABLE account program is CalABLE.
  • You can choose to open an account in another state’s ABLE program.
• You can only open one ABLE account. (You cannot open accounts in more than one state.)
• You must have a disability that qualifies for an ABLE account and that began before you turned 26.
  • You can be more than 26 years old when you open your account – all that matters is when your disability began.

You can only have an account if you have a disability. However, another person, such as a parent or guardian, can help manage the account.

Comparing State ABLE Programs

Some states offer ABLE accounts and others don’t. California's ABLE account program is CalABLE. Even if your state has an ABLE program, you should compare different state ABLE account programs to see which state’s program is best for you.

When you compare ABLE programs, think about these questions:

• How easy is it to put money in the account and take money out for qualifying expenses? For example, does it come with a debit card?
• How good is customer support? Try calling the program to see whether it seems helpful.
• What investments does it offer? Each state program offers different investment options. Choose a program that offers investments matching your needs.
• What fees does the program charge? There may be fees for opening the account and for keeping money in it.
• Does the program offer any extra benefits for people living in your state? For example, some state programs offer extra tax benefits for residents of that state.

Note: You can switch your ABLE account from one state program to another. You do not have to stick with the state program you choose.

Compare the ABLE account options in different states.

Rules on Depositing Money in an ABLE Account

There are two limits on how much can be put in an ABLE account in a calendar year:

• Up to $18,000 from any source (including your family and friends, your benefits, and other unearned income)
• Another $14,580 from your own earned income (if you have a job).
  • Note: If you or your employer make contributions to a retirement plan set up by your employer, you might not qualify for the extra ABLE contribution amount based on having a job (you can still make regular ABLE contributions). If you aren't sure about this, ask your ABLE account program or check with a tax expert. Get more information about this rule from the ABLE National Resource Center.

Note: This means that if you earn $14,580 or more, you could have a total of up to $32,580 go into your ABLE account in a year. If you earn less than $14,580, the amount you could contribute would be lower.

Important: You need to keep good records, to make sure that too much money isn’t put into your account.

State ABLE programs also have limits on the total amount in your account — typically $200,000 to $500,000, depending on the state. For example, a state program might say that if you have $400,000 in your ABLE account, you cannot deposit any more money.

Rules on Spending Money in an ABLE Account

The money in an ABLE account has to be used for certain qualifying expenses, like:

• Daily living expenses
• Education
• Housing
• Transportation
• Help getting and keeping work
• Health care
• Assistive technology
• Legal fees
• Financial management fees, and
• Other approved expenses.

Many expenses qualify. For example, your rent, electric bill, and furniture are housing expenses. Gasoline and car repairs are transportation expenses. Health insurance premiums and copayments count as health care. Lunch at a restaurant, toothpaste, and toilet paper are daily living expenses.

Keep receipts whenever you use your ABLE account to pay for a qualifying expense. If you are audited by the IRS, you’ll need to show them how you’ve used your money. You can put all of the receipts into a binder or scan them and save them on your computer.

How Spending Works

An ABLE program may offer a debit card that is linked to the account. If so, you can use the debit card whenever you pay for a qualifying expense. For things like rent, you may need to write checks or withdraw cash from the account instead. You don't need authorization to spend your money: it's your job to make sure your expense qualifies and to keep records of how use your ABLE account.

If you withdraw cash from an ABLE account, spend it on your qualifying expense. Don’t just hold onto the money or put it in a normal bank account – if you don’t spend the money, it could be counted as a resource for benefits programs. For example, if you take $3,500 out of an ABLE account and put it into a regular checking account instead of spending it, you will go over the resource limit for SSI.

As long as the money stays in the ABLE account, it won’t affect your benefits, so leave your money there until you need to spend it.

Learn more about ABLE accounts.