New to VHEIP? Register Now!
What do you want to do? Select from the list below for info.
Federal tax reform info: The Internal Revenue Code includes provisions related to 529 plan accounts. See the Disclosure Booklet for details. In 2022, Vermont tax law was updated to add two new allowable uses of funds withdrawn from a VT529 account without adverse impact on the Vermont income tax credit: (1) for apprenticeship programs registered and certified with the U.S. Secretary of Labor and (2) for repayment of up to $10,000 per the lifetime of a beneficiary in student loans for post-secondary education at an approved postsecondary education institution. (See the VHEIP tax credit information on the VT Tax website.) Vermont tax law currently does not treat a rollover to a Roth IRA or a withdrawal used for K through 12 education expenses as an allowable use. Please consult your tax advisor for how this may affect your personal Vermont tax situation.
It’s easy to open an account with VHEIP and it only takes $25 to get started! Go to the Open an Account page to learn more.
Choose how you want to give a gift that lasts a lifetime! It’s one of the most important investments you can make in a child’s future.
With VHEIP, it’s easy to give.
Go to the Give a Gift page for details.
VSAC, state administrator of the VHEIP 529 college savings program, is pleased to offer Gift of College gift cards in $50 amounts at Vermont locations of Kinney Drugs and Cumberland Farms stores. Specific stores locations are listed on the Gift of College website Buy-In-Store link.
Redeeming a Gift of College gift card? It’s easy!
Contribute as little as $25 as often as you like. The more you invest and the earlier you start, the more opportunity your money has to grow. What are the minimum and maximum contribution limits?
Choose how you’d like to contribute:
Need to contribute, sign up for an automatic contribution plan, or make another change? Log in to your account at any time or see our Account Forms page.
Payroll deductions make contributing to your VHEIP account seamless and easy. Every little bit helps! If your employer allows, you can contribute through your paycheck for as little as $15 per pay period.
Employee
Employer
Code the Account Type
Checking
Transmit to Bank Routing
# (ABA) 104000016 (First National Bank of Omaha)
Enter Account Number, a space, and the last 8 digits of the employees SSN/TIN
110487034_XXXXXXXX
Download the VHEIP Payroll Deduction Guidelines for additional information for employees and employers.
Need to sign up for payroll contributions or make another change? Log in to you account online at any time or see our Account Forms page.
Already have a 529 college savings plan account with another state? Or a Coverdell ESA or UGMA/UTMA for a child? If you’re a Vermont taxpayer, moving those assets to a VHEIP account may provide you with additional benefits, such as the Vermont state income tax credit on the contributions portion of the rollover and on future contributions you make into your VHEIP account. To be eligible for the Vermont income tax credit, the rollover funds must remain in VHEIP for the remainder of the tax year.
Before doing a rollover from another account, consider the differences in features and costs, and any possible tax consequences. Make sure to read the VHEIP Disclosure Booklet.
Transferring from another state’s 529 college savings plan?
Transferring from a Coverdell Education Savings Account?
Transferring from an UGMA/UTMA account?
Need to initiate an incoming rollover or make another change? See Account Forms.
Federal tax reform info: The Internal Revenue Code includes provisions related to 529 plan accounts. See the Disclosure Booklet for details. In 2022, Vermont tax law was updated to add two new allowable uses of funds withdrawn from a VT529 account without adverse impact on the Vermont income tax credit: (1) for apprenticeship programs registered and certified with the U.S. Secretary of Labor and (2) for repayment of up to $10,000 per the lifetime of a beneficiary in student loans for post-secondary education at an approved postsecondary education institution. (See the VHEIP tax credit information on the VT Tax website.) Vermont tax law currently does not treat a rollover to a Roth IRA or a withdrawal used for K through 12 education expenses as an allowable use. Please consult your tax advisor for how this may affect your personal Vermont tax situation.
Participants paying Vermont taxes may be able to claim the Vermont state income tax credit for contributions made to a VHEIP account. Said contributions may only be claimed by a single individual and may not be for a subsequent or future year.
Unsure how much you contributed during a certain tax year? Log in to view your Financial Statements which include a transaction summary at the end of each quarter outlining the tax year for each contribution received during that time period.
See the Vermont Official State Website for forms. For details and examples, including information on nonqualified withdrawals, see the Vermont Department of Taxes Technical Bulletin (TB-66).
Federal tax reform info: The Internal Revenue Code includes provisions related to 529 plan accounts. See the Disclosure Booklet for details. In 2022, Vermont tax law was updated to add two new allowable uses of funds withdrawn from a VT529 account without adverse impact on the Vermont income tax credit: (1) for apprenticeship programs registered and certified with the U.S. Secretary of Labor and (2) for repayment of up to $10,000 per the lifetime of a beneficiary in student loans for post-secondary education at an approved postsecondary education institution. (See the VHEIP tax credit information on the VT Tax website.) Vermont tax law currently does not treat a rollover to a Roth IRA or a withdrawal used for K through 12 education expenses as an allowable use. Please consult your tax advisor for how this may affect your personal Vermont tax situation.
Once you invest in any of the six VHEIP investment portfolios, you can transfer those already invested contributions and any earnings to another VHEIP investment portfolio. This change is allowed up to two (2) times per calendar year per beneficiary. However, if you replace the account beneficiary with another qualifying family member at the same time, there is no federal limit on the number of times this change can occur.
You can also change the instructions of how your future contributions are allocated across your selected investment options at any time. There is no limit to the number of times you can do this.
Need to rebalance your account, change the allocation of your future contributions, or make another change? Log in to your account online at any time or see our Account Forms page.
For more about the investment options and performances, see Investment Options & Performance.
The account owner of the VHEIP account has all control of the funds. The account owner can change the beneficiary at any time to another member of the previous beneficiary’s family. As the account owner, you can even make yourself the beneficiary. If desired, you can also transfer account ownership to another individual, and/or name a contingent account owner.
Need to change an account owner, change a named beneficiary, or make another change? See Account Forms.
To change a mailing address, email, or to make any other administrative change for your accounts: Log in to your account online at any time, contact VHEIP toll-free at 1-800-637-5860, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 7:00 pm ET, or see our Account Forms page.
Federal tax reform info: The Internal Revenue Code includes provisions related to 529 plan accounts. See the Disclosure Booklet for details. In 2022, Vermont tax law was updated to add two new allowable uses of funds withdrawn from a VT529 account without adverse impact on the Vermont income tax credit: (1) for apprenticeship programs registered and certified with the U.S. Secretary of Labor and (2) for repayment of up to $10,000 per the lifetime of a beneficiary in student loans for post-secondary education at an approved postsecondary education institution. (See the VHEIP tax credit information on the VT Tax website.) Vermont tax law currently does not treat a rollover to a Roth IRA or a withdrawal used for K through 12 education expenses as an allowable use. Please consult your tax advisor for how this may affect your personal Vermont tax situation.
Important Notice Regarding Withdrawals:
When you request a withdrawal:
Need to request a withdrawal or make another change? Log in to your account online at any time or see our Account Forms page.
Go paperless! Choose eDelivery. A $25 annual fee will apply for delivery of official plan documents (your statements, confirmations and/or plan disclosure information) via U.S. mail. This fee will be waived for tax forms. To learn more, please refer to the Disclosure Booklet.
Account owners can avoid this fee by signing up for eDelivery! Simply log in to your account, go to the Profile tab, and update your Delivery Options preferences.
The VT529 Prepaid Card, available September 2023, is a reloadable prepaid debit card that is a flexible, convenient, and secure way for an Account Owner or Beneficiary to pay for qualified higher educational expenses using the funds in their VT529 savings account.
The VT529 Prepaid Card is funded by withdrawals the Account Owner initiates from their VT529 savings account. The Prepaid Card is accepted anywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted.
Why use a VT529 Prepaid Card?
How do I request a card?
NOTE: Funds that are transferred to a VT529 Prepaid Card cannot be transferred back into a VT529 account. If you plan to use your VT529 Prepaid Card to pay for tuition or expenses at an institution, be aware of the school’s policy for receiving payments via card transactions. Inquire if any fees are charged when paying via debit card.
Who can request a card?
The VT529 Prepaid Card can be used everywhere Mastercard® debit cards are accepted, online and in stores. To learn more, please refer to the Disclosure Booklet and the VT529 Prepaid Debit Card User Agreement.
Important: To report a lost or stolen card, please call 1-800-637-5860 immediately.
* The Prepaid Card is not a credit card that extends credit, nor does it draw directly from the VT savings account. Card cannot be used for ATM transactions, cash or teller withdrawals at a financial institution or receive cash back from a merchant transaction.
PDF files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Get it here.
Contributions by check should be accompanied by a completed Additional Contribution by Mail Form or should include reference the VHEIP account number(s) to which the contribution should be applied.
×As Vermont’s official 529 college savings plan, VHEIP is the only 529 plan that qualifies for a Vermont state income tax credit.
A qualifying family member includes any siblings or step-siblings, natural or legally adopted children, stepchildren, parents or ancestors of parents, step-parents, first cousins, nieces or nephews, and aunts or uncles. In addition, the spouse of the beneficiary or the spouse of any of those listed above also qualifies as a family member of the beneficiary.
×Qualified higher education expenses include tuition, fees, and the cost of books, supplies, and equipment required for the enrollment and attendance of the beneficiary at an eligible educational institution, and certain room and board expenses. Qualified higher education expenses also include certain additional enrollment and attendant costs of a beneficiary who is a special needs beneficiary in connection with the beneficiary’s enrollment or attendance at an eligible institution. For this purpose, an eligible educational institution generally includes accredited postsecondary educational institutions offering credit toward a bachelor’s degree, an associate’s degree, a graduate-level degree or professional degree, or another recognized postsecondary credential.
×A non-qualified withdrawal is any withdrawal that does not meet the requirements of being: (1) a qualified withdrawal; (2) a taxable withdrawal; or (3) a rollover. The earnings portion of a non-qualified withdrawal may be subject to federal income taxation, and the additional tax. Recapture provisions apply. See the Disclosure Booklet for details.
×Eligible education institutions are accredited, post-secondary educational institutions offering credit towards a bachelor’s degree, an associate’s degree, a graduate level or professional degree, or another recognized post-secondary credential. Use the Federal School Code Search on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website or contact your school to determine if it qualifies as an eligible educational institution. 529 Plan assets can also be used at some accredited foreign schools. If you have a question, contact your school to determine if it qualifies.
×The federal tax act of 2017, signed into law in December 2017, includes provisions related to 529 plan accounts, beginning with the 2018 tax year:
VSAC, as administrator of the Vermont 529 plan, will provide information as details about the Vermont income tax effects are clarified. We encourage you to consult a qualified tax advisor or the Vermont Department of Taxes at tax.vermont.gov concerning federal and state tax implications for tax years 2018 and beyond, and to save documentation for how all VT 529 fund withdrawals are used.
×Simply login to your account and navigate to Upload Documents, located under the Documents tab.